Download LECTURE 20

Advanced Project Management
Project Communications
Management
Ghazala Amin
Project Communications
Management
• Reference study materials
– A guide to the Project Management Body of
Knowledge (PMBOK Guide), Chapter 10
– Study notes
– Dr. Harold Kerzner’s book
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Why Communication?
• 75-90% of Project Manager’s time is involved
in communication ......
• Communication Management incorporates all
the processes required to ensure timely and
appropriate development, collection,
dissemination, storage and disposition of
project information.
Project Manager spends a considerable amount of time
communicating and interacting with project stakeholders.
Project Managers should keep project priorities clear during all
these interactions and meetings.
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Communications Management
Plan
• Communications Management Plan
– Output of Communication Planning
– This is part of Project Plan
– The purpose is to inform all stakeholders how
and in what form communications will be done in
the project
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Communications Management Plan
– Communication Management Plan Includes:
• What methods will be used for gathering and storing
information
• Who should receive the information and how will it be
sent
• A description of the information to be distributed
(including formats)
• Schedules showing when each type of communication
will be produced
• A method for updating the communications plan
• Reporting Relationships
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Communication Plan
Deliverable/Description
Type
(Man/Mktg/
Info)
Target
Audience(s)
Delivery Method
Delivery
Frequency
Who
Responsibl
e?
Status Reports
Mandatory
Sponsor
Managers
Steering
committee
Project Status Report
template e-mailed to
audience.
Monthly
Project
manager
Team Meeting
Mandatory
Project Team
Conference Room#2,
Project Building #A
Every
Friday @
3:00pm
Project
Manager
Sponsor Meeting
Mandatory
Project
Organization
CEO, Customer
CFO, Project
Manager,
Project
Technical lead,
Customer
Project
representative
Conference Room#2,
Project Building #A
2nd Monday
of month
@ 3:00 pm
Project
Manager
CCB – Change Control
Board
Mandatory
Project
Organization
CEO, Customer
CFO, Project
Manager,
Project
Technical lead,
Customer
Project
representative,
Change owners
etc. as needed
Followed by Sponsor
Meeting
Note: All meetings will have an agenda e-mail distributed prior to the meeting. All meetings will be
followed by meeting minutes with ownership of issues.
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Information Distribution
• Involves making needed information available to
the project stakeholders in a timely manner.
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Communications Skills
• The many dimensions of communications
– Written, oral, listening, speaking
– Internal (within the project), external (to
customer, media)
– Formal (reports and briefing), informal (memos,
ad hoc)
– Vertical (up to the management chain), horizontal
(to peers), downward (to team members)
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Communications Skills
• Interpreting/Understanding
– Listening skills
– Culture
– Intelligence
– Knowledge base
– Situational considerations
– Emotional status
– Authority/position
– Common sense
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Communications Barriers
• The most common barriers
– Hearing what they want to hear
– Sender and receiver have different perceptions
– Jargon meaning different things to different
people
– Ignoring non-verbal cues
– Receiver being upset emotionally
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Communications Barriers (Macro)
•
•
•
•
•
Information overload
Lack of subject knowledge
Cultural differences
Organizational climate
Number of links
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Communications Barriers (Micro)
• Perceptions
• Message competition
• Project jargon and terminology
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Effective Listening
• Effective listening is one of the most important skills for a PM
to acquire and practice
• It helps develop mutual respect, rapport and trust among
project participants
• Is the ability to recognize the importance of verbal and
nonverbal listening behaviors including body language.
• It’s also the ability to utilize gestures and body language
consciously (with consideration for cultural differences) to
put people at ease and enhance communication.
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Effective Listening
• Verbal listening behaviors:
–
–
–
–
–
Asking questions to clarify
Paraphrasing
Summarizing at intervals
Asking the speaker for examples
Directing the speaker
• Non-verbal listening behaviors:
–
–
–
–
Making eye contact
Being expressive and alert
Moving closer to the speaker
Facial expressions, touching, use of space, use of time
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Effective Listening
• Barrier to effective listening:
– Mismatch between our speed of talking (100-400
words per minute and speed of thinking (approx.
600 words per minute) makes effective listening
tough
– Poor listeners: audience not listening
– Resistance to listening: due to preconceived
ideas
– Physical distractions
The three major types of communication are; Written, verbal, and
non-verbal
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Active Listening
• Is engaged listening. It requires patience,
self-control, empathy and a willingness to
understand the other person’s perspective.
• Helps facilitate the development of mutual
trust, respect, and good working relationships
thus improving the overall performance of the
team.
16
Communications Styles
• Authoritarian
– gives expectations and specific guidance
• Promotional
– cultivates team spirit
• Facilitating
– gives guidance as required, non-interfering
• Conciliatory
– friendly and agreeable, builds compatible team
• Judicial
– uses sound judgement
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Communications Styles
• Ethical
– Honest, fair, by the book
• Secretive
– Not open or outgoing
• Disruptive
– Breaks apart unity of the group
• Intimidating
– Tough guy, can lower morale
• Combative
– Eager to fight or be disagreeable
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Performance Reporting
• Involves collecting and disseminating
performance information to provide stakeholders
with information about how resources are being
used to achieve project objectives.
• This process includes Status reporting, Progress
reporting and Forecasting
19
Performance Reporting Process
Collect
actual data
Compare
plan and
actual
Identify
variances
Analyze
impacts
Initiate
corrective
action
20
Earned Value Analysis
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
PV = Planned Value (previously called BCWS)
AC = Actual Cost (Previously called ACWP)
EV = Earned Value (Previously called BCWP)
CV = Cost Variance = EV – AC
SV = Schedule Variance = EV – PV
CPI = Cost Performance Index = EV / AC
SPI = Schedule Performance Index = EV / PV
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Performance Reporting
EAC = Estimate At Completion
EAC = AC + (BAC-EV) x CPI
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