PMP- Chapter 10- Project Communications Management Notes

Project Communications Management - required to ensure timely and appropriate planning, collection, creation, distribution, storage, retrieval, management, control, monitoring and the ultimate disposition of project information

• Potential dimensions to consider:-
• Internal (within project) and External (customer, vendors, public)
• Formal (reports, minutes) and Informal (emails, memos, ad-hoc discussion)
• Vertical (up and down org.) and Horizontal (peers)
• Official (newsletter, annual report) and Unofficial(off the record)
• Written and Oral, Verbal(voice) and Nonverbal (body language)

Plan Communications Management
- developing an appropriate approach and plan for project communications based on stakeholder's information needs and requirements and available OPA.
- identifies and documents the approach to communicate most effectively and efficiently with stakeholders

- Tools and Techniques:

• Communications Requirement Analysis
• Communications channels --> n(n-1)/2. Eg, project with 10 stakeholders has 10(10-1)/2=45
• Communication Technology
• Urgency of need for information
• Availability of technology
• Ease of Use
• Project Environment
• Sensitive and Confidentiality of the information
• Communications Models
• Encode
• Transmit Message
• Decode
• Acknowledge
• Feedback/Response
• Communications Methods
• Interactive communication- multi directional exchange. eg, meetings, phone calls, IM
• Push communication- sent to specific recipients who need to receive the information. eg, letters, memos, reports, emails, blogs.
• Pull communication- for very large volumes of information, for large audiences. eg, e-learning, lessons learned.
• Meetings

- Output: Communications  Management Plan, Project Documents Updates(project schedule, stakeholders registers)

Manage Communications 

- creating, collecting, distributing, storing, retrieving and ultimate disposition of project information in accordance with the communications management plan.

- enables an efficient communications flow between project stakeholders.

- techniques include:- Sender-receiver models, Choice of media, Writing Style, Meeting management techniques, Presentation techniques, Facilitation techniques, Listening techniques.

- Input: Communications Management Plan, Work Performance Reports, EEF, OPA.

- Tools and Techniques:

• Communication Technology
• Communications Models
• Communications Methods
• Information management System
• managed and distributed
• Performance Reporting
• act of collecting and distributing performance information, status reports, progress measurements and forecasts.
• at an appropriate level for each audience

- Output:

• Project Communications, Project Management Plan updates(performance measurement baseline), Project Documents Updates(issue log, project schedule, project funding requirements), 
• OPA updates
• stakeholder notifications
• project reports
• project presentations
• project records
• feedback from stakeholders - information from stakeholders concerning project operations is distributed and used to modify or improve future performance of the project.
• lessons learned documentation - documentations includes causes of issues, reasoning behind the corrective action chosen. documented and distributed so becomes part of historical db for both project and the performing org

Control Communications - monitoring and controlling communications throughout the entire project life cycle to ensure the information needs for the stakeholders are met.

- Inputs: Project Management Plan, Project Communications, Issue Log, Work Performance Data, OPA

- Tools and Techniques:

• Information Management Systems
• Expert Judgement
• Meetings

- Outputs: Work Performance Information, Change Request, Project Management Plant Updates, Project Documents Updates, OPA updates.

Reference: PMI PMBOK 5th Edition