Communications Management: PMP Study Guide (PMBok 6th Edition Knowledge Areas)

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communications management pmp study guide

Project Communications Management is the process of planning, collecting, storing, and updating project information. This article is part of a PMP Study Guide that summarizes the Communications Management Knowledge Area. If you’re looking for even more info on PMP Communications Management, make sure to check out our FREE PMBok 6th Edition PDF.

The Communications Management knowledge area that a project manager spends the most time on. In fact, over 90% of the project manager’s time is spent on communications.

In this article, we will cover the key terms and three processes in the Communications Management Knowledge Area.

Key Terms

Stakeholder	The project manager need to be the expert in project management, and the stakeholders are the technical experts in what needs to be done and how it need to be done. The project manager is the orchestra leader, and the work cannot be done well without stakeholder involvement
Kick-off meeting	Get team members to know each other Establish working relationships and lines of communication Set team goals and objectives Review project plans Identify problem areas Establish individual and group responsibilities Obtain individual and group commitments
Barriers to communication	No channels – lack of clear communication channels Distance – physical or temporal distance between the communicator and receiver Difficulties with technical language – the presence of communication barriers may lead to increased conflict Noise – distracting environmental factors; not paying attention Detrimental attitudes – hostile attitudes are communication blockers. All communication blockers are noise, but not all noise are communication blockers
Communication role of PM	PM’s spend about 80 – 90% of their time acquiring and communicating information PM is key to all project communications and must be skilled at communicating with top management, customer, project team, competing project teams (peers) PM serves as focal point for ensuring real, two-way communication between the project team and customer PM’s communications covers all facets: laterally, vertically and diagonally through an organization and across
Building effective team communications	Be an effective communicator Be a communications expeditor – initiate relationships Avoid communication blockers (i.e. negative response that kill or inhibit) Innovative ideas Use a tight matrix – collocation of project team is best communication for the team Have a project war room Make meetings effective Establish a meeting policy Only call a meeting when there is a real need Make the purpose of the meeting very clear Prepare an agenda Encourage participation Issue minutes Follow up on all tasks and action items
General management skills	Leading Communicating Establishing direction; motivating Exchange of info – written/oral; formal/informal; vertical/horizontal Negotiating Problem solving Conferring with others to reach an agreement Combination of problem definition and decision making Influencing organization Ability to get things done
Organization structure and communication	3 types of organizations: functional, projectized, matrix Communication and information flows are thought to be the most complex in the matrix environment Best positive communications – free flow of information

Plan Communications Management

Plan Communications Management is the process of developing communications plans and processes based on the existing procedures and stakeholder’s needs. The main output of this process is the Communications Management Plan.

Communication requirements analysis determines the information needs of the project stakeholders

Sources of information used to identify communication requirements:

Organizational charts
Stakeholder register
Project charter
Project documents

Communication technology and factors that affect it:

Urgency of the need for information
Availability of technology
Ease of use
Project environment
Sensitivity and confidentiality of the information

Communication model:

Communication models are framed around three parts:

Sender
Messenger
Receiver

Effective communications

The sender should encode a message, determine which communication method to use, and confirm that the message is understood. When encoding the message, the sender needs to be aware of the following communication factors:

Non-verbal – about 55% of all communication is non-verbal
Paralingual – pitch and tone of voice also help to convey a message

Communication methods

These methods can be grouped into the following categories:

Interactive communications
- The method is reciprocal and can involve just two people or many people
- Examples include conversations, meetings, and conference calls
Push communications
- This method involves a one-way stream of information
- The sender provides the information to the people who need it but does not expect feedback on the communication
- Examples include status reports and email updates
Pull communications
- The project manager places the information in a central location. The recipients are then responsible for retrieving or “pulling” the information from the location

Communication type	When used
Formal written	Complex problems, project management plan , project charter , communicating over long distances
Formal verbal	Presentations , speeches
Informal written	E-mail, handwritten notes, text messages, instant Messages
Informal verbal	Meetings, conversations

Manage Communications

Manage Communications is the process of creating, collecting, distributing, and updating project information according to the Communications Management Plan. This process happens during the Executing process group.

