IT PM Chapter 10: Project Communications Management

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 ___ and ___ skills.

"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.

Of all the collaboration technologies that were studied, three were more commonly present in high-performing companies than in low-performing ones:

1. Web conferencing 2. Audio conferencing 3. Meeting-scheduler technologies

Monitoring Communications is one of the 3 main processes of Project Communications Management State the 4 Outputs of Monitoring Communications

1. Work Performance Information 2. Change Requests 3. Updates to Project Management Plan 4. Updates to Project Documents

Managing Communications is one of the 3 main processes of Project Communications Management State the 4 Outputs of Managing Communications

1. Project Communications 2. Updates to Project Management Plan 3. Updates to Project Documents 4. Updates to OPAs

State the two important considerations in deciding which technologies to use when communicating

1. Communication method - interactive - push - pull 2. Communication media - hard paper copy - phone call - voice mail - email - website

Planning Communications Management is one of the 3 main processes of Project Communications Management State the 3 Outputs of Planning Communications Management

1. Communications Management Plan 2. Updates to Project Managemetn Plan 3. Updates to Project Documents

State the 4 common methods for distributing project information:

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

State the 3 Main Processes of Project Communications Management

1. Planning Communications Management - determining the information and communications needs of the stakeholders 2. Managing Communications - creating, distributing, storing, retrieving, and disposing of project communications based on the communications management plan. 3. Monitoring Communications - ensuring that stakeholder communication needs are met.

State the 3 main processes of project communications management

1. Planning communications management 2. Managing communications 3. Controlling communications

A ___ should be created for all projects to help ensure good communications. Contents of this plan will vary based on the needs of the project.

A communications management plan should be created for all projects to help ensure good communications. Contents of this plan will vary based on the needs of the project.

Define Project Archives

A complete set of organized project records that provide an accurate history of the project. - it is important to organize and prepare project archives, as they can provide valuable information for future projects.

Define Communications Management Plan + ITTO for project communications management

A component of the project management plan that guides project communications. - it describes how stakeholders will communicate, and what kinds of information will be distributed to particular stakeholders. It is the primary output of the planning communications management process.

Define Stakeholder Communications Analysis

A part of the communications management plan that shows which stakeholders should get which types of communications. - some stakeholders want a hard copy of monthly status reports, other stakeholders want informal oral meetings.

Define Communication Channel + what is the formula for the number of communication channels a project should have?

A pathway through which people can communicate. Number of communications channels = ( n (n - 1) )/2 - n is the number of people involved

Describe Kanban

A project management methodology that uses cards to visualize workflow, reduce waste and inefficiencies, and improve stakeholder visibility. - uses a Kanban board to showcase Work To Do, Work in Progress, and Work Done - it is a popular tool used to improve communications

Define Performance Report

A report that keeps stakeholders informed about how resources are being used to achieve project objectives. - considered a super tool i.e. a tool that is extensively used and has been found to consistently improve project performance.

Define Project Websites

A website that provides a centralized way of delivering project documents and other communications. - more and more project teams are putting all or part of their project information on project websites.

Describe the following software products available to assist in project communications through the Internet: Basecamp Jira

Basecamp A tool available to educators for free for an unlimited time. - includes features such as creating Gantt charts and network diagrams, - offers personal calendar - message board - document file exchanges Jira A popular online tool used to run an agile project - offers reporting charts, such as a burndown chart, burnup chart, sprint report, cumulative flow diagram, velocity chart, and a version report (shown in image)

Complete the following guidelines to running effective meetings for project communications management: Determine if a meeting can be ___ Define the ___and ___ of the meeting Determine who should ___the meeting Provide an ___to participants before the meeting Prepare ___ and ___, and make logistical arrangements ahead of time Run the meeting ___ Set the ___ for the meeting Build ___.

Determine if a meeting can be avoided - Do not have a meeting if there is a better way to achieve the objective at hand Define the purpose and intended outcome of the meeting Determine who should attend the meeting Provide an agenda to participants before the meeting Prepare handouts and visual aids, and make logistical arrangements ahead of time Run the meeting professionally Set the ground rules for the meeting Build relationships

Complete the following suggestions for improving project communications: Develop better communication ___ Run effective ___ Use e-mail and other ___ effectively Employ ___ for project communications

Develop better communication skills Run effective meetings Use e-mail and other technologies effectively Employ templates for project communications

How is communications management different in agile/adaptive environments vs. traditional environments?

