PROJECT COMMUNICATIONS MANAGEMENT

PROJECT COMMUNICATIONS MANAGEMENT

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PROJECT COMMUNICATIONS MANAGEMENT

▪ Project Communications Management includes the processes

that are required to ensure timely and appropriate planning,
collection, creation, distribution, storage, retrieval,
management, control, monitoring, and the ultimate disposition
of project information.
▪ Project managers spend most of their time communicating
with team members and other project stakeholders, whether
they are internal (at all organizational levels) or external to the
organization.
▪ Effective communication creates a bridge between diverse
stakeholders who may have different cultural and
organizational backgrounds, different levels of expertise, and
different perspectives and interests, which impact or have an
influence upon the project execution or outcome.
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PROJECT COMMUNICATIONS MANAGEMENT

The communication activities involved in these processes may

often have many potential dimensions that need to be
considered, including, but not limited to:
• Internal (within the project) and external (customer, vendors,
other projects, organizations, the public);
• Formal (reports, minutes, briefings) and informal (emails,
memos, ad-hoc discussions);
• Vertical (up and down the organization) and horizontal (with
peers);
• Official (newsletters, annual report) and unofficial (off the
record communications); and
• Written and oral, and verbal (voice inflections) and nonverbal
(body language).
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PROJECT COMMUNICATIONS MANAGEMENT

(1/2) Most communication skills are common for both general

management and project management, such as, but not limited
to:
• Listening actively and effectively;
• Questioning and probing ideas and situations to ensure
better understanding;
• Educating to increase team’s knowledge so that they can be
more effective;
• Fact-finding to identify or confirm information;
• Setting and managing expectations;
• Persuading a person, a team, or an organization to perform
an action;
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PROJECT COMMUNICATIONS MANAGEMENT

(2/2) Most communication skills are common for both general

management and project management, such as, but not limited
to:
• Motivating to provide encouragement or reassurance;
• Coaching to improve performance and achieve desired
results;
• Negotiating to achieve mutually acceptable agreements
between parties;
• Resolving conflict to prevent disruptive impacts; and
• Summarizing, recapping, and identifying the next steps.
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PCM Processes

10.1 Plan
10.2 Manage 10.3 Control
Communications
Communications Communications
Management
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PCM Processes

10.1 Plan Communications Management — The process of

developing an appropriate approach and plan for project
communications based on stakeholder’s information needs
and requirements, and available organizational assets.
10.2 Manage Communications — The process of creating,
collecting, distributing, storing, retrieving and the ultimate
disposition of project information in accordance with the
communications management plan.
10.3 Control Communications — The process of monitoring
and controlling communications throughout the entire project
life cycle to ensure the information needs of the project
stakeholders are met.
10.1 PLAN COMMUNICATIONS MANAGEMENT
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10.1 Plan Communications Management

▪ Plan Communications Management is the process of

developing an appropriate approach and plan for project
communications based on stakeholder’s information needs
and requirements, and available organizational assets.
▪ The key benefit of this process is that it identifies and
documents the approach to communicate most effectively
and efficiently with stakeholders.
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10.1 Plan Communications Management

▪ Important considerations that may need to be taken into

account include, but are not limited to:
• Who needs what information, and who is authorized to
access that information;
• When they will need the information;
• Where the information should be stored;
• What format the information should be stored in;
• How the information can be retrieved; and
• Whether time zone, language barriers, and cross-cultural
considerations need to be taken into account.
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10.1 Plan Communications : Tools & Techniques

1. Communication Requirements Analysis

The total number of potential communication channels is
n(n – 1)/2, where n represents the number of stakeholders.
For example, a project with 10 stakeholders has 10(10 –
1)/2 = 45 potential communication channels.
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10.1 Plan Communications : Tools & Techniques

2. Communication Technology
• The methods used to transfer information among project
stakeholders may vary significantly.
• For example, a project team may use techniques from
brief conversations to extended meetings, or from
simple written documents to extensive materials (e.g.,
schedules, databases, and websites), which are
accessible online as methods of communication.
• Factors that can affect the choice of communication
technology include: 1. Urgency of the need for
information, 2 Availability of technology, 3. Ease of use,
4. Project environment, 5. Sensitivity and confidentiality
of the information.
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10.1 Plan Communications : Tools & Techniques

3. Communication Models
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10.1 Plan Communications : Tools & Techniques

4. Communication Methods
• Interactive communication
• Push communication
• Pull communication
5. Meetings
Discussions and dialogue are commonly facilitated through
meetings, which may be conducted face to face or online
and in different locations, such as the project site or the
customer’s site.
10.2 MANAGE COMMUNICATIONS
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10.2 Manage Communications

▪ Manage Communications is the process of creating, collecting,

distributing, storing, retrieving, and the ultimate disposition of
project information in accordance to the communications
management plan.
▪ The key benefit of this process is that it enables an efficient
and effective communications flow between project
stakeholders.
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10.2 Manage Communications : Tools & Techniques

4. Information Management Systems

Project information is managed and distributed using a
variety of tools, including:
• Hard-copy document management: letters, memos,
reports, and press releases;
• Electronic communications management: e-mail, fax,
voice mail, telephone, video and web conferencing,
websites, and web publishing; and
• Electronic project management tools: web interfaces to
scheduling and project management software, meeting
and virtual office support software, portals, and
collaborative work management tools.
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10.2 Manage Communications : Tools & Techniques

5. Performance Reporting
• Performance reporting is the act of collecting and
distributing performance information, including status
reports, progress measurements, and forecasts.
• Performance reporting involves the periodic collection
and analysis of baseline versus actual data to understand
and communicate the project progress and performance
as well as to forecast the project results.
• Performance reporting needs to provide information at
an appropriate level for each audience.
• The format may range from a simple status report to
more elaborate reports and may be prepared regularly
or on an exception basis.
10.3 CONTROL COMMUNICATIONS
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10.3 Control Communications

▪ Control Communications is the process of monitoring and

controlling communications throughout the entire project life
cycle to ensure the information needs of the project
stakeholders are met.
▪ The key benefit of this process is that it ensures an optimal
information flow among all communication participants, at any
moment in time.
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10.3 Control Communications : Tools & Techniques

2. Expert Judgment
• Expert judgment is often relied upon by the project team
to assess the impact of the project communications,
need for action or intervention, actions that should be
taken, responsibility for taking such actions, and the
timeframe for taking action.
• Expert judgment may need to be applied to technical
and/or management details and may be provided by any
group or individual with specialized knowledge or
training.
THANK YOU