Project Communications Management PDF

Project Communications Management 1 As Marketing Requested It As Sales Ordered It As Engineering Designed It As Production Manufactured It As Maintenance Installed It What the Customer Wanted  Discussion Questions Why do we tend to perceive only certa...

Project Communications Management 1 As Marketing Requested It As Sales Ordered It As Engineering Designed It As Production Manufactured It As Maintenance Installed It What the Customer Wanted  Discussion Questions Why do we tend to perceive only certain things? How could this tendency influence communication?  Verbal Communication & Understanding 7% Ability to understand comes from the particular words you say.  Vocal Communication & Understanding 38% Ability to understand comes from the way you say the words or excitement in your voice. 55% is your body language.  Importance of Good Communications The greatest threat to many projects is a failure to communicate Our culture does not portray professionals as being good communicators Research shows that all professionals must be able to communicate effectively to succeed in their positions Strong verbal skills are a key factor in career advancement. 11 Barriers in Miscommunication Frame of reference Language skills Listening skills Emotional interference Physical barriers  Project Communications Management Processes Communications planning: determining the information and communications needs of the stakeholders Information distribution: making needed information available in a timely manner Performance reporting: collecting and disseminating performance information Administrative closure: generating, gathering, and disseminating information to formalize phase or project completion 13  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 14 Sample Stakeholder Analysis for Project Communications 15  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 16  Information Distribution A project Manager knows a stakeholder felt strongly that a certain scope should have been part of the project. Anticipating that stakeholder will continue pressing to get the scope added, the project manager communicates the following: “I know that during project planning you wanted a certain scope to be part of the project. The entire group of sponsors on this project agreed to remove that scope from the project. It would not be worth your time to try to get it now.” 17  Information Distribution How about this situation: “I have kept your concern in mind while planning the project. You know that there is little probability we could do this project without impacting your department, but because you are so concerned, I have put a report together telling you when we will impact your department’s regular work. I will update report on monthly basis.” 18 The Impact of the Number of People on Communications Channels 19  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 – Project forecasting predicts future project status and progress based on past information and trends – Status review meetings often include performance reporting 20  Administrative Closure A project or phase of a project requires closure Administrative closure produces – project archives – formal acceptance – lessons learned 21  Suggestions for Improving Project Communications Manage conflicts effectively Develop better communication skills Run effective meetings Use e-mail effectively Use templates for project communications 22 Conflict Handling Modes, in Preference Order Confrontation or problem-solving: directly face a conflict Compromise: use a give-and-take approach Smoothing: de-emphasize areas of differences and emphasize areas of agreement Forcing: the win-lose approach Withdrawal: retreat or withdraw from an actual or potential disagreement 23  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 24 Sample Template for a Project Description 25  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, groupware, fax machines, telephones, teleconferencing systems, document management systems, and word processors – Techniques include meeting ground rules, decision-making processes, problem-solving approaches, and conflict resolution and negotiation techniques – Principles include using open dialog and an agreed upon work ethic 26  Using Software to Assist in Project Communications There are many software tools to aid in project communications Today more than 37 percent of people telecommute or work remotely at least part-time Project management software includes new capabilities to enhance virtual communications 27