Area 7: Communications

Management
 Learning Objectives
 Discuss the role of soft skills in IT project management
 Highlight the importance of good communications as one
means of achieving project success
 Review key concepts related to communications
 Explain the elements of planning project communications
 Understand how to create a communications management
plan
 Describe how to manage communications, including
communication technologies, media, and performance
reporting
 Learning Objectives
 Discuss methods for controlling communications to
ensure that information needs are met throughout the life
of the project
 List various methods for improving project
communications, such as running effective meetings,
using various technologies effectively, and using
templates
 Describe how software can enhance project
communications management
 Introduction
 Many project managers have executed the technical work
to perfection only to find out that stakeholders were not
satisfied because communication was poor.
 Thus, project communication is sometimes more
important than the technical work. At least as important
 However, communication when unexpected events occur
is the domain of project risk management.
 Steady and effective communication with stakeholders
that prevents the occurrence of project issues falls under
this area of PM
 Introduction
 90% of project manager’s time is spent
communicating!!
 Some common problems of communications in many
projects are
 Inadequate communication,
 one way communication,
 incomplete messages and
 unclear messages
 Communication Management
 There are three processes in this Area of PMBOK
1. Plan Communications Management
2. Manage Communications
3. Monitor Communications
1. Plan Communication Management

 During this process, the stakeholders’ communication

requirements are determined.
 These are documented in the communication mngt plan.
 These requirements could be as follows;
 Who needs what information?
 When will they need it?
 How will it be given to them
 Who will give it to them
 How will the information be stored and retrieved?
 Communications Requirement Analysis

 This tool is intended to focus on stakeholders needs for

information
 This includes type of information and how the same will be
presented to the audience
 A key input to this analysis is stakeholder register
 If teams are virtual, it is even more critical to ensure that
communication between team members is covered within this
analysis
 Communications Channels

 There are many communication channels utilized by a project

manager
 These include
 Upward communication to management
 Lateral communications to peers, other functional groups
and customers
 Downward communications to subordinates
 Communications Channels
 Communication channels are the number of one-to-one
communications that exist for the team
 More the channels more complex the communications
analysis
 Communications Channels

 There is a simple formula to determine the number of

communications
 It is determined by (n[n-1]/2), where n indicates the number
of people.
 For example, if 5 people work on a project, n=5
 Communication channels = (5*4)/2 = 10.
 With 7 people communication channels will be 21
 Communications Technology
 In analyzing communications, one must address the types of
technologies available to facilitate communications
 Some considerations include
 Urgency of information transfer,
 The type of technology available,
 The sensitivity or confidentiality of the information,
 Amount of training required
 Length of the project and
 Number of virtual team member and stakeholders.
 Communications Model

 A basic communication model consists of the following

components: a sender, a receiver, a medium through which
message are sent and received, noise and feedback.
 Barriers to Communication
 In addition to large number of communication links required
as resources increase, other barriers also exist to deter
effective communication. Some of them are
 Ineffective listening
 Improper Encoding of messages
 Improper Decoding of messages
 Naysayers
 Hostility
 Language
 Culture
 Barriers to Communication
 Language and Culture are especially common source of
problems in communication
 Communication across cultures has many challenges
 High-context language messages like Japanese, Arabic
require the reader or listener to know the situation and the
context that the message is discussing
 Barriers to Communication

 Low-context language messages like German, Swiss do not

require this knowledge.
 Low – context communication is the more explicit and
straightforward communication pattern

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 Communication Methods

3 categories of communication methods

1. Interactive: This include meetings, phone calls and
videoconference
 Formal Verbal Communications: Presentations,
speeches
 Informal Verbal Communications: Meetings,
conversations in informal groups
 Communication Methods
2. Push: include letters, memos, reports, emails, faxes etc
that are sent to stakeholders.
 Formal Written Communications: Should be used for key
documents like project plan, project charter, communicating
over long distance, complex problems, legal documents
 Informal Written Communications: Should be used for
status updates and day to day communications
3. Pull: include intranet sites and knowledge repositories.
 Used when large volume of information or a large audience
to reach based on the request of the consumer.
 Communication Management Plan
 This is an output of the Plan Communication Management
Process
 It becomes part of project management plan and include
 Stakeholder communications requirements
 Information Required
 Methods used to convey information
 Reporting responsibilities
 Distribution schedule
 Performance reporting process
 Communication Matrix
 Use of communication Matrix can help identify and organize
this information.
 Note that the organizational structure will influence the
information and distribution channels of a project.
 The objective is to identify who is being communicated to,
when it is needed, how the communications will be distributed
and who is responsible for their delivery.
 Sample communication matrix is displayed in the next slide.
 2. Manage Communications
 This deals with flow of information, especially work
performance reports among the stakeholders
 Communicating effectively to ensure that information is
understood, and the stakeholders give feedback.
 This depends on various techniques that include
 Writing Style
 Meeting management technique
 Presentation Techniques
 Facilitation Techniques
 Listening Techniques
 Manage Communications Process

 Work Performance Reports are key input to manage

communication process
 Types of performance reports include
 Status reports
 Trend and forecasting
 Approved change requests
 Process Updates
 Risk monitoring and control outcomes
 3. Monitor and Control Communications

 This focuses on making sure stakeholders have the

information they need at the right time and the right format
 The goal is to optimize flow of information
 Earned Value techniques are very helpful in providing
answers to common time and cost performance queries
 Project Manager needs to know whom to let know the delay
and whom to contact to get project on track.
 Summary
 Communication management is analogous to the central
nervous system which ensures that the right information
reaches the right stakeholder at precisely the right time in the
right format.
 90% of project manager’s time is spent communicating!!
 And he is solely responsible for ensuring project
communication.
 Communication management is the major mechanism which
helps in getting all the project work done in the right manner.
 It is important to manage the information flow in a systematic
and planned manner.