Chapter 10: Project Communications Management
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 and non-technical skills are a key factor in career advancement for IT professionals
Project Communications Management Processes
Planning communications management: Determining the information and communications needs of the stakeholders
Managing communications: Creating, distributing, storing, retrieving, and disposing of project communications based on the communications management plan
Controlling communications: Monitoring and controlling project communications to ensure that stakeholder communication needs are met
Keys to Good Communications
Project managers say they spend as much as 90 percent of their time communicating
Need to 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
Importance of Face-to-Face Communication
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
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
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
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
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
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
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.
Formula (Ch10, Slide 16)
Planning Communications Management
Every project should include some type of communications management plan, a document that guides project communications
The communications management plan varies with the needs of the project, but some type of written plan should always be prepared
For small projects, the communications management plan can be part of the team contract
For large projects, it should be a separate document
Communications Management Plan Contents
- Stakeholder communications requirements
- Information to be communicated, including format, content, and level of detail
- Who will receive the information and who will produce it
- Suggested methods or technologies for conveying the information
- Frequency of communication
- Escalation procedures for resolving issues
- Revision procedures for updating the communications management plan
- A glossary of common terminology
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 include the use of technology, the appropriate methods and media to use, and performance reporting
Using Technology to Enhance Creation and Distribution
Technology can facilitate the process of creating and distributing information, when used properly
It is important to select the appropriate communication method and media
Classifications for Communication Methods
Push communication
Pull communication
Interactive communication
Two or more people interact to exchange information via meetings, phone calls, or video conferencing. Most effective way to ensure common understanding
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
Information is sent to recipients at their request via Web sites, bulletin boards, e-learning, knowledge repositories like blogs, and other means
What Went Right?
Collaboration is a key driver of overall performance of companies around the world
Of all the collaboration technologies that were studied, three were more commonly present in high-performing companies than in low-performing ones: Web conferencing, audio conferencing, and meeting-scheduler technologies
“This study reveals a powerful new metric business leaders can use to more successfully manage their companies and achieve competitive advantage,” said Brian Cotton, a vice president at Frost & Sullivan*
The study also showed that there are regional differences in how people in various countries prefer to communicate with one another
Reporting Performance
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
Controlling Communications
The main goal of controlling communications is to ensure the optimal flow of information throughout the entire project life cycle
The project manager and project team should use their various reporting systems, expert judgment, and meetings to assess how well communications are working. If problems exist, the project manager and team need to take action, which often requires changes to the earlier processes of planning and managing project communications
It is often beneficial to have a facilitator from outside the project team assess how well communications are working
Suggestions for Improving Project Communications
Develop better communication skills
Run effective meetings
Use e-mail and other technologies effectively
Use templates for project communications
Developing Better Communication Skills
Most companies spend a lot of money on technical training for their employees, even when employees might benefit more from communications training
Individual employees are also 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
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
Set the ground rules for the meeting
Build relationships
Using E-Mail, Instant Messaging, Texting, and Collaborative Tools Effectively
Make sure that e-mail, instant messaging, texting, or collaborative tools are an appropriate medium for what you want to communicate
Be sure to send information to the right people
Use meaningful subject lines and limit the content of emails to one main subject, and be as clear and concise as possible
Be sure to authorize the right people to share and edit your collaborative documents
Sample Collaborative Tools
A SharePoint portal allows users to create custom Web sites to access documents and applications stored on shared devices
Google Docs allow users to create, share, and edit documents, spreadsheets, and presentations online
A wiki is a Web site designed to enable anyone who accesses it to contribute or modify Web page content
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
Organizations can develop their own templates, use some provided by outside organizations, or use samples from textbooks
Recall that research shows that companies that excel in project management make effective use of templates
Sample (Ch10, Slide 37-39)
Lessons Learned Reports
The project manager often combines information from all of the lessons-learned reports into a project summary report
See template and sample in Chapter 3
The project manager and project team members should each prepare a lessons-learned report
A reflective statement that documents important things an individual learned from working on the project
Project Archives
It is also important to organize and prepare project archives
Project archives are a complete set of organized project records that provide an accurate history of the project
These archives can provide valuable information for future projects as well
Project Web Sites
Can create the site using various types of software, such as enterprise project management software
Many project teams create a project Web site to store important product documents and other information
Using Software to Assist in Project Communications
There are many software tools to aid in project communications
Today many people telecommute or work remotely at least part-time. TechCast at George Washington University forecasts that by 2019, 30 percent of U.S. private-sector workers could work from home
Project management software includes new capabilities to enhance virtual communications
While technology can aid in the communications process, it is not the most important. Far more important is improving an organization’s ability to communicate, which often involves cultural change