A small introduction to Project Communication Management related to PMBOK 5th edition.

1. Project Communication Management
Arch. Saad Al Jabri, PMP

3. Introduction
“Project mangers spend most of
their time (about 90%)
communicating with team
members and other project
stakeholders — internal or
external to the organization”.

4. Importance of Communications
Management
• The project manager should effectively and efficiently
communicate with stakeholders.
• Managing communications is very vital for any project.
• A failure in communication can have a negative impact on the
project.

5. Importance of Communications
Management
The project manager uses a
variety of communication
methods to share information
among stakeholders.
He/she should decide what,
how, and when to use each
communication method.

6. Project Communication Management
Is the processes that are required to ensure timely and appropriate
planning, collection, creation, distribution, storage, retrieval,
management, control, monitoring, and the ultimate disposition of
project information.

7. Various forms of communication
Form of
Communication
Characteristics Examples
Written Formal
 Precise
 Transmitted through the medium of
correspondence
 Project charter, scope statement,
project plan, WBS, project status
 Complex issues
 Contract related communications
 Memos
Written Informal
 Email, notes, letters, etc.
 Regular communication with team
members
Oral Formal
 High degree of flexibility
 Use the medium of personal contact,
group meetings, or telephone
 Presentations, speeches
 Negotiations
Oral Informal
 Conversation with team members
 Project meetings
 Break-room or war-room
conversations
Non-verbal Communication  About 55% of total communication
 Facial expressions, hand movements,
tone of voice while speaking, etc.

8. Plan communications management
• Mostly performed during the early stages of the project, i.e.,
during developing project management plan.
• Is linked with enterprise environmental factors, because project’s
organizational structure impacts the project’s communication
requirements.
• The results of this process should be reviewed regularly
throughout the project and revised as needed to ensure continued
applicability.
• The project Kick-Off Meeting is held at the end of the project-
planning phase.

9. Communications management plan
• Is the main output of plan communications management
• It includes:
▫ Stakeholder communication requirements
▫ Information to be communicated, time frame, frequency, format, etc.
▫ Person responsible for communicating information, for authorizing release
of confidential information, and persons going to receive information
▫ Technologies/methods used to convey information
▫ Resources allotted for communication activities

10. Communications management plan
▫ Escalation process, identifying the time frames and management chain
▫ Flow charts of information flow, workflows with possible sequence of
authorization, list of reports, and meeting plans, etc.
▫ Communication constraints derived from legislation, regulation,
technology, etc.
▫ Method of updating and refining the communications management
plan as project progresses and develops

11. Plan comm. - Tools & Techniques
• A Communication Requirements Analysis determines the
information needs of each project stakeholder throughout the project.
• The PM should also consider the number of potential communications
channels, or paths among project stakeholders
• This can be used to plan and control who will communicate about what,
and who will receive what during the requirements analysis.

12. Problems in Requirements Analysis
• Miscommunication and omission often occur between the system
analyst and customer
• Successful acquisition of information cannot be guaranteed
• Analyst have difficulties:
▫ In getting pertinent (appropriate) information
▫ Handling large and complex problems, i.e. as complexity increases,
effort increases
▫ Accommodating changes that occur during and after analysis

13. Plan comm. - Tools & Techniques
Communication Methods: They are used to share information among project
stakeholders. They are broadly classified as follows:
• Push communication is when information sent to specific stakeholders
who need to receive it. (e.g., letters, memos, reports, emails, faxes, voice
mails).
• Pull communication requires stakeholders to access information on their
own from a posted location (e.g., intranet sites, e-learning module,
information systems, or other databases).
• Interactive communication occurs between multiple stakeholders
engaged in a multidirectional exchange of information. This method is the
most efficient way to ensure all participants understand the information (e.g.,
meetings, phone calls, instant messaging, and video conferencing).

14. Plan comm. - Tools & Techniques
Communication Models like the basic Sender-Receiver Model are used to
facilitate information exchange:
• Encode – ideas are translated or coded by the sender
• Transmit Message - information is sent by sender using the medium of
choice
• Interruption or Noise – interference or barriers that may compromise
message delivery (e.g., distance, technology used, infrastructure, culture
differences, insufficient information); noise must be identified and managed
• Decode - message is translated by the receiver back into meaningful ideas
• Acknowledge - receiver may acknowledge receipt of the message
• Feedback - receiver encodes a response message and transmits it to the
original sender

15. Plan comm. - Tools & Techniques

16. Example of communication plan
Project name: Redevelopment Project (ref: db61001)
Stakeholder group Area of interest Information requirements
Information
provider
Method of
communication
Frequency
Senate and Chancellor’s
office
Senior Management
Board
Progress to cost and
budget advance notice
of problems.
Achievement of
benefits.
Highlight reports and exception
reports.
Project Manager
At monthly committee
meetings.
Monthly or as
required for
escalations
External Relations
Office/Communications
Office
Benefits to University
and impact on
community
High level information regarding the
master plan and progress. Details of
and involvement in consultation
planning and communication
planning.
Project Office and
Project Manager
At meetings and via email.
Bi-weekly and
as required.
Business and enterprise
Benefits to
University and
impact enterprise
High level information regarding
the master plan and progress.
Project Manager
To Director via Senior
Management Board
meetings.
Monthly

18. Manage Communications
• Enables an efficient and effective communications flow between project
stakeholders.
• The Communication Management Plan is implemented during the
Manage Communications Process.
• Performance Reporting includes collecting and distributing project
performance information such as status reports. Progress measurements and
forecasts. Baseline and actual project data are compared to determine status
and forecasting results. Performance information includes such things as
percent complete, past performance analysis, schedule and budget forecasts,
status of risks and issues, changes recently approved, etc.
• Project Records are Organizational Process Assets that are kept on file
such as correspondence, memos, meeting minutes and other documents
describing the project. Records may be maintained in physical or electronic
notebooks or registers.

19. Control Communications
• Ensures an optimal information flow among all communication
participants, at any moment in time.
• Triggers an iteration of the Plan Communications Management
and /or Manage Communications processes.

20. The Battleship And A Lighthouse

21. Thank you