Effectively planning for good project communications and using appropriate technology become even more important in agile/adaptive situations. Project environments subject to various elements of ambiguity and change have an inherent need to communicate evolving and emerging details more frequently and quickly Closely-collaborated and highly focused team usually make up agile/adaptive projects, therefore communication management is critical.

True or False: It is generally a good idea to add more people to a project that is falling behind schedule.

False - this approach often causes more setbacks because of the increased complexity in communications.

True or False: As the number of people who need to communicate increases, the number of communication channels decreases.

False As the number of people who need to communicate increases, the number of communication channels also increases.

True or False: Project managers should avoid templates for project communications.

False Finding, developing, and sharing relevant templates and sample documents are important tasks for many project managers. - caution must be made, however, to not rely too much on templates to the point where communication is negatively affected.

True or False: Most people prefer formal communications.

False Most people prefer informal communications.

True or False: You can never overcommunicate.

False You cannot overcommunicate. Communication is often under-developed.

Complete the following important concepts for project communications management: Focus on ___ and ___ communication needs. Use ___ and ___ methods for communicating. Distribute important information in an ___ and ___ manner. Set the stage for communicating ___. Determine the number of ___.

Focus on group and individual communication needs. Use formal and informal methods for communicating. Distribute important information in an effective and timely manner. Set the stage for communicating bad news. Determine the number of communication channels.

Complete the following considerations for distributing information in an effective and timely manner: Include detailed technical information that affects ___ features of products or services. Document ___ in technical specifications that might affect product performance. Report ___ news. Have short, frequent ___.

Include detailed technical information that affects critical performance features of products or services. Document any changes in technical specifications that might affect product performance. Report bad news. Have short, frequent meetings.

Information about the content of essential project communications comes from where?

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. - if reporting essential information is an activity defined in the WBS, it becomes even more important to know what project information to report, when to report it, how to report it, and who is responsible for generating the report.

State 3 Classifications for communication methods

Interactive Communication Two or more people interact to exchange information via meetings, phone calls, or video conferencing. - most effective way to ensure common understanding. Push Communication Information is sent or pushed to recipients without their request via reports, emails, faxes, voice mails, etc. - ensures that the information is distributed, but does not ensure that it was received or understood. Pull Commmunication Information is sent to recipients at their request via websites, bulletin boards, e-learning, knowledge repositories like blogs, and other means.

It is important for project managers and their team members to be aware of their own ___.

It is important for project managers and their team members to be aware of their own communication styles. - many IT professionals have different personality traits than the general population, such as being more introverted, intuitive, and oriented to thinking (as opposed to feeling).

It is important to have ___ in place in case something goes wrong with normal communications technologies.

It is important to have backup procedures in place in case something goes wrong with normal communications technologies.

It is important to put information in ___, especially if it's bad news.

It is important to put information in context, especially if it's bad news.

Define 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. - Blogs have become popular as a communication technology.

Define Performance Reporting + describe the differences between progress reports, status reports, and forecasts

Keeps stakeholders informed about how resources are being used to achieve project objectives. Progress reports describe what the project team has accomplished during a certain period of time. Status reports describe where the project stands at a specific point in time. Forecasts predict future project status and progress based on past information and trends.

Complete the following guidelines to use communication tools more effectively: Make sure that your team is using a good ___ Be sure to ___ the right people to share your collaborative documents Make sure that the right person can authorize ___ to shared documents and that you ___ files Develop a ___ for organizing and filing shared documents

Make sure that your team is using a good tool Be sure to authorize the right people to share your collaborative documents Make sure that the right person can authorize changes to shared documents and that you back up files Develop a logical structure for organizing and filing shared documents

Managing communication includes ___ and ___ project information.

Managing communication includes creating and distributing project information.

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

Many experts agree that the greatest threat to the success of any project, especially IT projects, is a failure to communicate. - Many problems in other knowledge areas, such as an unclear scope or unrealistic schedules, indicate problems with communication.