The key benefit of this process is that it enables efficient communications between project team members and stakeholders.

Communication methods

Face-to-face (most effective), meetings, video and audio conferences, email, instant messaging, etc.

Techniques and considerations for effective communications

Sender-receiver models
Choice of media
Writing style
Meeting management techniques
Presentation techniques
Facilitation techniques
Listening techniques

Performance reporting

Includes collecting and distributing project performance information
Includes status reports, progress reports and forecasts
Remember that reports are backward-looking, not forward-looking tools

Project communications components include:

Performance reports,
Deliverables status,
Schedule progress
Cost incurred

Communication Channels = [n*(n-1)]/2, where n = number of people

PM Expectations

Stakeholders’ need must continue to be met and their issues resolved throughout the project
Make stakeholders feel that their needs and concerns are being considered
Keeping open communication channels with the stakeholders is key so they can inform the project manager of potential changes, added risks, and other information

Monitor Communications

Monitor Communications is the process of analyzing communications through the project life cycle and sending relevant work performance information to stakeholders.

Communication blockers include things such as:

Noisy surroundings
Distance between those trying to communicate
Improper encoding of messages
Making negative statements
Hostility
Language barriers
Culture barriers

There are different types of performance reports:

Status report – this report describes where the project now stands regarding the performance measurement baseline
Progress report – describes what has been accomplished
Trend report – examines project results over time to see if performance is improving or deteriorating
Forecasting report – predicts future project status
Variance report – compares actual results to baselines
Earned value report – integrates scope, cost, and schedule measures to assess project performance, using the terms described in Cost Management section
Lessons learned documentation – reports on performance are used as lessons learned for future projects

Things to understand:

Reports should provide the kinds of information and the level of detail required by stakeholder
Reports should be designed for the needs of the project
The best way to have a report read and acted on is to use the most appropriate communication method in sending it
You should not spend all time reporting. Remember that many reports are just about the past. Finding information about the past means it is too late to prevent the problem. You need to keep managing the project, rather than just reporting on it, to make a project successful
Report should include measurements against the performance measurement baseline set in the project management plan. Remember that you should have performance measurement baseline (the combined scope, schedule, and cost baselines) that can be measured. Those measurements are an indication of how successful you are as a project manager
Reports must be truthful and not hide what is really going on

Things to Remember

Identify ALL stakeholders
- Any stakeholders who are missed will likely be found later. When they are uncovered, they will make changes and could cause delays. Changes made later in the project are much more costly and harder to integrate than those made earlier.
- A list of stakeholders is included in the stakeholder register
- Stakeholders are first identified as part of initiating the project, and this list is reassessed during project execution
Determine ALL of their requirements
- The project manager must make every effort to obtain ALL the requirements before work begins
- There are many ways to make sure you have all requirements – from just asking if you do, to conducting requirement reviews, to telling people the negative consequences to the organization and the project if requirements are found later
- The requirements should not just relate to how stakeholders want the product of the project to function, but should also include their communications requirements
Determine their expectations
- These are what the stakeholders expect to happen to them, and their department, and company as a whole. They tend to be much more ambiguous than stated requirements, or they may be undefined requirements. They may be intentionally or unintentionally hidden
- Naturally, expectations that go unidentified will have major impacts across all constraints
- Expectations are converted to requirements and become part of the project
Determine their interest
- Stakeholders may be particularly interested in working on some part of the project, getting a chance to learn new skills, getting a chance to prove their skills, or even getting out of working on certain parts of the project
- A great project manager, will determine each stakeholder’s interest related to the project and attempt to either build them into the project or implement them as reward
Determine their level of influence
- To some degree, each stakeholder will be able to negatively or positively affect a project. This is their level of influence, and it should be identified and managed
Plan how you will communicate with them
- Project management focuses on planning before taking action. Since communications are the most frequent cause of problems on projects, planning communications is critical
Communicate with them
- Stakeholders are included in project presentations are receive project information, including progress reports, updates, changes to the project management plan, and maybe even changes to the project documents
Manage their expectations and influence
- Managing stakeholder doesn’t end during initiating. They must be managed throughout the life of the project