Chapter 4

Planning for Communications

According to the kind-hearted folks at the Project Management Institute, project managers spend
90 percent of their time communicating. Communication, both verbal and nonverbal, drives what
project managers do. In fact, effective communication drives just about every aspect of a project
manager’s activities. Likewise, ineffective communication can have disastrous effects. Ever have
a misunderstanding about the requirements of a project? Ever show up for a meeting and be the
only one there because you misunderstood the start time? Ever create an in-depth proposal when
the stakeholder actually just wanted a short memo about whether the software could do a specific
action? Poor communication costs time and money and causes headaches.

Communication skills aren’t easy to cultivate. If they were, everyone would communicate
brilliantly and we’d live in a world free of misunderstandings. However, there are specific
strategies that you can employ if communication isn’t your forte.

The Importance of Communicating Effectively

Effective communication occurs when a clear transfer of knowledge exists between you and at
least one other person. You have an idea and the other person, through your conversation, gets
what you’re after. You get an e-mail and you understand what the stakeholder wants. You
facilitate a project meeting and your project team follows your agenda, the information is
presented, and everyone is in synch on what to do next.

Clear and accurate communication within your project team is vital to a project’s success. Why?
Software project management is labor intensive. Even though the project team is doing the actual
coding, development, testing, and compiling of the software, as the project manager you’re the
one ensuring that the work is done according to the project scope and within budget, while also
meeting project deadlines. In software project management you must be able to communicate
with the project team about many important things, including

Changes in the technology

Nuances of the software being created

Demands being made by the customer

You and the project team must have a clear understanding about what the project is creating, the
demands of the project stakeholders, and your expectations about the project deliverables. If a
communication breakdown occurs, it’ll compound issues, and no one, especially you, will be
happy.
Ensuring accurate communication

Everyone, from members of the project team to project stakeholders, must communicate openly
and accurately. Unless you facilitate each conversation with a mission to understand exactly
what the person speaking is trying to convey, you’re facing a potential communication
meltdown. So how do you ensure accurate communication? Here are some tips:

Document your conversations in e-mails, memos, or meeting minutes.

If you put the conversation points in writing, the party with whom you’re communicating has an
opportunity to clarify various points if there are any misunderstandings.

Sign where the line is dotted. Signing where the line is dotted means that you and the other
party have a deal. Throughout your project you’ll be faced with demands for the project
customers, key stakeholders, and even your project sponsor. When you and the other party reach
an agreement on any issue, you should document the issue, document the resolution, and then
make sure that both parties sign off on the document. Here are some typical things you and the
project sponsor or project customer both need to sign:

•Scope statement: This document defines all the parameters of the project work — and only the
project work — needed to satisfy the stakeholders’ objectives.

•Scope changes: Any changes to the scope that are approved or declined should be signed by you
and the requesting party. •Budget: You and the project sponsor both need to sign off on the
budget for the project. Signing off acknowledges the budget and any range of variances that may
be permitted.

•Schedule: The project schedule must be signed by the project manager and the project sponsor.
Agreement on the schedule is essential for acknowledging the project resources, identifying
when the resources will be needed, and showing when the project work will be completed.

Document scope, time, or cost compromises. As your project progresses, you’ll have issues,
delays, problems with vendors, problems with your project team, and more excitement. For each
of these issues, you’re likely to arrive at some compromise to find a solution. Document these
solutions so you don’t face repercussions downstream in the project.

Set an agenda. You should create an agenda before every meeting that you’re facilitating. An
agenda sets the direction of the meeting and prevents other nonrelevant issues from creeping into
the discussion. An agenda also helps you and the project team prepare for the meeting by
bringing the appropriate files, status reports, and other pertinent information. Agendas are a
must.
Communication management process

1. Communication planning

Every project should include some type of communications management plan, a document that
guides project communications. Creating a stakeholder analysis for project communications also
aids in communications planning

Communications Management Plan Contents

 Stakeholder communications requirements.

 Information to be communicated, including format, content, and level of detail.

 The people who will receive the information and who will produce it.

 Suggested methods or technologies for conveying the information.

 Frequency of communication.

 Escalation procedures for resolving issues.

 Revision procedures for updating the communications management plan.

 A glossary of common terminology.

2. 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.

Important considerations include:

a. Using technology to enhance information distribution.

b. Formal and informal methods for distributing information.

Distributing Information in an Effective and Timely Manner

 Don’t bury crucial information.

 Don’t be afraid to report bad information.

 Oral communication via meetings and informal talks helps bring important information—
good and bad—out into the open.
 Importance of Face-to-Face Communication

 Research says that in a face-to-face interaction:

 58 percent of communication is through body language.

 35 percent of communication is through how the words are said.

 7 percent of communication is through the content or words that are spoken.

 Pay attention to more than just the actual words someone is saying.

 A person’s tone of voice and body language say a lot about how he or she really feels.

Other Communication Considerations

 Rarely does the receiver interpret a message exactly as the sender intended.

 Geographic location and cultural background affect the complexity of project

 Different working hours

 Language barriers

 Different cultural norms

Determining the Number of Communications Channels

 As the number of people involved increases, the complexity of communications increases

 Number of communications channels = n(n-1)

2
where n is the number of people involved.
 3. Performance Reporting

Performance reporting keeps stakeholders informed about how resources are being used to
achieve project objectives.

a. Status reports describe where the project stands at a specific point in time.

b. Progress reports describe what the project team has accomplished during a
certain period of time.

c. Forecasts predict future project status and progress based on past information and
trends.

4. Managing Stakeholders

Project managers must understand and work with various stakeholders.

Need to devise a way to identify and resolve issues.

Suggestions for Improving Project Communications

Manage conflicts effectively.

 Determine if a meeting can be avoided.

 Determine who should attend the meeting.

 Provide an agenda to participants before the meeting.

 Prepare handouts and visual aids, and make logistical arrangements ahead of time.

 Run the meeting professionally.

 Build relationships

Develop better communication skills.

 Run effective meetings.

Use e-mail effectively.

 Make sure that e-mail is an appropriate medium for what you want to communicate.

 Be sure to send the e-mail to the right people.

 Use meaningful subject lines.

 Limit the content to one main subject, and be as clear and concise as possible.

 Limit the number and size of attachments.

 Delete e-mail you don’t need, and don’t open e-mail if you question the source.

 Make sure your virus software is current.

 Respond to and file e-mails quickly.

 Learn how to use important features.

Use templates for project communications.

 Many technical people are afraid to ask for help.

 Providing examples and templates for project communications saves time and money.

 Organizations can develop their own templates, use some provided by outside
organizations, or use samples from textbooks.

 Recall that research shows that companies that excel in project management make
effective use of templates.