Project Communications Management plays a key role in keeping all members of the project management team on the same page. Without communication among all team members and project stakeholders there can be a breakdown in processes which could have a negative impact on the final product.
Communications planning: Determining the information and communications needs of the stakeholders.
Information distribution: Making needed information available to project stakeholders in a timely manner.
Performance reporting: Collecting and disseminating performance information, including status reports, progress measurement, and forecasting.
Managing stakeholders: Managing communications to satisfy the needs and expectations of project stakeholders and to resolve issues.
The project manager must know the communication processes involved in effective project management. First of all there should be planning to determine what information needs to be communicated to all stakeholders in the project. Next, that information must be made readily available to the stakeholders and generated in a timely fashion. Performance must also be accounted for by reporting the project status, measuring progress and forecasting. Finally, communication with project stakeholders must be managed so that all requirements are met and issues are promptly resolved. Interactions and overlap among the communication processes are inevitable and expected throughout all phases of project management.
Project Communications Management can be broken down into essential knowledge and skills as follows:
- Managing a meeting by having an agenda as well as resolving conflict
- Writing style to be used.
- Method of communication; written or oral, informal memo or formal report, face-to-face or email, all of which are dependent on the situation at hand.
- Techniques for presentation including whether to use visual aids and effective use of body language.
- Possible barriers or feedback loops that influence communication.
Suggestions for Improving Project Communications
- Manage conflicts effectively.
- Develop better communication skills.
- Run effective meetings.
- Use e-mail effectively.
- Use templates for project communications.
