Project communications management
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The document discusses the importance of project communications management. It emphasizes planning, managing, and controlling communications through various formal and informal methods. This includes understanding individual and group communication needs, distributing important information in an effective and timely manner, and using technology to enhance information creation and distribution. The key is having the right communication skills and running effective meetings to optimize the flow of information throughout the project life cycle.
Project communications management
- 1. Project Communications Management Prabudh Dhingra Emmanuel Munet-Quiñones Deepthi Ranganathan Henrietta Mengue Hitesh Parmar Renjei Mei Sagnik Saha Presented to: Prof. William García IT Project Management The George Washington University Washington D.C.
- 2. The Importance of Project Communications Management • Many threats to project management, like unclear scope requirements and unrealistic schedules, could imply that people may not be communicating very well • To address these situations, it is important to follow an important process that involves planning, managing and controlling communications
- 3. Keys to Good Communication • Focusing on Group and Individual Communication Needs • Formal and Informal Methods for Communicating • Distributing Important Information in an Effective and Timely Manner • Setting the Stage for Communicating Bad News • Determining the Number of Communication Channels
- 4. Focusing on Group and Individual Communication Needs • Understand individual and group preferences for communications • Project managers and their teams should be aware of their own communication styles • Provide several methods of communication • Geographic location and cultural background also affect the complexity of project communications
- 5. Formal and Informal Methods for Communication • Project team members normally submit reports to their project managers and other stakeholders and then assume that everyone who needs to know the information will read the reports • People prefer informal communications
- 6. Distributing Important Information in an Effective and Timely Manner • It is important to document any changes in technical specifications that might affect product performance • People have a tendency to avoid reporting bad news • Oral communication via meetings and informal talks helps bring important information—positive or negative—into the open
- 7. Setting the Stage for Communicating Bad News
- 8. Determining the Number of Communication Channels
- 9. Planning Communications Management Communication Management Plan • A document that guides project communications • Varies with the project needs • Can be part of the contract • Can be a separate document
- 10. Planning Communications Management Items to be addressed in the communications management plan • Stakeholders communications requirements • Information to be included including format, content and level of detail • The receiver and the producer • Methods for conveying the information
- 11. Planning Communications Management Items to be addressed in the Communications Management Plan • Frequency of the communication • Procedures for resolving issues • Revision procedures for updating • A glossary of common terminology
- 13. Managing Communications Action : Getting information to the right people at right time in a useful format Process : Who receives it? What is the best way to create and distribute information? A Good starting point: The stakeholder communications analysis Result : While answering these questions during project execution, the project teams often end up updating business processes through improved communications.
- 14. Using Technology to Enhance Information Creation and Distribution What does it do ? Technology makes the process of creating and distributing information easier How ? Make distribution easier = Use standard forms + Make it available to right people
- 15. But what if something goes wrong like:
- 16. OR
- 18. OR How about “The Hack” from Beavis and Butthead? Therefore, its important to have backup procedures in place in case something goes wrong with normal communications technologies
- 19. Using Technology to Enhance Information Creation and Distribution Important considerations in deciding which technologies to use include the communication method and media: 1. Selecting the Appropriate Communication Methods and Media: • Interactive communication: most effective way to ensure common understanding • Push communication: does not ensure that it was received or understood • Pull communication
- 20. Using Technology to Enhance Information Creation and Distribution 2. Reporting Performance • Status reports Where the project stands at a specific point in time? How much money has been spent to date? How long did it take to do certain tasks? Is work being accomplished as planned? • Progress reports What the project team has accomplished during a certain period? Like a monthly report or a weekly report Team leaders create progress reports using information received from team members
- 21. We don’t always need to go high-tech
- 22. Controlling Communication • optimal flow of information throughout project life cycle • Inputs are project management plan, project communications, issue logs, work performance data, and organizational process assets • reporting systems, expert judgment, and meetings to monitor • main outputs are work performance information, change requests, project documents updates, and organizational process assets updates
- 26. Lead by Example
- 28. Do you need the meeting?
- 29. Purpose and Intended Outcome
- 32. Other Guidelines • Run the meeting professionally • Set the ground rules of the meeting • Build relationships
- 33. Using Communication Technology • Collaborative tools – Google Drive, SharePoint, Microsoft Foundation Server • Use tools to keep stakeholders connected • Maintain standard language for communicating
- 34. Using Templates • Reuse templates for reports • Determine templates to use for key documents • Maintain Project Archives
- 35. • e.g. Hyperlink in Gantt chart to another file • Choose the right communication channel whether email, blog or face-to-face meeting Using Software to Assist in Project Communications
- 36. • Translate your strategy to your team • Use Project Management Software e.g. Salesforce, JIRA, Confluence, MS SharePoint etc. • Organization’s ability to communicate is more important than communication Using Software to Assist in Project Communications
- 37. Using Software to Assist in Project Communications • Not all managers need all information • Project Human Resources management using virtual teams, work from home, GoToMeeting etc. • The Project Manager’s role as facilitator
- 38. Thank you