4. Communication

Question 1

Benefits of a communication management plan

Answer 1

1. Sets expectations: Agreement between stakeholders comms requirements. facilitates working together
2. Makes comms easier - Know which channels are used and how, so streamlines for team.
3. Enables tailoring for specific stakeholder needs. Basis on needs and preferences, senior m’ment prefer an email update.
4. Increase comms effectiveness - get messages to the right people in the right way so more likely to be received.

Question 2

Benefits of Comms management plan by specific roles

Answer 2

1. Senior Mment - Know what to expect when. Supports decision making, thus efficiency.
2. Users - Gives confidence product will be delivered. Different users may have different comms needs. Ensures all users are communicated to.
3. Suppliers - Enables unambiguous and agreed communications as to when changes are required. Clarifies when progress information is required and what is expected. Include in contract. Maintains a good working relationship rather than ad hoc.

Question 3

Benefit of identifying stakeholder needs

Answer 3

1. Can assess interdependencies as to how best to reach people
2. Identify which stakeholders have what level of influence so can manage comms accordingly. Can have conversations upfront of their needs.
3. Can highlight those affected by project so you can develop a plan to minimise negative impacts of complaints and disruption.

Question 4

Benefit of analysing stakeholder needs

Answer 4

1. Understand level of interest and power in project. Enables strategy to engage accordingly, how they prefer to be engaged, frequency, style. Document to ensure needs met.
2. To keep stakeholders engaged by being suitably informed. High interest, high power more engaged than low interest low power.
3. Understand attitude towards project. Positive to negative. influence strategies used to sell benefits.

Question 5

Positive comms examples

Answer 5

Prepared messages with familiar language
Correct timing of messages
Empathy to audience
Right environment giving non verbal clues, ie face to face
Agreement on common language
Getting right person to send message - seniority
Safe environment to discuss
Ease of reading - clear font etc

Question 6

Negative example comms

Answer 6

Use of jargon
Lack of attention to detail
Differences in perception / viewpoint
Physical barriers, no eye to eye
Language difficulties
Expectations and prejudices leading to false assumptions and stereotyping
Physiological barriers - Personal discomfort
Presentation inappropriate

Question 7

Sources of conflict at concept stage

Answer 7

Business justification - different options on investment decisions. Sponsor vs Senior manager funding
Project organisation / roles - Who is on project board / role of PM
Requirements - Different stakeholders may have different needs / functionality requirements and final output. Sponsor cost / users product features.

Question 8

Sources of conflict at definition phase

Answer 8

1. Schedules and estimates - Duration of project, unrealistic timescales.
2. Scope - Boundaries of what is in and out of scope
   Risk - Level of risk and how it can be mitigated, leading to poor estimation of contingency.

Question 9

Sources of conflict at deployment stage

Answer 9

1. Contract terms and conditions with suppliers - Who takes risks. Punitive contracts can lead to adverse behaviour
2. Progress - Esp where suppliers paid on % complete, can lead to payments with held and escalation to litigation.
3. Change requests - PM faced with requests to change quality and scope. Budgetary constraints. Escalate change leads to breakdown in relationships.

Question 10

Sources of conflict at transition stage

Answer 10

1. Acceptability of deliverables - Unclear acceptance criteria. Users demand higher quality than scope. No budget for change.
2. Follow on actions. Outstanding issues, accountability. PM want BAU to cover, BAU want PM to cover. Can delay handover.

Question 11

Five modes of dealing with conflict

Answer 11

1. Compete - (Assertive uncooperative) Individual concerns at others expense. Quick / goal orientated, breeds hostility and resentment. impacts later
2. Accommodating - (Unassertive and cooperative) Neglect own concerns to satisfy other person.
   - Emotions protected, cooperative relationship focus.
   - Breeds hostility when unresolved, can be exploited
3. Avoiding - (Unassertive uncooperative). Neither pushes or resists. Conflict not dealt with, sidestepping, postponing, withdrawing.
   - Does not escalate conflict, postpones difficulty
   - Low assertiveness and dependability. Issues fester
4. Collaborating (assertive and collaborative). Work together to find a joint solution. Dig in to an issue / explore reasons for disagreement, get insights
   - Creates trust, focus on task, creates buy-in
   - Time and energy consuming
5. Compromising - Find mutually acceptable stance.
   - Useful for quick resolution, minimise short term damage. Democratic.
   - No one is completely happy. Doesn’t deal with root issue.

