Section 7
Project Communications Management
Define Project Communications Management.
ANSWER
The processes required to ensure timely and appropriate generation, collection, distribution, storage, retrieval, and ultimate disposition of project information.
[Planning, Executing, and Monitoring and Controlling]
2 QUESTION
Name three tools and techniques for control communications.
ANSWER
- Information management systems
- Expert judgment
- Meetings
[Monitoring and Controlling]
What are three processes in Project Communications Management?
ANSWER
- Plan Communications Management
- Manage Communications
- Control Communications
[Planning, Executing, and Managing and Controlling]
4 QUESTION
Why is planning communications important to project success?
ANSWER
Inadequate communications planning may lead to problems that may include delay in message delivery, communicating to the wrong audience, insufficient communications to stakeholders, or misunderstanding or misinterpretation of the message communicated.
[Planning]
When should plan communications management be performed and why?
ANSWER
As early in the project as possible as the project management plan is prepared.
The purpose is to have appropriate resources (time and budget) to be allocated to communications management activities.
[Planning]
6 QUESTION
List 12 dimensions of communications.
ANSWER
- Internal/External
- Formal/Informal
- Vertical/Horizontal
- Official/Unofficial
- Written/Oral
- Verbal/Nonverbal
[Planning]
What is the difference between effective and efficient communications?
ANSWER
Effective communications mean the information is provided in the right format, at the right time, to the right audience, and with the right impact.
Efficient communications mean providing only the information required.
[Planning]
8 QUESTION
What are six important considerations to take into account in plan communications?
ANSWER
- Who needs what information and who is authorized to access it?
- When do people need the information?
- Where will the information be stored?
- What format will be used to store the information?
- How will the information be retrieved?
- What time zones, language barriers, and cross-cultural considerations should be taken into account?
[Planning]
Give five examples of factors that will affect the type of communications technology used in any project.
ANSWER
- Urgency of the need for the information
- Technology availability
- Ease of use
- Project environment
- Sensitivity and confidentiality of the information
[Planning]
10 QUESTION
List five tools and techniques in manage communications
ANSWER
- Communications technology
- Communications models
- Communications methods
- Information management systems
- Performance reporting
[Executing]
Describe the purpose of the communications management plan and the guidelines and templates it can include.
ANSWER
- It describes how project communications management will be planned, structured, monitored, and controlled.
- Guidelines and templates in it may include ones for project status meetings, project team meetings, e-meetings, and e-mail messages.
[Planning]
12 QUESTION
What are the four inputs to the manage communications process?
ANSWER
- Communications management plan
- Work performance information
- Enterprise environmental factors
- Organizational process assets
[Executing]
List seven pieces of information typically needed to determine project communications requirements.
ANSWER
- Organization charts
- Project organization and stakeholder responsibility relationships
- Disciplines, departments, and specialties involved in the project
- Number and locations of persons involved in the project
- External information needs
- Internal information needs
- Stakeholder information
[Planning]
14 QUESTION
How is communications requirements analysis used in plan communications management?
ANSWER
As a tool and technique to determine the information needs of stakeholders; the requirements are defined by combining the type and format of information needed with an analysis of the value of the information. The purpose is to use project resources only on communicating information that contributes to project success.
[Planning]
What are the major responsibilities of the sender and receiver in communicating?
ANSWER
Sender—
- Makes the information clear, unambiguous, and complete so that the receiver can receive it correctly
- Confirms that the information is properly understood
Receiver—
- Ensures that the information is received in its entirety
- Ensures that the information is understood correctly and acknowledged
[Planning]
16 QUESTION
Provide two examples of project documents to update as an output of plan communications management:
ANSWER
- Project schedule
- Stakeholder register
What are four important characteristics of an effective issue log?
ANSWER
- Issues are clearly stated
- Issues are categorized based on urgency and potential impact
- An owner is assigned to every issues
- A target date is established for closure
[Monitoring and Controlling]
18 QUESTION
What are three examples of project documents to update as an output of manage communications?
