Project Management Chapter 10

Body language

-58% of communication is through body language -A person's tone of voice and body language say a lot about how he or she really feels -Different people respond positively to different levels or types of communication

Adding people to a team vs. schedule

-Adding more people to a project that is falling behind schedule causes more setbacks b/c of the increased complexity of communications -A task scheduled to take 2 months of one person's time cannot be done in 1 month by 2 people

Number of people on team vs. complexity of communications

-As the number of people involved increases, the complexity of communications increases because there are more communication channels or pathways through which people can communicate -2 people = 1 comm. channel -3 people = 3 comm. channels -4 people = 6 comm. channels

Stakeholder communications

-Creating some sort of communications management plan and reviewing it with project stakeholders early in a project helps prevent or reduce later communication problems -If the organization works on many projects, coordination, consistency in formats and content helps as you may have some of the same stakeholders -Include comment section to record special considerations or details related to each stakeholder, document, meeting, etc. -Have stakeholders review and approve the stakeholder communication analysis early in the project

Why is project communications management important?

-Greatest threat to the success of any project is a failure to communicate -Project managers spend as much as 90 percent of their time communicating -Technical jargon can often complicate matters when a non-computer professional talks to a business professional -Many educational systems for IT graduates promote strong technical skills over strong communication and social skills -Learning and developing soft skills is important for projects to succeed -Verbal skills were ranked as more important for career advancement and current positions than technical skills -Soft skills enhance future learning and productivity

Value of informal meetings

-Many colleagues and managers want to know the people working on their projects and develop a trusting relationship with them: use of informal discussions about the project to develop these relationships -PM's nurturing relationships is important, they stand out this way

Timing of communications

-One key to good communications is providing important information in an effective and timely manner Information needs to be distributed in an effective and timely manner: -Don't bury crucial information -Document changes in technical specs -Reporting bad information is ok. News could be delivered quickly via text through a Web site, e-mail, text message, etc. -Oral comm. via meetings and informal talks helps bring positive or negative important information into the open -Good coordination: It is a good idea to have short, frequent meetings -To encourage face-to-face comm., companies have policies that workers cannot use e-mail during certain hours of the business day

Good vs. bad news/communications

-Put information in context, esp. bad news. Know how the problem will affect the whole project and the organization -Project sponsors and other senior managers want to know that you have evaluated the impact of the situation, considered the alternatives, and made a recommendation based on your expertise -Project managers should know how the problem might affect the bottom line and be able to use their leadership skills to handle the challenge

Receiver's interpretation of communications

-Receiver rarely interprets info exactly as the sender intended -It is important to provide several methods of communication such as written words, visuals, videos, and meetings, and an environment that promotes an open dialogue -Don't assume receiver understands: build in a feedback loop to make sure -PM's must be patient and flexible, you can never over-communicate

Communications planning/Communications management plan

A document that guides project communications. This plan should be part of the overall project management plan. Plan varies with needs of project but written plan should always be prepared. Should address the following items: -Stakeholder communications requirements -Info to be communicated, including format, content, and level of detail -Who will receive/produce info -Suggested methods or technologies for conveying info -Frequency of communication -Escalation procedures for resolving issues -Revision procedures for updating the communication management plan -A glossary of common terminology

Value of knowing stakeholders

By analyzing stakeholder communication needs, you can avoid wasting time or money on creating or disseminating unnecessary information

Preferences for learning

Different personality traits: -Intuitive people like to understand the big picture, while sensing people need step-by-step details -Strong thinkers want to know the logic behind decisions, while feeling people want to know how something affects them personally -Judging people are driven to meet deadlines while perceiving people need more help in developing and following plans

Communicating with other cultures

Geographic location and cultural background affect the complexity of project communications: -Different working hours, time zones -Language barriers -Different cultural norms -Times, dates, and other units of measure are interpreted differently

Documenting changes

Good documentation is a must: -Project charter -Scope statement -Stakeholder analysis -WBS -Gantt chart -Cost estimate -The project team should understand what types of documents are expected by top management and customers for each project

Managing communications

Involves creating, distributing, storing, retrieving, and disposing of project communications based on the communications management plan

Planning communications management

Involves determining the information and communications needs of the stakeholders

Controlling communications

Involves monitoring and controlling project communications to ensure that stakeholder communication needs are met

Empathic listening

Listening with the intent to understand. More powerful than active listening b/c you forget your personal interests and focus on understanding the other person. Leads to 2-way communication. This habit is critical for PMs so they can understand their stakeholders' needs and expectations.

Forecasts

Predictions of future project status and progress based on past information and trends

Progress reports

Reports that describe what the project team has accomplished during a certain period of time

Status reports

Reports that describe where a project stands at a specific point in time