Question 12

Five stages of Formal Negotiation

Answer 12

1. Planning - info gathering, setting goals, understand culture, note walk away position (BATNA), evaluate power, agree roles, decide on negotiation structure.
2. Discussing - Open negotiations, set scene, define ground rules, build rapport, get issues on the table, explore key issues, listen, probe, question understanding. Assess ZOPA.
3. Proposing - Opening position, no commitments, indication on areas of flexibility, Develop ZOPA, No -ve / +ve comments.
4. Bargaining - Link issues, keep big picture in mind, work on ZOPA, Select issues of different values, conditional proposals, time outs where negotiations are protracted.
5. Agreement and review - Summarise and confirm verbally, Document outcome, allocate action owners, communicate to parties impacted by outcome, Incorporate to PMP.

Question 13

Explain BATNA and how used

Answer 13

Best Alternative To a Negotiated Agreement
- Walk away position
- Most advantageous alternative
Identify walk away position
Identify other persons walk away position
Prepare alternatives beforehand
Gives confidence as you know when to walk away
Accept offer if in your BATNA

Question 14

Explain ZOPA and how used

Answer 14

Zone of Possible Agreement
Area of BATNA overlap
Critical for negotiation
To achieve must explore others interests and values
Do early in negotiation
Adjust as more known
Where ZOPA wide parties may use strategies to influence distribution of ZOPA, where small have a limited area to align on.

Question 15

What to consider for a Win win approach

Answer 15

Time of collaboration
Ability / desire to share information
Benefits to both parties
Need to find ZOPA

Question 16

State potential conflicts between User, Sponsor, Project Team and Suppliers

Answer 16

Users - May alter their expectations or requirements
Sponsor - Holds contingency
Team - Achievability of project, esp if not involved in base planning
Suppliers - Contracts terms and conditions. Who takes risk. Creates ill feeling

Question 17

Benefit of sections;

• Responsibilities for defining communication
• Timing
• Feedback mechanism

Answer 17

1. Identifying most effective sender
2. Achieve maximum impact
3. Ensure comms effective

Question 18

Explain three benefits of a communication plan to a project – 30 marks (10 marks each)

Answer 18

A communications plan increases the effectiveness of communication.
• Getting a message to the right person, at the right time and in the right way, means that it is more likely to be received, understood and acted upon.
• It ensures that communication is planned rather than being last minute and reactive which decreases the prospect of important communication being missed (e.g. getting updated technical data to a supplier in time for them to stay on schedule).
• This leads to improved project performance and greater senior management confidence in the project team.
• It also ensures the validation of the effectiveness of communication by providing a ‘test’ that the message has had its desired effect. This feedback loop will improve the effectiveness of future communication.

a)/2 A communications plan supports stakeholder engagement.
• It does this by documenting a project’s stakeholders and setting expectations over their communication needs.
• The plan then effectively acts as an agreement, between stakeholders, of their communication requirements and how they will be delivered.
• This facilitates them working together to attain project goals and reduces the prospects of a conflict following a breakdown in communication.
• With constant monitoring of its use, the communication timing, content and format can be modified to meet the changing needs of the stakeholders for example, where a stakeholder require less frequent updates at later stages of a project.

a)/3 Using a communication plan makes communication easier and more efficient.
• It will save time throughout the lifecycle in trying to work out what communication each stakeholder needs. This is because that would have been done as part of communication planning.
• Determining which channels are used (e.g. email and phone calls), and how you will use them will streamline project communication management across a team.
• For example, noting how to access shared files to cut down on email requests for information.
• This should lead to reduced costs and less time spent searching for information.