Project Communications Management Importance of Good Communications The

Project Communications Management

Importance of Good Communications • The greatest threat to many projects is a failure to communicate • Our culture does not portray PM professionals as being good communicators • Research shows that PM professionals must be able to communicate effectively to succeed in their positions • Strong verbal skills are a key factor in career advancement for PM professionals

What is Project Communication Management? • Project communication management employs the processes required to ensure timely and appropriate generation, collection, distribution, storage, retrieval, and ultimate disposition of project information. Processes include – – Communication planning Information distribution Performance reporting Manage stakeholder

Communication Planning • Determining the information and communication needs of the project stakeholders • Every project should include some type of communications management plan, a document that guides project communications • The communications management plan can also include guidelines for project status meetings, project team meetings, e-meetings, and e-mail

Sample Stakeholder Analysis for Project Communications

Information Distribution • Making needed information available to project stakeholders in a timely manner • Information distribution includes implementing the communications management plan, as well as responding to unexpected request for information

Information Distribution • Getting the right information to the right people at the right time and in a useful format is just as important as developing the information in the first place • Communicating has many dimensions: – Written and oral, listening, and speaking – Internal and external – Formal (reports, briefings) and informal (memos, ad hoc conversations) – Vertical and horizontal

Media Choice Table

The Impact of the Number of People on Communications Channels

Performance Reporting • Collecting and distribution performance information, includes status reporting, progress measurement, and forecasting • Generally, this performance information includes how resources are being used to achieve project objectives • Performance reporting should generally provide information on scope, schedule, cost, and quality

Performance Report sample by Earn Value Analysis

Manage Stakeholder • Managing communications to satisfy the requirements of and resolve issues with project stakeholders • Stakeholder requirements and expectations (in the communication management plan) provide an understanding of stakeholder goals, objectives, and level of communication during the project • Face-to-face meetings are the most effective means for communicating and resolving issues with stakeholders

Project Communication Management Processes