Capstone: Chapter 10

Lessons-Learned Report

A reflective statement that documents important information has been learned from working on the project

4 Methods for Distributing Project Information***

1. Formal 2. Informal 3. Written 4. Verbal

Project Archives

A complete set of organized project records that provide an accurate history of the project

SharePoint Portal

Allows users to create custom websites to access documents and applications stored on shared devices

Progress Reports

Describe what the project team has accomplished during a certain period

Status Reports

Describe where the project stands at a specific point in time - Address where the project stands in terms of the triple constraint, meeting scope, time and cost goals

Pull Communication

Information is sent to recipients at their request via websites, bulletin boards, e-learning, knowledge repositories like blogs, wikis and other means

You cannot totally separate technical skills and soft skills when working on IT projects.

True

Number of Communication Channels =

(n(n-1))/2 where n is the number of people involved. Ex: if two people, one channel. If 3 people then 3 channels. If 4 people, 6 Channels.

Two important considerations in deciding which technologies to use include:

- Communication Method - Media

Suggestions for improving project communications

- Developing better communication skills - Running effective meetings - Using e-mail, instant messaging, texting, Kanban boards and collaborative tools effectively - Using templates for project communications

Monitoring Communications Main Goal

Ensure the optimal flow of information throughout the entire project life cycle

Push Communication

Information is sent or pushed to recipients without their request via reports, e-mails, faxes, voice mails and other means. *Ensures that the information is distributed but not that it was received or understood

Reporting performance **

Involves collecting and disseminating information about how well a project is moving toward meeting its goals

Monitoring Communications

Involves ensuring that stakeholder communication needs are met

Blogs

Journals on the Web that allow users to write entries, respond to another poster's comments, create links, upload pictures, and post comments to journal entries.

Performance Reporting

Keeps stakeholders informed about how resources are being used to achieve project objectives. - Motivates workers to have some progress to report - Typically provided as progress reports or status reports

Forecasts

Predict future project status and progress based on past information and trends

A minimal investment in communication and presentation training can have a tremendous payback to individuals, their projects, and their organizations.

True

A well-run meeting can be a vehicle for fostering team building and reinforcing expectations, roles, relationships, and commitment to the project. A poorly run meeting can have a detrimental effect on a project.

True

Adding more people to a project that is falling behind schedule often causes more setbacks because of the increased complexity of communications.

True

As the number increases, the complexity of communication increases because there are more channels or pathways through which people can communicate.

True

During project execution, project teams must address important considerations for managing information, and they often end up updating business processes through improved communications.

True

Failure to communicate is often the greatest threat to the success of any project, especially IT projects **

True

Getting project information to the right people at the right time and in a useful format is just as important as developing the information in the first place.

True

If communication problems exist, the project manager and team need to take action, which often requires changes to earlier processes of planning and managing project communications

True

Information about the content of essential project communications comes from the work breakdown structure (WBS). In fact, many WBSs include a section for project communications to ensure that reporting key information is a project deliverable

True

It is good practice to share the responsibility for project communications management with the entire project team

True

It is often beneficial to have a facilitator from outside the project team assess how well communications are working

True

Managing communication includes creating and distributing project information **

True

While technology can aid in the communications process and be the easiest aspect of the process to address, it is not the most important.

True

Interactive Communication

Two or more people interact to exchange information via meetings, phone calls, or video conferencing. *Most effective way to ensure common understanding

Many meetings are most effective with the minimum number of participants possible, especially if decisions must be made.

true

Keys to Good Communication

- Focusing on individual and group communication needs - using formal and informal methods for communicating - Providing important information in an effective and timely manner - Setting the stage for communicating bad news - Understanding communication channels ( Determining the number of communication channels)

Media choices Include things like:

- Hard Copy - Phone Call - Voice Mail - E-mail - Meeting - Website

Many Project Management Software also provides

- Portfolio Management - Resource Management - Project Collaboration

Important considerations in deciding best way to create and distribute the information

- use of technology - appropriate methods and media to use - performance reporting

3 Classifications for Communication METHODS

1. Interactive Communication 2. Push Communication 3. Pull Communication

Managing Communications

Creating, distributing, storing, retrieving, and disposing of project communications based on the communications management plan Outputs: Project Communications, project management plan updates, project documents updates, OPAs

People have a tendency to avoid reporting bad news

True

The goal of project communications management is to ensure timely and appropriate generation, collection, dissemination, storage, and disposition of project information.

