316124, 4:48 PM ‘Att of communication in project management Art of communication in project management ‘CONFERENCE PAPER Communications Management 14 July 2010 Rajkumar, Sivasankari How to cite this article: Rajkumar, S. (2010). Art of communication in projact management. Paper presente at PMl@ Research ‘Conference: Defring the Future of Project Managemen’, Washington, DC. Newtown Square, PA: Project Management Insite Download the Companion Project Management Communication War Stories Presentation \Whatis project communications? Do you truly understand why good project ‘communications matter? This presentation from the PMI Global Congress 2014 in Phoenix will help you connect and relate to various real life case study situations~and arm you with a couple of tools and applicable nuggets. Indhu KP, Tata Consultancy Services, Bangalore, india CConsmuniction works fr hots who work titJobn Powell Abstract ‘This paper focuses on the importance of communication in project management. Nothing is more important to the success ofa project than effective communication. More effective ‘communication ~ Better projet management is obviously known to everyone in project management, but we do face diffcultes in implementing it due to various factors like the nature of the project, structure ofthe organization etc. About 90% ofthe time in a project is spent on ‘communication by the project manager. If this continues in a project, there is a danger of, missing the deliverables or other outcomes as required by the sponsor. This paper highlights more specific details ke, what communication means in a project, the steps required for effective communication, the major obstacles in communication, how to overcome obstacles through communication sharing, the importance of communications in diverse work groups and provides a four-step process for effective communication explained with a case study. As all of us know, communication is not an absolute, fnite thing. Developing an effective communication plan is explained in steps on how to identify communication requirements: 5Ws (What, Why, Who, Where, When) and 1H (How), Enterprise environmental factors and organizational process assets are also described, So in shor, ifthe steps outlined inthis paper are considered and followed, more time would be saved for the project manager. Therefore, he or she can ‘concentrate on other loopholes and successfully complete the project. Communication—The Life Blood Communication is an essential process in our day-to-day life, and the entire word revolves ‘round it, Lasswel's Maxim defines communication as “who says what to whom in what ‘channel with what effect”. Communication is exchanging of information from one point of the project to the other point in an efficient manner. Like this, there are various definitions and ‘concepts about communication in today's world. However, how important is this communication in project management, we can say that this is “ProjectLife Blood’ as everything in a project is based on how efficiently we perform this, Communication is an essential tool in the field of project management. It's gaining importance everyday and is the center of all management processes soon. The success ofa project largely depends on the efficiency of ts, ‘communication network. It starts working from day one of the venture and continues for the https:www-pmi orgileaming)raryetfective-communicator-better-project management 6480 ane.378/24, 4:48 PM ‘Att of communication in project management entire lfe span ofthe project. It provides regular updates to notify the status of the project as well as its performance capacity. But surprisingly, it has been found that most projects ‘experience a breakdown in communications. thas been said that 90% af a project manager's, time is spent communicating what is going to be done. This paper details what communication means in a project, the steps required for effective communication, the major obstactes in ‘communication, how te overcome obstacles through communication sharing, the importance of ‘communications in diverse work groups, and a four-step process for effective communication, Communication—Project Management Starts With a Big “C” ‘The word communication comes from the Latin word communis, which means common. When we communicate, we are trying to establish “commonness" with someone, That is, we are {trying to share information, an idea, or an attitude among the team involved in that particular Project. (ne ean never take for granted that the receiver will interpret the message the same way as the sender intended it. Communication is not an absolute, finite thing. To do this effectively, the project manager needs to consider all the factors lke the diferent realities, the space the ‘communication takes place in, verbal as well as non-verbal messages, and the intended meaning versus the perceived meaning, etc. Figure 1 depicts the cost of bad communication ie Poor Communications = Greater Impacts Laterin the Project Life Cost and Schedule Impact Define Closure Project Life Cycle Figure 1. The Price of Poor Communication Therefore, the communication process needs to be efficient and effective, Understanding the Communications Process ‘To communicate effectively, project managers must have a good understanding of the ‘communications process. cosatsensey Decodethecene 7 Message DecoieReceive) (Feedback) Code Seep Figure 2, The Communications Process ‘To understand the communications process, project managers must understand all the relevant factors ‘The communicalions process requires a sender and receiver. The sender formulates the message to communicate, hin is meant fora receiver. The sencer creates the content win some inant in mind, The receiver, of course, receives the message and tien deals wih according to personal feactions, He or she may accept, reviee, or fee! the message. For example, projec manager htps:iwww pm orgileaminglbraryletfectve-communicator-better-project management 6480 aie316124, 4:48 PM ‘Att of communication in project management informs the customer that aside on a major milestone wil occur and provides reasons. The Customer, n tum, may make a decision based upon that informaton, The communications process requires a medium fo communicate the content of a message. The medium may lake ust about any form, each unique in its ably to inluence the recaptviy ofthe Fecelver. As withthe message