Manage communications

Enablers

• Analyze communication needs of all stakeholders. (ECO 2.2.1)
• Plan communication methods, channels, frequency, and level of detail. (ECO 2.2.2)
• Communicate project information and updates effectively. (ECO 2.2.3)
• Confirm communication is understood and feedback is received. (ECO 2.2.4)

Deliverables, and Tools

Project Communications

• Internal or external stakeholders
• Formal or informal - message content and format
• Hierarchical focus - senior management or peers
• Official or unofficial - annual reports or reports to other governing bodies compared to project team communication
• Written or oral – tone, inflection, and nonverbal gestures are influential

Communications Management Plan

Components of the Communications Management Plan

• Stakeholder communications requirements.
• Information to be communicated, including language to be used.
• Reason for the distribution of the information.
• Time frame and frequency of information distribution.
• Person responsible for the communication.
• Person responsible for the release of confidential information.
• People who will receive the information.
• Methods or technologies that will be used to convey the information.
• Time and budget allocated for communication.
• Escalation process for issues that need visibility.
• Method for updating the communications management plan.
• Glossary of common terminology.
• Flowcharts of information flow.
• Any communication constraints due to regulation or policies.

Communication Requirements Analysis

Communication requirements analysis * is an analytical technique to determine the information needs of the project stakeholders through interviews, workshops, study of lessons learned from previous projects, etc.

• Investigation that leads to a clear articulation of the stakeholders’ communication needs
• Helps the project manager make effective choices regarding the technologies to be recommended
• Takes the form of a grid, questionnaire, or survey that documents the communications and technology requirements for each stakeholder
• A project manager conducting communication requirements analysis may survey stakeholders regarding their communication needs by asking some basic questions such as:
• How often will you like to receive status reports?
• How will you prefer to receive information—by phone, by email, or in face-to-face meetings?
• What level of detail are you expecting?

Communication Types

• Face-to-face meetings
• Video and voice conferencing (virtual meetings)
• Email
• Fax
• IM—Instant Messaging
• Text messaging
• Printed media and documents
• Social media
• Company website

Communication Models

Communication models * are a description, analogy, or schematic used to represent how the communication process will be performed for the project.

There are five steps to a standard communication model:

1. Encode
2. Transmit message
3. Decode
4. Acknowledge
5. Feedback/response

Communication Methods

Communication methods * are a systematic procedure, technique, or process used to transfer information among project stakeholders.

Communication methods can be broadly classified into three types:

• Interactive communication – meetings, phone calls, IM, social media, videoconferencing.
• Push communication – letters, memos, reports, emails, faxes, voice mails, blogs.
• Pull communication - web portals, intranet sites, e-learning, lessons learned databases, or knowledge repositories.

Feedback

• Communication is a two-way street.
• Feedback can be verbal, non-verbal (body language and facial gestures), or written.
• Feedback can be positive, if the message was received and understood as intended by the sender.
• Feedback can be negative if the receiver does not understand what the sender intended.
• No feedback provides an implicit acceptance of the message by the recipient.
• Effective feedback should be clear, specific, and offered in a timely manner.

Guidelines to Effectively Manage Communication throughout the Project

• Gather and distribute contact information for all involved parties.
• Determine the communication needs of project stakeholders.
• As a rule of thumb, project team members require more detail on a more frequent basis. Senior management typically requires summary information on a less frequent basis.
• Analyze the value to the project of providing the information.
• Evaluate any constraints and assumptions to determine their possible impact on communication planning.
• Determine the appropriate communication technologies to use for communicating project information.
• Make sure your communications management plan includes all key elements.
• Integrate the communications management plan into the overall project plan.
• Distribute the plan to project stakeholders.