Communication Management – Part 1

COMMUNICATIONS GOVERNMENT:
Project Communications Management is the process of ensuring timely and appropriate generation, collection distribution, storage, retrieval and final disposition of project information.
Communication is what we do every day. What can we manage? This is a common question that we hear when we hear the term “Communication Management”. It is important to remember that we are not talking about individual communication. We are talking about communication within and beyond the organization. Communication happens between people. However, organizations are made up of people. It is important to know what to communicate, when to communicate it, how to communicate it, why to communicate it, and finally who or whom to communicate with. Different communication has different value depending upon who it is sent, when it is sent and how it is done. Depending on many factors, the recipients of communication will be able to receive and understand the communication. It is your responsibility as a PM to create a healthy communication system and methods that allow information to be shared or distributed in a way that adds value to the organization. As we have seen in another article, who are the stake holders? Stakeholders may come from different cultures, backgrounds or regions. These stake holders will be kept in touch with each other through effective communication and planning.
Communication management can seem complicated and difficult at first glance, but once we learn how to do it correctly and reap the benefits, it becomes simple. Let me try to make it as simple as possible.
Below is a map of the Process group VS Knowledge Area mapping for Project Communication Management.
Knowledge
Area
Process Group
Initiating
Planning
Executing
Monitoring & Controlling
Closing
Project Communications ManagementPlan Communications ManagementManage CommunicationsControl CommunicationsBefore looking the processes’ inputs and outputs, let us discuss on the types of communications. These are the types mentioned in PMBOK 5.
Internal Communication: Communication that occurs within the project/organization
External Communication: Communication with customers, vendors and other organizations.
Formal communication: Minutes, reports, briefings.
Informal: emails, memos, ad-hoc discussions.
Vertical: Communicating with your up-line (seniors within your hierarchy to whom you report) or down lines (people who report into you).
Horizontal: With colleagues and peers
Official: News Letters, reports.
Unofficial : A record communication
Written and oral communication
Verbal : voice inflections
Non Verbal: body language.
Below are examples of communication types that exist. These are the skills required to communicate more effectively.
Listening that is active and effective
Active questioning & Probing
To help the team perform better, educate them
Fact finding to verify information
Setting and managing expectations
Persuasion
Motivating others to encourage
Coaching to improve performance
Negotiation
Conflict resolution
Summarizing or recapping.
Identifying the next step.
We have already covered communication types and soft skills. Let’s now discuss the communication management process. We have already discussed the 3 main processes involved in communication management. The first is Plan Communications Management.
Plan Communications Management
Plan Communications is the process for determining the information needs of project stakeholders and defining a communication strategy. The Plan Communications process addresses the information and communication needs of stakeholders.
Poor communication planning can lead to problems like delayed message delivery, insensitive information being sent to the wrong audience, and a lack of communication with some stakeholders. The communication plan is a document that outlines the project manager’s approach to communicating with stakeholders in the most efficient and effective way.
Inputs
Tools & Techniques
Outputs
Project Management Plan
Register of Stakeholders
Enterprise environmental factors
Organizational process asset
Communication Requirement Analysis
Communication technology
Communication Model
Communication Methods
Meetings
Communication Management Plan
Project Document updates
This is the process of selecting or developing the appropriate approach for project communication. It is important to consider who the stake holders are, what their needs are, and in most cases, you will need to choose a different communication method for each stakeholder. Stakeholders can be identified from the stakeholder register. Templates or methods for communicating with different stakeholder are called Organizational Process assets. Stakeholder register and Organizational processes assets are both available.