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# Project Communication Management

1. An effective communications management plan is developed early in project life cycle.
2. Misunderstandings can be reduced using the 5C’ (Correct grammar and spelling,
Concise expression and elimination for excess words, Clear purpose and expression,
Coherent logical flow of ideas and Controlling flow of words and ideas).
3. Communication Requirements Analysis:
✓ Determines the information needs of the project stakeholders. These
requirements are defined by combining the type and format of information
needed with an analysis of the value of that information.
✓ Sources of information include (Stakeholder information, Number of potential
communication channels, Organizational charts, Development approach,
Internal and external information and Legal requirements).
4. Communication Technology:
✓ Methods includes (Conversation, meetings, Written documents, Databases
and Websites).
✓ Factors that affect the choice of communication include (Urgency of the need
for information, Availability and reliability of technology, Ease of use, Project
environment (face-to-face or virtual) and Sensitivity and confidentiality of the
information).
5. Communication Models:
✓ Sample basic sender/receiver communication model: This model consists
two parties (sender and receiver). This model is concerned with ensuring that
message is delivered, rather than understood.
▪ Encode: The message is coded into symbols, such as text, sound or
some other medium.
▪ Transmit message: The message is sent via a communication channel.
The transmission of this message may be compromised by various
physical factors (unfamiliar technology) or inadequate infrastructure.
Noise may result in loss of information in transmission/reception.
▪ Decode: Data received is translated by the receiver back into a form
useful to the receiver.

Prepared By: Experience Team

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✓ Sample Interactive communication model: This model consists two parties

(sender and receiver), but recognizes the need to ensure the message has been
understood.
▪ Acknowledge: Upon receipt of a message, the receiver may signal
(acknowledge) receipt of the message, but this does not necessarily
mean agreement with or comprehension of the message.
▪ Feedback/response: When the received message has been decoded and
understood, the receiver encodes thoughts and ideas into a message and
then transmits this message to the original sender. If the sender
perceives that the feedback matches the original message, the
communication has been successful. Feedback can be achieved through
active listening.
✓ The sender is responsible for the transmission of the message, ensuring the
information being communicated is clear and complete and confirm the
message is correctly interpreted.
✓ The receiver is responsible for ensuring that the information is received in
its entirety, interpreted correctly and acknowledged or responded to
appropriately.
6. Communication Methods:
✓ Interactive communication: Between two or more parties performing a
multidirectional exchange of information in real time like (Meetings, phone
calls, video conferencing and instant messaging).
✓ Push communication: Sent or distributed directly to specific recipients who
need to receive the information. Like (letters, memos, reports, emails, faxes,
voicemail and blogs).
✓ Pull communication: Used for large complex information sets, or for large
audiences, and requires the recipients to access content at their own discretion
subject to security procedure. Like (web portals, intranet sites, e-learning,
lessons learned databases or knowledge repositories).
7. Interpersonal and Team Skills:
✓ Communication style assessment: A technique used to assess
communication styles and identify the preferred communication method for
planned communication activities.

Prepared By: Experience Team

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✓ Political awareness: Helps the project manager to plan communications

based on the project environment as well as organization’s political
environment. Political awareness concerns the recognition of power
relationships, both formal and informal and also the willingness to operate
within these structures.
✓ Cultural awareness: Understanding of the difference between individual and
groups and adapting the project’s communication strategy in the context of
these differences. This minimize misunderstandings and miscommunications
that may result in cultural differences.
8. Communication Management Plan:
✓ The communications management plan is a component of the project
management plan that describes how project communications will be planned,
structured, implemented, and monitored for effectiveness.
✓ This communication management plan can include guidelines and templates
for project status meetings, project team meetings, e-meetings, and email
messages.
✓ It also contains “Escalation processes”.
9. The Manage Communications process ensure that the information has been generated
is appropriately generated and formatted and received by the intended audience. Also
provides opportunities for stakeholders to make requests for further information and
clarification.
10.Communication Skills:
✓ Communication competence: A combination of tailored communication
skills that considers factors such as clarity of purpose in key messages,
effective relationships and information sharing, and leadership behaviors.
✓ Feedback: information about reactions to communications or a deliverable.
Feedback supports interactive communication between the manager, team and
stakeholders. Example (coaching, negotiating and mentoring).
✓ Nonverbal: Examples of nonverbal communication include appropriate body
language to transmit meaning through gestures, tone of voice, and facial
expressions, eye contact and Mirroring.
✓ Presentation: Formal delivery of information and/or documentation. Clear
and effective presentations of project information to relevant stakeholders

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include (Progress reports, Background information, General information

about the project and specific information on a subject).
11.Project Reporting:
✓ Project reporting is the act of collecting and distributing project information.
✓ Reporting format may range from a simple communication to more elaborate
custom reports.
✓ While work performance reports are the output of the Monitor and Control
Project Work process, this process develops ad hoc reports, project
presentations blogs.
12.Interpersonal and Team Skills:
✓ Active Listening: involve acknowledging, clarifying and confirming,
understanding and removing barriers that adversely affect comprehension.
✓ Meeting management: taking steps to ensure meetings meet their intended
objectives effectively and efficiently.
✓ Networking: interacting with others to exchange information and develop
contacts. Networks provide the manager and the team access to informal
organizations to solve problems, influence actions of their stakeholders, and
increase stakeholder support for the work and outcomes.
✓ Political awareness: assists the project manager in engaging stakeholders
appropriately to maintain their support throughout the project.
13.Project Communications: Project communications artifacts includes: performance
reports, deliverable status, schedule progress, cost incurred, presentations, and other
information required by stakeholders.
14.Monitor Communications process can trigger an iteration of the Plan Communications
Management and/or Manage Communications processes to improve effectiveness of
communication.
15.Observation/Conversation: Discussion and dialogue with the project team helps
determine the most appropriate way to update and communicate project performance,
and to respond to requests from stakeholders for information. Also help the manager to
detect any conflicts between people.

Prepared By: Experience Team