Project Management Communication Lifecycle

Study Notes

All project activities occur within the project life cycle. These include developing and maintaining a communication plan.
Communication is an essential part of successful project management, even though it may seem like a "soft function".
Communication requirements are established during project initiation. This translates into a detailed communication plan, which is then integrated into the overall project management plan.
Effective communication is crucial for all project management processes, such as scoping, scheduling, and responsibility assignment.
Each phase of the project life cycle has distinct communication management requirements.

Understanding stakeholder expectations for communication is key. These expectations are influenced by project complexity, organizational importance, and the number of participating agencies.
Scope definition influences communication needs. This includes overall duration, number of phases, and levels of parallel activity.

Major projects require a dedicated communication plan. Minor projects might only need a few paragraphs within the project plan, supported by a communication chart.
Inputs for the communication plan are specific. This might include the frequency of meetings between the design team and user groups, or the reporting frequency for testing phases.

The project manager must control communication to ensure the project's success.
Communication control involves managing internal and external environments.
Two-way information flow between the project and the external environment is crucial.

Communication effectiveness is reviewed, and lessons for improvement are identified.
The communication structure, supporting the project solution, may need to be handed over to operations.
The project communication system might be transferred to operations for post-project reporting of operational effectiveness.

All project activities are encompassed within the project lifecycle, often repeatedly, including communication planning.
Effective communication is crucial for successful project outcomes, despite being perceived as a "soft" aspect of project management.
Communication requirements are established during the initiation phase of a project lifecycle and are incorporated into the comprehensive project management plan.

Effective communication is essential, especially for key project players, for aspects like project scoping, scheduling, and responsibility assignment matrix.
Each stage of the project lifecycle demands its own unique communication management approach.

Communication requirements are influenced by stakeholder expectations, project complexity, its significance to the organization, and the number of participating agencies.
Project scope, duration, number of phases, and levels of parallel activity contribute to the required communication frequency and format.

A comprehensive communication plan is developed for large projects, while smaller projects may utilize brief descriptions within the project plan supported by a communication chart.
Specific communication requirements are defined, such as meeting frequency between design teams and user groups, and the frequency of test reports.

Effective project management relies on communication control.
Project managers must be aware of both internal and external environments while ensuring two-way information flow.

Communication effectiveness is reviewed and lessons learned are identified for improvement.
This phase might involve transferring communication structures or the project communication system to operational teams for post-project reporting and operational effectiveness evaluation.