Project Communications Management Flashcards
What are the dimensions of communication activities?
include but not limited to:
- internal
- external
- formal
- informal
- hierarchical focus (upwards, downwards, horizontal)
- official
- unofficial
- written
- oral
What is the purpose of project communications management?
- involves developing strategies that enhance the effectiveness and accuracy of messages within the stakeholder community
- successful communication involves to parts:
a. the development of a communications plan based on the needs of the project and its stakeholders
b. the actual messages that are generated during project work
What is the role of the PM during project communications management?
- consider all the factors of communication:
- space in which the communication takes place
- verbal and nonverbal messages
- intended meaning of a message vs. the perceived meaning - create an appropriate plan based on the needs of the stakeholder group, the available organizational assets, and the needs of the project
- ensure timely collection, creation, distribution, storage, retrieval, management, monitoring, and disposition of project information
What is the impact of project communications management?
- communication impacts every other knowledge area
- effective and efficient communication is integral to good project management
What are communication mechanisms for project communications management?
- project communications mgmt. requires messages to initiate processes and stimulate relationships between people
- messages can take many forms, usually in hard (paper) or soft (electronic) format
- examples include, written, spoken, formal or informal, gestures, media, and choice of words
What are the five C’s of written communication?
- correct grammar and spelling
- concise expression and elimination of excess words
- clear purpose and expression directed to the needs of the reader
- coherent logical flow of ideas
- controlling flow of words and ideas
What are some communications skills for project communications management?
- listening actively
- awareness of cultural and personal differences
- identifying, setting, and managing stakeholder expectations
- enhancing team members’ skills in persuasion, motivation, coaching, negotiation for mutually acceptable agreements, and conflict resolution
What are the processes that are a part of the project communications management knowledge area?
- plan communications management
- manage communications
- monitor communications
In what project management process group is the plan communications management process?
planning process group
In what project management process group is the manage communications process?
executing process group
In what project management process group is the monitor communications process?
monitoring and controlling process group
What are some of the tailoring considerations for project communications management?
- stakeholder communications
- physical location
- communications technology
- language
- knowledge management
- agile/ adaptive environments
What are some tailoring considerations for agile/adaptive environments during project communications management?
- streamlining team member access to information promotes effective agile methods
- posting project artifacts in a transparent fashion ensures all team members are aware of project performance and of templates or other resources
What are some of the trends and emerging practices in project communications management?
- inclusion of stakeholders in project reviews
- inclusion of stakeholders in project meetings
- increased use of social computing
- multifaceted approaches to communications
How is the trend of including stakeholders in project reviews useful?
- stakeholders are essential to project outcomes and should be invited wherever appropriate
- a strong communications strategy also requires regular review of the stakeholder community and allows for updates to account for changes in its members
How is the emerging trend of including stakeholders in project meetings useful for project communications management?
- the inclusion of stakeholders can provide visibility to stakeholders regarding daily achievements, issues and impediments, and plans for the current day’s work
- brief, daily stand-up meetings should include stakeholders from inside the project or even outside the organization, if appropriate
How is the emerging trend of increased use of social computing useful in project communications management?
- social computing allows for different approaches to collaborating
- social networks and social media support information exchange and help build relationships by establishing deeper levels of trust
- the project’s communication strategy draws from all available technologies and respects cultural, practical and personal preferences for language, media, content, and delivery
How is the emerging practice of multi-faceted approaches to communications useful in project communications management?
multifaceted approaches to communications are effective when dealing with stakeholders from different generations and cultures
What information is included in the communications management plan?
- stakeholder communication requirements
- information to be communicated, including language, format, etc.
- escalation processes
- reason for distribution
- timeframe and frequency and receipt of acknowledgement or management
- person responsible for communicating
- who will receive the information
- methods
- resources
- method for updating communications management plan
- glossary
- flow charts of the information flow
- constraints
What is the push communication method?
- sent or distributed directly to specific recipients who need to receive the information
- this ensures that the information is distributed but does not ensure that it actually reached or was understood by the intended audience
- push communication artifacts include letters, memos, reports, emails, faxes, voicemails, blogs, and press releases
As part of the communications model, what is the sender responsible for?
- the transmission of the message
- ensuring the information being communicated is clear and complete
- confirming the messages is correctly interpreted
What is a communication requirements analysis?
an analytical technique to determine the information needs of the project stakeholders through interviews, workshops, study of lessons learned from previous projects, etc.
What is the definition of the communications management plan?
a component of the project management plan that describes how project communications will be planned, structured, implemented, and monitored for effectiveness
What is the purpose of the plan communications management process?
- effective communications among team members and stakeholders are essential to running a successful project
- by planning the communications used in a project, the PM can identify who needs what information and when
- the key benefit of this process is the created of a documented approach to engage stakeholders by presenting relevant information in a timely manner
- it sets the state for effective communication
What is the role of the PM during the plan communications management process?
- PM plays a crucial role b/c they spend a large majority of time managing the communications in a project
- provide the bridge among stakeholders and various cultures and perspectives using different communication methods
- raising awareness by helping people understand the goals, impacts and benefits of project changes can commit them to the change effort
- continuously ask yourself, “will this information be important to the identified stakeholders?” and “have we provided the information that each stakeholder wants?”
What is the impact of the plan communications management process?
- the communications mgmt. plan impacts stakeholder mgmt. and the issue log
- also impacts the executing, and monitoring and controlling processes by dictating change management processes
What are some of the technology considerations during the plan communications management process?
- technology should be compatible, available, accessible, and suitable for all participants
- the project environment can affect the communication technology used, including factors like physical location, time zone differences, languages, and other environmental factors
- the possibility of added security measures and restricted social media policies will also dictate the type of communication technology needed
What is the basic sender/receiver communication model?
- has two parties and entails the assurance that the message is delivered, not necessarily understood
- encode the message (into symbols, text, or sound)
- transmit the message (via communication channel)
- decode (receive and translate into a useful form)
What is the interactive communication model?
- has two parties and entails that the message is delivered and understood
- the sender is responsible for transmission,
- receiver is responsible for receiving, interpreting, and responding