Project Communications

Management
 Learning Objectives
 Understand the importance of good communications in
projects.
 Explain the elements of project communications planning,
including how to create a communications management
plan and perform a stakeholder communications analysis.
 Describe various methods for distributing project
information and the advantages and disadvantages of
each, discuss the importance of addressing individual
communication needs, and calculate the number of
communications channels in a project.

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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.

 Creating a stakeholder analysis for project

communications also aids in communications planning.

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 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 (cont’d)
 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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 Table 10-1. Sample
Stakeholder Analysis for
Project Communications

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 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
 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.

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

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 Encouraging More Face-to-
Face 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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Table 10-2. Media Choice Table

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 Understanding 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!

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 Personal Preferences Affect
Communication Needs
 Introverts like more private communications, while
extroverts like to discuss things in public.
 Intuitive people like to understand the big picture,
while sensing people need step-by-step details.
 Thinkers want to know the logic behind decisions,
while feeling people want to know how something
affects them personally.
 Judging people are driven to meet deadlines while
perceiving people need more help in developing and
following plans.
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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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Setting the Stage for Communicating

Bad News
Dear Mom and Dad, or should I say Grandma & Grandpa,
Yes, I am pregnant. No, I’m not married yet since Larry, my boyfriend, is out of
a job. Larry’s employers just don’t seem to appreciate the skills he has learned
since he quit high school. Larry looks much younger than you, Dad, even though
he is three years older. I’m quitting college and getting a job so we can get an
apartment before the baby is born. I found a beautiful apartment above a 24-hour
auto repair garage with good insulation so the exhaust fumes and noise won’t
bother us.
I’m very happy. I thought you would be too.
Love, Ashley
P.S. There is no Larry. I’m not pregnant. I’m not getting married. I’m not
quitting school, but I am getting a “D” in Chemistry. I just wanted you to have
some perspective.

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 Determining the Number of
Communications Channels
 As the number of people involved increases, the
complexity of communications increases because there
are 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.

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Figure 10-1. 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.

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 Managing Stakeholders
 Project managers must understand and work with
various stakeholders.

 Need to devise a way to identify and resolve issues.

 Two important tools include:

 Expectations management matrix

 Issue log

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Table 10-3. Expectations
Management Matrix

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Table 10-4. Issue Log

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