10 Communications Management Terms

Question 1

Acknowledgment

Answer 1

The receiver signals that the message has been
received. An acknowledgment shows receipt of
the message, but not necessarily agreement with
the message.

Question 2

Active listening

Answer 2

The receiver confirms that the message is being
received through feedback, questions, prompts
for clarity, and other signs of confirmation.

Question 3

Choice of media

Answer 3

The best modality to use when communicating
that is relevant to the information being
communicated.

Question 4

Communication assumptions

Answer 4

Anything that the project management team
believes to be true but hasn’t proven to be true.
For example, the project management team may
assume that all of the project team can be
reached via cell phone, but parts of the world, as
of this writing, don’t have a cell signal.

Question 5

Communication barrier

Answer 5

Anything that prohibits communication from
occurring.

Question 6

Communication channels formula

Answer 6

N(N – 1)/2, where N represents the number of
identified stakeholders. This formula reveals the
total number of communication channels within
a project.

Question 7

Communication constraints

Answer 7

Anything that limits the project management
team’s options. When it comes to
communication constraints, geographical locales,
incompatible communications software, and
even limited communications technology can
constrain the project team.

Question 8

Communications management plan

Answer 8

A project management subsidiary plan that
defines the stakeholders who need specific
information, the person who will supply the
information, the schedule for the information to
be supplied, and the approved modality to
provide the information.

Question 9

Decoder

Answer 9

The device that decodes a message as it is being
received.

Question 10

Effective listening

Answer 10

The receiver is involved in the listening
experience by paying attention to visual cues
from the speaker and paralingual characteristics,
and by asking relevant questions.

Question 11

Encoder

Answer 11

The device that encodes the message being sent.

Question 12

Feedback

Answer 12

The sender confirms that the receiver
understands the message by directly asking for a
response, questions for clarification, or other
confirmation.

Question 13

Influence/impact grid

Answer 13

Stakeholders are mapped on a grid based on
their influence over the project in relation to
their influence over the project execution.

Question 14

Information presentation tools

Answer 14

A software package that allows the project
management team to present the project’s
health through graphics, spreadsheets, and text.
(Think of Microsoft Project.)

Question 15

Information retrieval system

Answer 15

A system to quickly and effectively store, archive,
and access project information.

Question 16

Interactive communication

Answer 16

This is the most common and most effective
approach to communication. It’s where two or
more people exchange information. Consider
status meetings, ad-hoc meetings, phone calls,
and videoconferences.

Question 17

Lessons learned

Answer 17

This is documentation of what did and did not
work in the project implementation. Lessons
learned documentation is created throughout
the project by the entire project team. When
lessons learned sessions are completed, they’re
available to be used and applied by the entire
organization. They are now part of the
organizational process assets.

Question 18

Medium

Answer 18

The device or technology that transports a
message.

Question 19

Noise

Answer 19

Anything that interferes with or disrupts a
message.

Question 20

Nonverbal

Answer 20

Facial expressions, hand gestures, and body
language are nonverbal cues that contribute to a
message. Approximately 55 percent of
communication is nonverbal.

Question 21

Paralingual

Answer 21

The pitch, tone, and inflections in the sender’s
voice affecting the message being sent.

Question 22

Performance report

Answer 22

A report that depicts how well a project is
performing. Often, the performance report is
based on earned value management and may
include cost or schedule variance reports.

Question 23

Project presentations

Answer 23

Presentations are useful in providing information
to customers, management, the project team,
and other stakeholders.

Question 24

Project records

Answer 24

All the business of the project communications is
also part of the organizational process assets.
This includes e-mails, memos, letters, and faxes.

Question 25

Project reports

Answer 25

Reports are formal communications on project
activities, their status, and conditions.

Question 26

Pull communication

Answer 26

This approach pulls the information from a
central repository, like a database of information.
Pull communications are good for large groups of
stakeholders who want to access project
information at their discretion. Consider a project
web site where stakeholders can periodically
drop by for a quick update on the project status.

Question 27

Push communication

Answer 27

This approach pushes the information from the
sender to the receiver without any real
acknowledgment that the information was really
received or understood. Consider letters, faxes,
voicemail messages, e-mails, and other
communications modalities that the sender
packages and sends to receivers through some
intermediary network.

Question 28

Receiver

Answer 28

The person who receives the message.

Question 29

Sender

Answer 29

The person who is sending the message.

Question 30

Sender–receiver models

Answer 30

Feedback loops and barriers to communications.

Question 31

Stakeholder notifications

Answer 31

Notices to the stakeholders about resolved
issues, approved changes, and the overall health
of the project.

Question 32

Status review meeting

Answer 32

A regularly scheduled meeting to discuss the
status of the project and its progress toward
completing the project scope statement.

Question 33

Time reporting system

Answer 33

A system to record the actual time to complete
project activities.