PROJECT COMMUNICATIONS MANAGEMENT

PROJECT COMMUNICATIONS MANAGEMENT

1. Project Communications Management includes the processes that are required to ensure timely and appropriate planning, collection, creation, distribution, storage, retrieval, management, control, monitoring, and the ultimate disposition of project information.

   • Project managers spend most of their time communicating with team members and other project stakeholders, whether they are internal (at all organizational levels) or external to the organization.

2. Plan Communications Management—The process of developing an appropriate approach and plan for project communications based on stakeholder’s information needs and requirements, and available organizational assets.

   • Inputs: .1 Project management plan .2 Stakeholder register .3 Enterprise environmental factors .4 Organizational process assets.
     • The project management plan provides information on how the project will be executed, monitored, controlled, and closed.
     • The stakeholder register provides the information needed to plan the communication with project stakeholders.
   • Tools & Techniques: .1 Communication requirements analysis .2 Communication technology .3 Communication models .4 Communication methods .5 Meetings.
     • The communication models used to facilitate communications and the exchange of information may vary from project to project and also within different stages of the same project.
     • There are several communication methods that are used to share information among project stakeholders. These methods are broadly classified as follows: Interactive communication. • Push communication. • Pull communication.
   • Outputs: .1 Communications management plan .2 Project documents updates.
     • The communications management plan is a component of the project management plan that describes how project communications will be planned, structured, monitored, and controlled. The plan contains the following information: • Stakeholder communication requirements; • Information to be communicated, including language, format, content, and level of detail; • Reason for the distribution of that information.
     • Project documents that may be updated include, but are not limited to: • Project schedule, and • Stakeholder register.

3. Manage Communications—The process of creating, collecting, distributing, storing, retrieving and the ultimate disposition of project information in accordance with the communications management plan.

   • Inputs: .1 Communications management plan .2 Work performance reports .3 Enterprise environmental factors .4 Organizational process assets.
     • Work performance reports are a collection of project performance and status information that may be used to facilitate discussion and to create communications. To optimize this process, it is important that reports be comprehensive, accurate, and available in a timely manner.
     • Specific enterprise environmental factors that can influence the Manage Communications process include, but are not limited to: • Organizational culture and structure, • Government or industry standards and regulations, and • Project management information system.
   • Tools & Techniques: .1 Communication technology .2 Communication models .3 Communication methods .4 Information management systems .5 Performance reporting.
     • The choice of communication technology is an important consideration in the Manage Communications process. As this can vary significantly from project to project and also throughout the life of a project, the focus is to ensure that the choice is appropriate for the information that is being communicated.
     • The choice of communication models is an important consideration in this process. As the components in the communications all contribute toward an effective and efficient communications process, the focus is to ensure that the choice of the communication model is appropriate for the project that is undertaken and that any barriers (noise) are identified and managed.
   • Outputs: .1 Project communications .3 Project management plan updates .2 Project documents updates .4 Organizational process assets updates.
     • The Manage Communications process involves the activities that are required for information to be created, distributed, received, acknowledged, and understood.
     • The project management plan provides information on project baselines, communications management, and stakeholder management. Each of these areas may require updates based upon the current performance of the project against the performance measurement baseline (PMB).

4. Control Communications—The process of monitoring and controlling communications throughout the entire project life cycle to ensure the information needs of the project stakeholders are met.

   • Inputs: .1 Project management plan .2 Project communications .3 Issue log .4 Work performance data .5 Organizational process assets.
     • The Control Communications process involves the activities that are required for information and communications to be monitored, acted upon, and released to stakeholders.
     • An issue log is used to document and monitor the resolution of issues. It may be used to facilitate communication and ensure a common understanding of issues. A written log documents and helps to monitor who is responsible for resolving specific issues by a target date.
   • Tools & Techniques:.1 Information management systems .2 Expert judgment .3 Meetings.
     • An information management system provides a set of standard tools for the project manager to capture, store, and distribute information to stakeholders about the project’s costs, schedule progress, and performance.
     • Expert judgment is often relied upon by the project team to assess the impact of the project communications, need for action or intervention, actions that should be taken, responsibility for taking such actions, and the timeframe for taking action.
   • Outputs: .1 Work performance information .2 Change requests .3 Project management plan updates .4 Project documents updates .5 Organizational process assets updates.
     • Work performance information organizes and summarizes the performance data gathered. This performance data typically provides status and progress information on the project at the level of detail required by the various stakeholders. This information is then communicated to the appropriate stakeholders.
     • The Control Communications process often results in the need for adjustment, action, and intervention. As a result, change requests will be generated as an output. These change requests are processed through the Perform Integrated Change Control process.