self, the receiver may elect fo accept o reject the medium employed. “The receiver may even elec to ater the medium so that he or she can receive and interpret te message according lo his or her preferences, inthe earlier example with te schedule side, a project ‘anager may send the message as e-mail rather than have a face-lo‘ace meeting with the ‘The communications process requires a message. The message can take many diferent forms, usualy in hard or sot format. The hard format usualy written on paper whereas soft format s ‘lecroni. Regardless ofthe formal, a message is necessary to inate a communication and Simulate a relationship between two or mare peopl. Inthe previously mertoned example, the message is that the project wl side @ major milestone and itis sent in @s0% (e.g, electronic) format. “The communications process requir fesaback betwen the sender and receiver. Feadback may be postive, negative, or outa, Indicating tho receptivity ofthe sander or recover. Feedoack can also be simple or complex. Simple feedback occurs whan involves just two people; complex feedback Is whan the process invelves tree or more people. The mavement from simple to complex is Because ‘he number of channels and opporunties for m'sintorpreation Inerease geometrically as each one des thelr message and the oor decades the same. Inthe las examplo, the customer gives negative feadback n soft copy format but suggests a folow-up meeting to discuss the results. ‘The communications process is racly “clean,” meaning thal wat the recipient receives may nat be necessarly what the sender sen, A numberof variables can affect the quay ofa message eluding ‘he folowing: delet, values, ine emotional impact of a message, and the medium employed. These ‘Variables and other olen referred to as roige” can affect the dgree of receptivity of a message land the feedback onthe pat othe sender or receiver. For example, the sender may nol rely Belove in a message he or she formulates, but this person may be compelled fo send i: the content ‘ofthe message and ts mode of dalvery may Influence the quay of the message and, ulimarely, ks receptvly. For example, a proyet manager may decide to communicate via e-mail rather than in person to key stakeholdors. The reason may bolo avoid direct confit with the recipients of the message due to the personaltes involved ‘The communications process wil always bein setting or context that influences results. This context often involves tm, space, and stucture, Time may refer tothe day ofthe week, Space may be as simple as the locaton ofa person, ot may involve a project spread over a wide geographical farea, Stucture may be the organ ational network in place for supporting the communications process ofa projec. For example, a project manager may want to communicate negatve information bout a schedule performance only a specie setting, such asa project status review. Understanding te influence and interplay ofthe diferent variables involved requires a deop ‘appreciation of thee elements: sander and recelver, massage, medium, feadback varables, and setng ‘The basic communication model is explained here using fax machine as an example, Figure 3. A Communications Model Figure 2 explains how communication moves from one person to another. If we imagine each portion of the model as a fax machine, it would be easier to visualize the components. Sender: This refers to the person who first initiates the communication. Let's say a document related to the project is being faxed by the project manager. Encoder: This device encodes the message to be sent. In this case, itis the fax machine, Medium: This is the device or technology to transport the message between the ‘encoder and the decoder. Here itis the telephone line. htps:www-pmi orgileaming)raryetfective-communicator-better-project management 6480 aia316124, 4:48 PM ‘Att of communication in project management Decoder: This device decodes the message to be received. Here itis the fax machine itself. Receiver: This refers to the person who receives the communication finally. The receiver may interpret the information, make a comment, and send it back to the sender, Feedback: The communication may be disrupted by noise and misinterpret the message. A part of the message may be faded out or discolored etc. This would have been caused by the distortion of phone line, Similarly, there may be many reasons for misinterpretation of information within the project team. In order to avoid this, each project manager should follow some basic steps to be ‘effective in this communication process. Let us see how in the further sections. Effective Communication Steps: To Keep Communication Alive Communication is a vital clement of a well managed project. There are two main groups of people with whom the project manager needs to ensure clear and effective communication, the stakeholders and the project team. Every project willbe sponsored by a part ofthe business with @ stake in the outcome. They wil likely be represented on the project board, which sets the ‘objectives forthe project and monitors progress overtime. The project board wil include others, with @ stake in the outcome, for example, those who will need to implement the project ‘outcomes and those who will need to supply resource once the project outcomes have been met. All of these stakeholders will need regular updates, and its imperative that ‘communication with them is regular, clear and complete. In addition, projects often involve the need for the project manager to coordinate the work of a large group of people working on different aspects of the project (often referred to as work streams). The project manager is required to ensure that everyone is clear about what he or she must achieve and he or she also needs to clearly report on progress to the project board andlor project sponsors. There are many opportunities for things to go badly wrong if an ‘effective communication is not established and maintained ‘The following steps will help the project manager to communicate effectively ‘An Effective Communications Plan in Place is the Key Based on stakeholder analysis, the project manager and the project team can determine the ‘communications that are needed. There is no advantage of supplying stakeholdors with information that isnt needed or desired, and the time spent creating and delivering such information is a waste of resources. ‘A-communications