Project Communication Management

T Tanveer Ahmed, Ah d PMP UIMS

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Project Communication Management

Project Communications Management includes the processes required to ensure timely and appropriate generation, collection, distribution, storage retrieval, storage, retrieval and ultimate disposition of project information. information Project managers spend the majority of their time communicating with team members tea e be s a and d ot other e p project oject sta stakeholders, e o de s, whether et e t they ey a are e internal (at all organizational levels) or external to the organization. Effective communication creates a bridge between diverse stakeholders involved in a project, connecting various cultural and organizational backgrounds, different levels of expertise, and various perspectives and interests in the project execution or outcome.

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Project Communication Management Processes

Identify StakeholdersThe process of identifying all people or organizations impacted by the project, and documenting relevant information regarding their interests involvement, interests, involvement and impact on project success success. Plan CommunicationsThe process of determining the project stakeholder information needs and defining a communication approach. Distribute InformationThe process of making relevant information available to project stakeholders as planned. Manage Stakeholder ExpectationsThe process of communicating and working with stakeholders to meet their needs and addressing issues as they occur. Report PerformanceThe process of collecting and distributing performance information, including status reports, progress measurements, and forecasts.
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Communication Dimensions
Internal (within the project) and external (customer, other projects, the media, the public). Formal (reports, memos, briefings) and informal (emails, ad-hoc discussions) Vertical V ti l (up ( and dd down th the organization) i ti ) and d horizontal (with peers) Official (newsletters, (newsletters annual report) and unofficial (off the record communications) Written and oral Verbal and non-verbal (voice inflections, body language)
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1. Identify Stakeholders
Identify Id tif Stakeholders St k h ld i the is th process of f identifying id tif i all ll people l or organizations impacted by the project, and documenting relevant information regarding their interests, involvement, and impact on project success. success Stakeholders may be at different levels within the organization and may possess different authority levels, or may be external to the performing organization for the project. project It is critical for project success to identify the stakeholders early in the project, and to analyze their levels of interest, expectations, importance and influence. These stakeholders should be classified according to their interest, influence, and involvement in the project. This enables the project manager to focus on the relationships necessary to ensure the success of the project.

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Identify Stakeholders

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Identify Stakeholders

Stakeholders Analysis
A technique of systematically gathering and analyzing information to determine whose interests should be taken into account throughout the project. project It identifies the interests, expectations, and influence of the stakeholders and relates them to the purpose of the project. Step 1: Identify all potential project stakeholders and relevant information, such as their roles, departments, interests, knowledge levels, expectations, and influence levels. Identifying other stakeholders is usually done by interviewing identified stakeholders and expanding the list until all potential stakeholders are included. included

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Identify Stakeholders
Stakeholders Analysis

Step 2: Identify the potential impact or support each stakeholder could generate, and classify them so as to define an approach strategy Prioritize Key SHs strategy. SHs. Classification can be done as: Authority vs Level/Concern (Power vs Interest). Authority vs Active Involvement (Power vs Influence) Active Involvement vs. ability to effect changes to the project Planning or execution (Influence vs Impact) Salience model describing classes of SHs based on their power, urgency and legitimacy.

Step 3: Assess how key SHs are likely to react and respond in various situations, to plan how to influence them to enhance their support and to mitigate the negative impacts.

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Identify Stakeholders

St k h ld Stakeholders Register R i t
The main output of Identify SHs process is SHs Register. It is created by: Identification information: Name, organizational position, location, role in the project, contact information. Assessment information: Major requirements, main expectations, potential influence in the project, phase in the life cycle with the most interest; and Stakeholder classification: Internal/external, supporter/ neutral/ resistor, etc

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Identify Stakeholders

Stakeholders Management Strategy

Defines an approach to increase the support and minimize negative impacts of stakeholders throughout the entire project life cycle. - Key K stakeholders t k h ld who h can significantly i ifi tl i impact t - Level of participation in the project desired for each - Stakeholder groups and their management (as groups).

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2. Plan Communications
Identify Plan Communications is the process of determining the p project j stakeholder information needs and defining g a communication approach. A communication plan allows the project manager to document the approach to communicate most efficiently and effectively with stakeholders. Effective communication means that the information is provided in the right format, at the right time, and with the right impact. Efficient communication means providing only the information that is needed.

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Plan Communications

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Plan Communications

Plan Communications

Communications Requirement Analysis

- Requirements are defined by combining the type and format of information needed with an analysis y of the value of that information. - The project manager should also consider the number of potential communication channels or paths as an indicator of the complexity of a projects communications - The total number of potential communication channels is n(n-1)/2 ( 1)/2, where h n represents t th the number b of f stakeholders. t k h ld - To determine and limit who will communicate with whom and who will receive what information information.

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Plan Communications
Communications Requirement Analysis ..

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Plan Communications

Communications Technology
Factors that can affect the project include: Urgency of the need for information. Is project success dependent upon having frequently updated information available on a moments notice, or would regularly issued written reports suffice? Availability of technology. Are appropriate systems already in place or do project needs warrant change? For example, do the intended stakeholder(s) h have access t to a selected l t d communications i ti t technology? h l ? Expected project staffing. Are the proposed communication systems compatible with the experience and expertise of the project participants, or is extensive training and learning required? Duration of the project. Is the available technology likely to change before the project is over? Project environment. Does the team meet and operate on a face-to-face basis or in a virtual environment?

