COMMUNICATIONS IN PROJECT MANAGEMENT

Communications In Project Management

Communications In Project Management

The paper focuses on the Communication in project management. The importance of communication in the success of a project is immense. Careful communication planning and setting the right expectations with all the project stakeholders is extremely important. Face to face initial communication within the project team to establish the team dynamics and learning the customer's expectations are the keys to success when starting a project. (Guide, 2000) Throughout the years of experience of project managers, it has been the belief that the success of a project is a matter of effective communication which has been continuously reinforced. The study will cover information distribution, performance reporting, goals of interpersonal communication, interpersonal communication, methods of communication, major steps to writing, types of project communications, communication Channels and Links, and Communication Styles. (Guide, 2000)

Communications in project management

Communication Planning

The process of determining the information and communications needs of the project stakeholders:

Who needs what information?

When will they need it?

How will it be given to them?

Input includes:

Communications requirements: sum of the information requirements of the project stakeholders.

Communications technology: the technologies or methods used to transfer information back and forth among project elements. (Guide, 2000)

Constraints: factors that will limit the project management team's options.

Assumptions: factors that will be considered true, real, or certain for planning purposes. (Assumptions generally involve a degree of risk and may be identified here or in the risk identification process). (Guide, 2000)

Methods used: stakeholder analysis done to obtain the information needs of the various project stakeholders.

Output includes: Communications management plan. Includes:

What methods will be used for gathering and storing information. (Guide, 2000)

Who should receive the information and how will it be sent.

A description of the information to be distributed. (including formats)

Schedules showing when each type of communication will be produced.

A method for updating the communications plan.

The Communications Management Plan is a subsidiary element of the overall project plan. (Guide, 2000)

It is surprising how few projects actually have a communication plan which shows any thought. The attitude seems to be that we will just keep people informed as we go along. On the other hand, in staff surveys, communication is right at the top of people's complaints. Perhaps project teams are part of the problem. (Anderson, 2003)

Who to talk to

This is a very simple question to answer. You need to talk with the key stakeholders. If you have identified the key stakeholders, you have identified those who need to know. Your audience. What they need to know will differ. There are also stakeholders that don't make the "Key" list who you need to keep in the loop. Typically these people have some peripheral involvement in the process, and you need to understand why, and if they need to be included in the plan. Often, they are happy to either ask specific questions, or access particular information themselves. (Anderson, 2003)

What to tell them

A simple response is to ask "What do you want to know?" ...