Chapter 10:

Project Communications
Management
Information Technology Project Management, Ninth Edition
Note: See the text itself for full citations

Information Technology Project Management, Ninth Edition. © 2019 Cengage. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part, except
for use as permitted in a license distributed with a certain product or service or otherwise on a password-protected website for classroom use.
The Importance of Project Communications
Management (1 of 2)

• Greatest threat to many projects is a failure to communicate

• You cannot totally separate technical skills and soft skills when working
on IT projects
• For projects to succeed, every project team member needs both types of
skills
• Main processes in project communications management
• Planning communications management
• Managing communications
• Monitoring communications

Information Technology Project Management, Ninth Edition. © 2019 Cengage. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part, except
for use as permitted in a license distributed with a certain product or service or otherwise on a password-protected website for classroom use.
Keys to Good Communications

• Project managers say they spend as much as 90 percent of

their time communicating
• Several important concepts can help
• Focus on group and individual communication needs
• Use formal and informal methods for communicating
• Distribute important information in an effective and timely manner
• Set the stage for communicating bad news
• Determine the number of communication channels

Information Technology Project Management, Ninth Edition. © 2019 Cengage. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part, except
for use as permitted in a license distributed with a certain product or service or otherwise on a password-protected website for classroom use.
Focusing on Group and Individual Communication
Needs

• People are not interchangeable parts

• As illustrated in Brooks’ book The Mythical Man-Month, you cannot
assume that a task originally scheduled to take two months of one
person’s time can be done in one month by two people
• Nine women cannot produce a baby in one month
• Every person is unique, so you cannot simply generalize based
on a personality profile or other traits
• Seek first to understand, as author Stephen Covey suggests in The 7
Habits of Highly Effective People
• Put yourself in someone else’s shoes before you can truly communicate

Information Technology Project Management, Ninth Edition. © 2019 Cengage. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part, except
for use as permitted in a license distributed with a certain product or service or otherwise on a password-protected website for classroom use.
Formal and Informal Methods for Communicating

• Many people prefer informal communications

• Several colleagues and managers want to know the people working on
their projects and develop a trusting relationship with them
• Oral communication also helps build stronger relationships among
project personnel and project stakeholders

Information Technology Project Management, Ninth Edition. © 2019 Cengage. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part, except
for use as permitted in a license distributed with a certain product or service or otherwise on a password-protected website for classroom use.
Distributing Information in an Effective and Timely
Manner

• Important considerations
• Include detailed technical information that affects critical performance
features of products or services
• Document any changes in technical specifications that might affect
product performance
• Report bad news
• Have short, frequent meetings

Information Technology Project Management, Ninth Edition. © 2019 Cengage. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part, except
for use as permitted in a license distributed with a certain product or service or otherwise on a password-protected website for classroom use.
Setting the Stage for Communicating Bad News

• It is important to put information in context, especially if it’s bad

news
• If there is a problem, know how it will affect the whole project and
the organization
• Recommend steps to take to mitigate a problem

Information Technology Project Management, Ninth Edition. © 2019 Cengage. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part, except
for use as permitted in a license distributed with a certain product or service or otherwise on a password-protected website for classroom use.
Determining the Number of Communications
Channels (1 of 2)

• As the number of people involved increases, the complexity of

communications increases
• More communications channels or pathways through which people can
communicate
• Number of communications channels = n(n-1)/2
(where n is the number of people involved)

Information Technology Project Management, Ninth Edition. © 2019 Cengage. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part, except
for use as permitted in a license distributed with a certain product or service or otherwise on a password-protected website for classroom use.
Determining the Number of Communications
Channels (2 of 2)

Information Technology Project Management, Ninth Edition. © 2019 Cengage. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part, except
for use as permitted in a license distributed with a certain product or service or otherwise on a password-protected website for classroom use.
Managing Communications

• Managing communications is a large part of a project manager’s

job
• Getting project 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
• Use of technology
• Appropriate methods and media to use
• Performance reporting

Information Technology Project Management, Ninth Edition. © 2019 Cengage. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part, except
for use as permitted in a license distributed with a certain product or service or otherwise on a password-protected website for classroom use.
Using Technology to Enhance Creation and
Distribution

• Technology can facilitate the process of creating and distributing

information, when used effectively
• It is important to select the appropriate communication method and
media