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

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.

People have a tendency to avoid reporting ___ news.

People have a tendency to avoid reporting bad news. - Oral communication via meetings and informal talks helps bring important information—positive or negative—into the open.

Describe the following tools that project management software provide to enhance communications. Portfolio management Resource management Project collaboration

Portfolio management By providing a centralized and consolidated view of programs and projects, the user can evaluate and prioritize activities across the organization. - This feature makes it possible to maximize productivity, minimize costs, and keep activities aligned with strategic objectives. Resource management Maximizing human resources is often the key to minimizing project costs. - This feature enables the user to maximize resource use across the organization to help plan and manage the workforce effectively. Project collaboration Sharing project information is often a haphazard endeavor. - Project collaboration enables an organization to share knowledge immediately and consistently to improve communications and decision making, eliminate redundancies, and take advantage of best practices for project management

Performance reports are normally provided as two types of reports. State and Describe them:

Progress Reports Describe what the project team has accomplished during a certain period. - many projects have each team member prepare a monthly report or sometimes a weekly progress report. Status Reports Describe where the project stands at a specific point in time. - status reports address where the project stands in terms of the triple constraint, meeting scope, time, and cost goals.

Define "follow the sun" project management

Project management where teams spaced around the globe use their own business day (8 hours) to perform a segment of the work and then hand it off to the next in the rotation as their day ends and the next team's day begins. - this poses potential communications problems, such as when the handoff communication does not address issues properly, causing the entire cycle to fail until someone can clarify or correct the problem - While this approach theoretically can keep teams working on a project around the clock, it can actually idle the project as well when the communication during the handoff is not effective.

Project managers say they spend as much as ___% of their time communicating.

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

Project managers should know how a major problem might affect the ___ of the organization and be able to use their leadership skills to handle the challenge.

Project managers should know how a major problem might affect the bottom line of the organization and be able to use their leadership skills to handle the challenge.

Project managers should try to limit what to avoid making communications too complex?

Project managers should try to limit the size of teams or sub-teams to avoid making communications too complex. - For example, if three people are working together on a particular project task, they have three communication channels. If you added two more people to their team, you would have 10 communication channels, an increase of seven.

Project teams can use ___ charts and other forms of progress information to communicate and assess project performance.

Project teams can use earned value charts and other forms of progress information to communicate and assess project performance.

Define lessons-learned report + the project manager often combines information from all of the lessons-learned reports into what kind of report?

Reflective statement that documents important information project team members have learned from working on the project that can be used for future projects. The project manager often combines information from all of the lessons-learned reports into a project summary report.

___ involves collecting and disseminating information about how well a project is moving toward meeting its goals.

Reporting performance involves collecting and disseminating information about how well a project is moving toward meeting its goals.

Describe SharePoint Portal Describe Google Docs Describe wiki

SharePoint Portal Allows users to create custom websites to access documents and applications stored on shared devices. Google Docs Allows users to create, share, and edit documents, spreadsheets, and presentations online. Wiki A website that enables anyone who accesses it to contribute to or modify its content.

Because IT projects often require a lot of coordination, it is a good idea to have what types of meetings?

Short and frequent meetings - For example, some IT project managers require all project personnel to attend a "stand-up" meeting every week or even every morning, depending on project needs - Stand-up meetings have no chairs, which forces people to focus on what they need to communicate

Complete the following components of a communications management plan: Stakeholder communications ___ ___ to be communicated, including format, content, and level of detail Who will ___ the information and who will ___ it Suggested methods or ___ for conveying the information ___ of communication ___ procedures for resolving issues ___ procedures for updating the communications management plan A ___ of common terminology

Stakeholder communications requirements Information to be communicated, including format, content, and level of detail Who will receive the information and who will produce it Suggested methods or technologies for conveying the information Frequency of communication Escalation procedures for resolving issues Revision procedures for updating the communications management plan A glossary of common terminology

What type of meeting is an important technique for performance reporting?

Status review meeting - they highlight information provided in important project documents, empower people to be accountable for their work, and have face-to-face discussions about important project issues - many program and project managers hold periodic status review meetings to 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

___ meetings are an important part of communicating, monitoring, and controlling projects.

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

___ can facilitate the process of creating and distributing information, when used effectively.

Technology can facilitate the process of creating and distributing information, when used effectively.