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Plan Communications

Communications Model
how i h information f ti i is sent t and d received i db between t t two parties, ti d defined fi d as the sender and the receiver. The key components of the model include:

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Plan Communications

Communications Methods
There are several communication methods used to share information among project stakeholders. These methods can be broadly classified into:
Interactive communication. Between two or more parties performing a multidirectional exchange of information. It is the most efficient way to ensure a common understanding by all participants on specified topics, and includes meetings, phone calls, video conferencing, etc. Push communication. Sent to specific recipients who need to know the information. This ensures that the information is distributed but does not certify that it actually reached or was understood by the intended audience. Push communication includes letters, memos, reports, emails, faxes, voice mails, press releases etc. Pull communication. Used for very large volumes of information, or for very large audiences, di that h requires i the h recipients i i to access the h communication i i content at their h i own discretion. These methods include intranet sites, e-learning, and knowledge repositories, etc.

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Plan Communications
Communications Methods

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Plan Communications

Communications Management Plan

The communications management plan usually provides: Stakeholder communication requirements; Information to be comm, including language, format, content, and level of detail; Reason for the distribution of that information; Time frame and frequency for the distribution of required information; Person responsible for communicating the information; Person responsible for authorizing release of confidential information; Person or groups who will receive the information; Methods or technologies used to convey the information, f such as memos, e-mail, and/or press releases; Resources allocated for communication activities, including time and budget; Escalation process identifying time frames and the management chain (names) for escalation l i of fi issues that h cannot b be resolved l d at a l lower staff ff l level; l Method for updating and refining the communications management plan as the project progresses and develops; Glossary of common terminology; Flow Fl charts h t of f the th information i f ti fl flow i in th the project, j t workflows kfl with ith possible ibl sequence of f authorization, list of reports, and meeting plans, etc.; and Communication constraints, usually derived from specific legislation or regulation, technology, and organizational policies, etc.

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3. Distribute Information
Distribute information is the process of making relevant information available to project stakeholders as planned. The focus here is mainly in the execution process, which includes p g the communications management g p plan, , as well as implementing responding to unexpected requests for information. Effective information distribution includes a number of techniques including:
Sender-receiver models. Feedback loops p and barriers to communication. Choice of media. communicate in writing versus orally, when to write an informal memo versus a formal report, and when to communicate face-toface versus by e-mail. Writing style. Active versus passive voice, sentence structure, and word choice. Meeting management techniques. Preparing an agenda and dealing with conflicts. Presentation techniques. Body language and design of visual aids. q Building g consensus and overcoming g obstacles Facilitation techniques. Company Logo

Distribute Information

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Distribute Information

Information Distribution Tools

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4. Manage Stakeholders Expectations

Manage Stakeholder Expectations involves communication activities directed toward project stakeholders to influence their expectations, address concerns and resolve issues: A Actively ti l managing i th the expectations t ti of f stakeholders t k h ld t to i increase th the likelihood of project acceptance by negotiating and influencing their desires to achieve and maintain the project goals Addressing concerns that have not become issues yet Clarifying and resolving issues that have been identified.

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Manage Stakeholders Expectations

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Manage Stakeholders Expectations

Interpersonal p Skills
The project manager applies appropriate interpersonal skills to manage stakeholder expectations. For example: Building trust trust, Resolving conflict Active listening Overcoming resistance to change.

Management Skills
Management is the act of directing and controlling a group of people for the purpose of coordinating and harmonizing the group towards accomplishing a goal beyond the scope of individual effort. Management skills used by the project manager includes: Presentation skills Negotiating Writing skills Public speaking

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5. Report Performance
process of collecting and distributing performance information, including status reports, progress measurements, and forecasts. involves the periodic collection and analysis of baseline versus actual data to understand and communicate the project progress and performance as well as to forecast the project results. Reports may include:
Analysis of past performance Current status of risks and Issues Work completed p during g the p period Work to be completed next Summary of changes approved in the period Other relevant information which must be reviewed and discussed.

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Report Performance

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Report Performance

Work Performance Measurements

generate project activity metrics to evaluate actual progress compared to planned progress. These metrics include: Planned versus actual schedule performance, Planned versus actual cost performance performance, and Planned versus actual technical performance Forecasting Methods

the process of predicting future project performance based on the actual performance to date. Time series methods. Time series methods use historical data as the basis for estimating future outcomes, e.g. EVM Causal/econometric methods. Some forecasting methods use the assumption that i i it is possible ibl to id identify if the h underlying d l i f factors that h might i h i influence fl the h variable i bl that h i is being forecasted. For example, sales of umbrellas might be associated with weather conditions. Judgmental methods. Judgmental forecasting methods incorporate intuitive j d judgments, t opinions, i i and d probability b bilit estimates. ti t E Examples l of f methods th d i in thi this category t are composite forecasts, surveys, Delphi method, scenario building, technology forecasting, and forecast by analogy. Other methods. Other methods may include simulation, probabilistic forecasting, and ensemble bl f forecasting. ti Company Logo

Report Performance Performance Reports - Organize and summarize the information gathered, and present the results of any analysis as compared to the performance f measurement t baseline. b li - Reports should provide the status and progress information, at the level of detail required by various stakeholders stakeholders, as documented in the communications management plan. -include include bar charts, charts S-curves S curves, histograms histograms, and tables tables. Variance analysis, earned value analysis, and forecast data is often included as part of performance reporting.

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Report Performance
Performance Reports

reports may include: Analysis of past performance Current status of risks and issues Work completed during the reporting period Work to be completed during the next reporting period Summary S of f changes h approved di in th the period i d Results of variance analysis Forecasted project completion (including time and cost) cost), Other relevant information to be reviewed and discussed.

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