Information Technology Project Management, Ninth Edition. © 2019 Cengage. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part, except
for use as permitted in a license distributed with a certain product or service or otherwise on a password-protected website for classroom use.
Selecting the Appropriate Communication Methods
and Media

• Classifications for communication methods

• Interactive communication: two or more people interact to exchange
information via meetings, phone calls, or video conferencing
• Most effective way to ensure common understanding
• Push communication: information is sent or pushed to recipients
without their request via reports, e-mails, faxes, voice mails, and other
means
• Ensures that the information is distributed, but does not ensure that it was received
or understood
• Pull communication: information is sent to recipients at their request
via websites, bulletin boards, e-learning, knowledge repositories like
blogs, and other means

Information Technology Project Management, Ninth Edition. © 2019 Cengage. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part, except
for use as permitted in a license distributed with a certain product or service or otherwise on a password-protected website for classroom use.
Reporting Performance

• Performance reporting keeps stakeholders informed about how

resources are being used to achieve project objectives
• Progress reports describe what the project team has accomplished
during a certain period of time
• Status reports describe where the project stands at a specific point
in time
• Forecasts predict future project status and progress based on past
information and trends

Information Technology Project Management, Ninth Edition. © 2019 Cengage. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part, except
for use as permitted in a license distributed with a certain product or service or otherwise on a password-protected website for classroom use.
Monitoring Communications

• Main goal of monitoring communications is to ensure the

optimal flow of information throughout the entire project life
cycle

Information Technology Project Management, Ninth Edition. © 2019 Cengage. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part, except
for use as permitted in a license distributed with a certain product or service or otherwise on a password-protected website for classroom use.
Suggestions for Improving Project Communications

• Good communication is vital to the management and success of

IT projects
• Develop better communication skills
• Run effective meetings
• Use e-mail and other technologies effectively
• Employ templates for project communications

Information Technology Project Management, Ninth Edition. © 2019 Cengage. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part, except
for use as permitted in a license distributed with a certain product or service or otherwise on a password-protected website for classroom use.
Developing Better Communication Skills

• Most companies spend a lot of money on technical training for

employees, even when employees might benefit more from
communications training
• Individual employees are more likely to enroll voluntarily in classes to
learn the latest technology than in classes that develop soft skills
• As organizations become more global, they realize they must invest in
ways to improve communication with people from different countries and
cultures
• It takes leadership to improve communication

Information Technology Project Management, Ninth Edition. © 2019 Cengage. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part, except
for use as permitted in a license distributed with a certain product or service or otherwise on a password-protected website for classroom use.
Running Effective Meetings

• Guidelines to help improve time spent at meetings

• Determine if a meeting can be avoided
• Define the purpose and intended outcome of the meeting
• 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
• Set the ground rules for the meeting
• Build relationships

Information Technology Project Management, Ninth Edition. © 2019 Cengage. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part, except
for use as permitted in a license distributed with a certain product or service or otherwise on a password-protected website for classroom use.
Using E-Mail, Instant Messaging, Texting, Kanban
Boards, and Collaborative Tools Effectively (1 of 2)

• Guidelines to use e-mail as a more effective communication tool

• Be sure to send information to the right people
• Use meaningful subject lines and limit the content of emails to one
main subject
• Be as clear and concise as possible
• Reread your e-mail before you send it
• Limit the number and size of e-mail attachments
• Delete e-mail that you do not need to save or that does not require a
response
• Make sure the virus protection software is up to date
• Respond to e-mail quickly
• If you need to keep e-mail, file each message appropriately

Information Technology Project Management, Ninth Edition. © 2019 Cengage. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part, except
for use as permitted in a license distributed with a certain product or service or otherwise on a password-protected website for classroom use.
Using Software to Assist in Project Communications
(2 of 2)

• Even with all of the technology available, many

organizations have problems communicating on global
projects
• Issues with timing, audio, and video
• Differences in culture and language

Information Technology Project Management, Ninth Edition. © 2019 Cengage. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part, except
for use as permitted in a license distributed with a certain product or service or otherwise on a password-protected website for classroom use.
Considerations For Agile/Adaptive Environments (1 of
2)

• Communications should be up to date, easily available, and

reviewed regularly with stakeholders
• Many projects involve people who do not work in close proximity to each
other
• Effectively planning for good project communications and using appropriate
technology become even more important in these situations

Information Technology Project Management, Ninth Edition. © 2019 Cengage. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part, except
for use as permitted in a license distributed with a certain product or service or otherwise on a password-protected website for classroom use.