Project Management Project Control
Lecture 3
Learning Objectives
Understand the importance of good communications in projects. Describe various methods for distributing project information and the advantages and disadvantages of each.
List various methods for improving project communications, such as managing conflicts, running effective meetings and using templates.
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Importance of Good Communications
The greatest threat to many projects is a failure to communicate. Our culture does not portray IT professionals as being good communicators. Research shows that IT professionals must be able to communicate effectively to succeed in their positions. Strong verbal skills are a key factor in career advancement for IT professionals.
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Project Communications Management Processes
Communications planning: Determining the information and communications needs of the stakeholders. Information distribution: Making needed information available to project stakeholders in a timely manner.
Performance reporting: Collecting and disseminating performance information, including status reports, progress measurement, and forecasting.
Managing stakeholders: Managing communications to satisfy the needs and expectations of project stakeholders and to resolve issues.
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Communications Planning
Every project should include some type of communications management plan, a document that guides project communications.
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.
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Communications Management Plan Contents (contd)
Frequency of communication.
Escalation procedures for resolving issues.
Revision procedures for updating the communications management plan. A glossary of common terminology.
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Sample Stakeholder Analysis for Project Communications
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:
Using technology to enhance information distribution. Formal and informal methods for distributing information.
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Distributing Information in an Effective and Timely Manner
Dont bury crucial information.
Dont be afraid to report bad information.
Oral communication via meetings and informal talks helps bring important informationgood and badout into the open.
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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 persons tone of voice and body language say a lot about how he or she really feels. 11
Encouraging More Face-toFace Interactions
Short, frequent meetings are often very effective in IT projects.
Stand-up meetings force people to focus on what they really need to communicate. Some companies have policies preventing the use of e-mail between certain hours or even entire days of the week.
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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 communications.
Different working hours Language barriers Different cultural norms
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The Impact of the Number of People on Communications Channels
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Performance Reporting
Performance reporting keeps stakeholders informed about how resources are being used to achieve project objectives.
Status reports describe where the project stands at a specific point in time.
Progress reports describe what the project team has accomplished during a certain period of time.
Forecasts predict future project status and progress based on past information and trends. 15
Suggestions for Improving Project Communications
Manage conflicts effectively.
Develop better communication skills.
Run effective meetings.
Use e-mail effectively. Use templates for project communications.
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Conflict Handling Modes
1. Confrontation: Directly face a conflict using a problem-solving approach. 2. Compromise: Use a give-and-take approach. 3. Smoothing: De-emphasize areas of difference and emphasize areas of agreement. 4. Forcing: The win-lose approach.
5. Withdrawal: Retreat or withdraw from an actual or potential disagreement.
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Conflict Can Be Good
Conflict often produces important results, such as new ideas, better alternatives, and motivation to work harder and more collaboratively. Groupthink: Conformance to the values or ethical standards of a group. Groupthink can develop if there are no conflicting viewpoints. Research suggests that task-related conflict often improves team performance, but emotional conflict often depresses team performance.
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Developing Better Communication Skills
Companies and formal degree programs for IT professionals often neglect the importance of speaking, writing, and listening 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.
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Running Effective 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. Build relationships.
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Using Templates for Project Communications
Many technical people are afraid to ask for help. Providing examples and templates for project communications saves time and money. Organisations can develop their own templates, use some provided by outside organizations, or use samples from textbooks.
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Figure 10-2. Sample Template for a Project Description
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Table 10-5. Sample Template for a Monthly Progress Report
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Table 10-6. Final Project Documentation Items
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Lessons Learned Reports
The project manager and project team members should each prepare a lessonslearned report.
A reflective statement that documents important things an individual learned from working on the project. (needed for final presentation)
The project manager often combines information from all of the lessons-learned 25 reports into a project summary report.
Project Web Sites
Many project teams create a project Web site to store important product documents and other information. Can create the site using various types of software. Keep ALL members of the team up to date Allow access to all important documents
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Figure 10-3.
Sample Project Web Site
Available at http://www.augsburg.edu/ppages/~schwalbe/templates/
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Developing a Communications Infrastructure
A communications infrastructure is a set of tools, techniques, and principles that provide a foundation for the effective transfer of information. Tools include e-mail, project management software, word processors. Techniques include reporting guidelines and templates, meeting ground rules and procedures, decision-making processes, problem-solving approaches, and conflict resolution and negotiation techniques. Principles include using open dialog and an agreed upon work ethic.
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Summary
The goal of project communications management is to ensure timely and appropriate generation, collection, dissemination, storage, and disposition of project information. Poor communication leads to poor projects
Refer to X-stream for more templates etc.
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