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

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

Managing Communications is one of the 3 main processes of project communications management. Describe Managing Communications

The process of creating, distributing, storing, retrieving, and disposing of project communications based on the communications management plan. - focuses on getting project information to the right people at the right time and in a useful format - Project managers and their teams must decide who receives particular information, but they must also determine the best way to create and distribute the information

Planning Communications Management is one of the 3 main processes of project communications management. Describe Planning Communications Management

The process of determining the information and communications needs of the stakeholders.

Monitoring Communications is one of the 3 main processes of project communications management. Describe Monitoring Communications

The process used to ensure the optimal flow of information throughout the entire project life cycle. - If problems exist, the project manager and team need to take action, which often requires changes to the earlier processes of planning and managing project communications - It is often beneficial to have a facilitator from outside the project team assess how well communications are working

The project manager must be aware of stakeholder's communication ___ and take advantage of it.

The project manager must be aware of stakeholder's communication preferences and take advantage of it. - For example, a project sponsor may prefer to stay informed through informal discussions held once a week over coffee

The receiver of information rarely interprets it exactly as the sender intended. Therefore, it is important to provide what?

The receiver of information rarely interprets it exactly as the sender intended. Therefore, it is important to provide several methods of communication. - such as written words, visuals, videos, and meetings, and an environment that promotes open dialogue. - Instead of assuming that the receiver understands, you can build in a feedback loop to make sure

True or False: Individual employees are more likely to enroll voluntarily in classes to learn the latest technology than in classes that develop soft skills.

True

True or False: Many people prefer informal communications over formal communications.

True

True or False: There are regional differences in how people in various countries prefer to communicate with one another

True

True or False: Posting information in one location enhances communications.

True - Project teams and organizations that emphasize using a shared repository are often more productive

True or False: You cannot totally separate technical skills and soft skills when working on IT projects.

True - for projects to succeed, every project team member needs both types of skills.

Complete the following important considerations for managing communications Use of ___. Appropriate methods and ___ to use. ___ reporting.

Use of technology. Appropriate methods and media to use. Performance reporting.

A(n) ___ report describes where a project stands at a specific point in time. a. status b. performance c. version d. earned value

a. status

What do many experts agree is the greatest threat to the success of any project? a. Lack of proper funding b. A failure to communicate c. Poor listening skills d. Inadequate staffing

b. A failure to communicate

Which of the following is not a guideline to help improve time spent at meetings? a. Determine if a meeting can be avoided. b. Invite extra people who support your project to make the meeting run more smoothly. c. Define the purpose and intended outcome of the meeting. d. Build relationships.

b. Invite extra people who support your project to make the meeting run more smoothly.

What term describes information that is sent to recipients at their request via websites, bulletin boards, e-learning, knowledge repositories like blogs, and other means? a. Push communications b. Pull communications c. Interactive communications d. Customer communications

b. Pull communications

A ___ report is a reflective statement that documents important information learned from working on the project. a. kanban b. lessons-learned c. project archive d. progress

b. lessons-learned

In face-to-face interactions, how is most information conveyed? a. By the tone of voice b. By the words spoken c. By body language d. By the location

c. By body language

Which of the following is not a recommendation for improving project communications? a. You cannot overcommunicate. b. Project managers and their teams should take time to develop their communications skills. c. Do not use facilitators or experts outside of the project team to communicate important information. d. Use templates to help prepare project documents.

c. Do not use facilitators or experts outside of the project team to communicate important information.

If you add three more people to a project team of five, how many more communication channels will you add? a. 2 b. 12 c. 15 d. 18

d. 18

Which of the following is not a process in project communications management? a. Planning communications management b. Controlling communications c. Managing communications d. Managing stakeholders

d. Managing stakeholders

What strategy can a project manager use to deliver bad news? a. Tell a joke first. b. Tell senior management as soon as possible so they can develop alternatives and recommendations. c. Ask the project champion to deliver the news. d. Set the stage by putting the news into context, emphasizing the impact on the bottom line.

d. Set the stage by putting the news into context, emphasizing the impact on the bottom line.