management plan can organize and document the process, types, and ‘expectations of communications. It provides the folowing The stakeholder communications requirements in order to communicate the appropriate information as demanded by the stakeholders. Information on what is to be communicated. This plan includes the expected format, Content, and detaii—thinks project reports versus quick e-mail updates, Details on how needed information flows through the project to the correct individuals. The ‘communication structure dacuments where the information will originate, to whom the information will be sent, and in what modality the information is acceptable. Appropriate methods for communicating include e-mails, memos, reports, and even press releases, ‘Schedules of when the various types of communication should occur. Some ‘communications, such as status meetings, should happen on a regular schedule, while other communications may be prompted by conditions within the project. Escalation processes and timeframes for moving issues upwards in the organization when they can't be solved at lower levels. Methods to retrieve information as needed Instructions on how the communications management plan can be updated as the project progresses, https:www-pmi orgileaming)raryetfective-communicator-better-project management 6480 ane316124, 4:48 PM ‘Att of communication in project management Aproject glossary ‘The communications plan may also include information and guidelines for project status meetings, team meetings, e-meatings (that’s electronic meetings, not meetings about the letter «), and even e-mail, Setting expectations for communications and meetings early in the project ‘establishes guidelines for the project team and stakeholders, Four Steps Process for Effective Communication Identify Communication Requirements ‘The project manager and the project team work together to identity who needs what information. In other words, project management needs to know what the requirements of successful communications are in order to plan on how to achieve those requirements. First, the team to whom communication is essential needs to be determine the number of ‘channels of communication possible using the communication formula as illustrated in A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge, (PMBOK® Guide)—Fourth Ecition (Project Management Institute [PMI]. 2008) Ths is a very simple equation that any good program and project manager should know which is: N(N-1)/2. Using the formula, let us take an example with a smal project team of five people where the {otmula calculates that there are 10 possible channels of communication as: 5(5-1)/2 = 5(4)/2 = 20/2 = 10. So the project manager must ensure that five people on th team are communicating real time, and that there are no gaps in everyone's’ understanding that they need to manage only 10 communication channels among the team, Stakeholders will need different types of information, depending on their interest in project and the priority of the project. The project manager will need fo complete the analysis of the identified stakeholders to determine what information they actually need as well as how often the information is needed. The project manager and the project team can identily the demand for communications using the following, Organization charts, The project structure within the performing organization, Stakeholder responsibilty relationships, Departments and disciplines involved within the project work, The number of individuals involved in the project and their locales, Intemal and external information needs, and Stakeholder information, 4. Identify the SWs (Why, What, When, Where, Who) and 1H (How) Who needs to be communicated to. This is based on the communication formula and needs to be determined. What needs to be communicated, All information related to the project need not be ‘communicated to everyone in the team, When it should be communicated. The timeline of communication should be monitored, Where should it be communicated. Ifthe team involves many people, then inividual level ‘and team level communications needs to be resolved Why communication of information is essential and to what level is important, Why is it not encouraged as itis blame rather than change, How the communication needs to be done. Is it conducted via e-mail, phone, or 2 presentation done to the team members? htps:www pi orgileaminglraryetfectve-communicator-better-project- management 6480 52316724, 4:48 PM ‘Att of communication in project management Figure 4. The 5 “W's" 2. Identify and Accommodate the Enterprise Environmental Factors Much of the communications management processes are linked to the enterprise enironmental factors Enterprise emvrnmental ators that fect projet commuricaons are Organizational culture and structure, ‘Standard and regulations the project must comply with, The logistics and the organizational infrastructure, The human resources the project will ely on and interact with, The policies and procedures for personnel administration, “The project’s work authorization system, The marketplace conditions, Stakeholder risk tolerances, Commercial databases that the project may use for estimating, and Project management information system ‘These enterprise factors should be identified and reviewed and the project manager should ‘align his ar her project iiiative considering all of these factors, 43. Identify Organizational Process Assets ‘The organizational process assets affect how the project manager, project team, and the ‘stakeholders will communicate within a project, The primary organizational process assets that affect communication include the following: Standards and policies unique to the organization; Organizational guidelines, work instructions and performance measurement criteria; Organizational communication requirements forall projects considering required and approved technology, security issues, archiving and allowed communication media; Project closure requirements; Financial controls and procedures; Issue and defect management procedures for al projects: Change control procedures; Risk control procedures; ‘Work authorization systoms; Process measurement database; Projectile stucture, organization, and retention; Historical information and lessons learned requirements; ps:hwww.pmi orgileaming!ibraryeffective-communicator-bettr-project management 6480 ena