True

Kanban Board

Visually show tasks that need to be done, are in progress, or are completed

Guidelines that can help improve time spent in meetings

1. Determine if the meeting can be avoided 2. Define the purpose and intended outcome of the meeting 3. Determine who should attend the meeting 4. Provide an agenda to participants before the meeting 5. Prepare handouts and visual aids, and make logistical arrangements ahead of time 6. Run the meeting professionally 7. Set the ground rules for the meeting 8. Build Relationships

3 Project Communications Management Processes***

1. Planning Communications Management 2. Managing Communications 3. Controlling Communications

Project Teams can use earned value charts to communicate and assess project performance**

True

5 Keys to Good Communication***

1. Focusing on individual and group communication needs 2. Using formal and informal methods for communicating 3. Providing important information in an effective and timely manner 4. Setting the stage for communicating bad news 5. Understanding Communication Channels

4 Suggestions for Improving project communications ***

1. Improve communication skills 2. Learn to run more effective meetings 3. learn how to use email, IM, texting, Kanban boards and collaborative software 4. learn how to use templates for project communications

3 Main Processes in Project Communications Management

1. Planning Communications Management 2. Managing Communications 3. Monitoring Communications

8 Things the communications management plan should address

1. Stakeholder Communications requirements 2. Information to be communicated, including format, content and level of detail 3. Who will receive the info and who will produce it 4. Suggested methods or technologies for conveying information 5. Frequency of Communication 6. Escalation procedures for resolving issues 7. Revision procedures for updating the communications management plan 8. Glossary of common terminology

Communications Management Plan

A document that guides project communications - Part of the overall project management plan - Small projects, communications plan can be part of a team charter. For large projects it should be seperate

Status Review Meeting

A regularly scheduled meeting to discuss the status of the project and its progress toward completing the project scope statement. - Exchange important project information and motivate people to make progress on their parts of the project - Status Review meetings sometimes become battlegrounds where conflicts between different parties come to a head

Planning Communications Management

Determining the information and communications needs of the stakeholders Outputs: Communications management plan, project management plan updates, project document updates

Tools for Monitoring Communication

Expert Judgment, Project Management Information Systems, Data Representation, Interpersonal and team skills, and meetings to assess how well communications are working

Because IT projects often require a lot of coordination, it is a good idea to have short, frequent meetings.

True

By analyzing stakeholder communication needs (performing a stakeholder communications analysis), you can avoid wasting time or money on creating or disseminating unnecessary information.

True

Consistent communication helps organizations improve project communications, especially for programs composed of multiple projects.

True

Many experts agree that the greatest threat to the success of any project, especially IT projects, is a failure to communicate.

True

Many experts believe that the difference between good project managers and excellent project managers is their ability to nurture relationships and use empathic listening skills

True

Many problems in other knowledge areas, such as an unclear scope or unrealistic schedules, indicate problems with communication.

True

Many projects do not include enough initial information on communications. Project managers, top management and project team members often assume that using existing communication channels to relay project information is sufficient.

True

Often, one of the biggest communication problems on projects is providing the most recent project plans, Gantt charts, specifications, meeting information, and change requests to stakeholders in a timely fashion.

True

Personality traits, Geographic location and cultural background affect the complexity of project communications.

True

Project Managers should try to limit the size of teams or subteams to avoid making communications too complex

True

Project management software can provide different views of information to help meet various communication needs.

True

Project managers and their teams should consider using facilitators and other experts to provide assistance. **

True

Project managers can spend as much as 90 percent of their time on communicating. **

True

Project managers say they spend as much as 90 percent of their time communicating.

True

Stakeholders should review and approve the stakeholder communications analysis to ensure that the information is correct and useful

True

Status review meetings are an important part of communicating, monitoring, and controlling projects.**

True

Successful organizations allocate time in project schedules for preparing drafts of important reports and presentations and incorporating feedback on the drafts. It is good practice to include time for informal meetings with customers to help develop relationships and provide staff to assist in relationship management

True

The main goal of controlling communications is to ensure the optimal flow of information throughout the entire project life cycle. **

True

The need for these non-technical skills is so great that some IT companies indicate that they will hire individuals with minimum technical skills so long as they demonstrate solid soft and business skills

True

The stakeholder communications analysis serves as a good starting point for managing communications

True

When the project team develops its project communications management plan, it should determine what templates to use for key documentation.

True

Outputs of Monitoring Communications

Work performance information, change requests, project management plan updates, and project document updates

Wiki

a website that enables anyone who accesses it to contribute to or modify its contents

Google Docs

allow users to create, share, and edit documents, spreadsheets, and presentations online