ANSWER
- Issue log
- Project schedule
- Funding requirements
[Executing]
How is the issue log used in control communications?
ANSWER
As an input to facilitate communications and ensure a common understanding of issues. It helps and documents who is responsible for resolving issues by a specific date and addresses obstacles that may be a barrier to the team in terms of achieving its goals.
[Monitoring and Controlling]
20 QUESTION
What are the five steps in the basic communications model? Describe who is responsible for each step.
ANSWER
- Encode: Sender translates thoughts or ideas into language
- Transmit message: Sender sends information using various communication channels
- Decode: Receiver translates the message back into meaningful thoughts or ideas
- Acknowledge: Receiver states receipt of the message but does not indicate agreement and/or comprehension of it
- Feedback/Response: Receiver includes thoughts and ideas into a message and transmits it back to the original sender
[Planning]
Why are updates to the project management plan an output of manage communications?
ANSWER
The project management plan provides information on project baselines.
Communications management, and stakeholder management, which may require updates on current project performance against the performance measurement baseline.
[Executing]
22 QUESTION
What is performance reporting? Where is it used in communications management
ANSWER
Collecting and distributing performance information such as status reports, process measurements, and forecasts.
It is used as a tool and technique in manage communications.
[Executing]
While a simple status report shows performance information or sample dashboards for scope, schedule, cost, or quality, list seven items that are included in more detailed reports.
ANSWER
- Analysis of past performance
- Analysis of project forecasts including time and cost
- Current status of risks and issues
- Work completed during the period
- Work to be completed in the next period
- Summary of changes approved in the period
- Any other relevant information that is reviewed and discussed
[Executing]
24 QUESTION
What are three communications methods to share information with project stakeholders?
ANSWER
- Interactive communication
- Push communication
- Pull communication
[Planning]
What is the most efficient way to ensure a common understanding by all participants on specific topics, and how is it done?
ANSWER
Interactive communication between two or more parties in a multidirectional exchange of information. It is handled through meetings, phone calls, instant messages, and video conferences.
[Planning]
26 QUESTION
Describe the two most important organizational process assets used in planned communications management and why you selected them.
ANSWER
Lessons learned and historical information.
They can provide insight into the decisions made regarding communications issues and results of these decisions on previous projects as guiding information to plan the project’s communication activities.
[Planning]
What is the purpose of the manage communications process?
ANSWER
The process of monitoring and controlling communications throughout the entire project life cycle to ensure the project stakeholders’ information needs are met.
[Monitoring and Controlling]
28 QUESTION
What is active listening?
ANSWER
Listening in which the recipient is attentive in terms of acknowledging, clarifying, and confirming understanding and removing any barriers that could affect adversely comprehension.
[Executing]
What are two examples of meeting management techniques?
ANSWER
Preparing an agenda and dealing with conflicts.
[Executing]
30 QUESTION
What are two examples of facilitation techniques?
ANSWER
Building consensus and overcoming obstacles.
[Executing]
Why is it important that project managers develop a sensitivity to nonverbal messages?
ANSWER
Because studies have shown that nonverbal cues are a better indicator of the meaning behind the message than the words used.
[Planning]
32 QUESTION
What are two key items to consider in presentation techniques?
ANSWER
Awareness of the impact of body language and design of visual aids.
[Executing]
What is a project “war room”? What is its primary benefit?
ANSWER
A single location for the project team to get together for any purpose. The war room should provide a repository for project artifacts, records, and up-to-date schedules and status reports.
Gives identity to the project team.
[Planning]
34 QUESTION
What are three items to consider in terms of writing style?
ANSWER
Active versus passive voice, sentence structure, and word choice.
[Executing]
What are three items to consider in terms of choice of communications media?
ANSWER
When to use written communications versus oral communications, when to use an informal memo versus a formal project report, and when face-to-face communication should be used versus e-mail.
[Executing]
36 QUESTION
Why is plan communications management tightly linked to enterprise environmental factors?
ANSWER
Because the project’s organizational structure will have a major effect on project communications.
[Planning]
What are two ways to enhance sender-receiver models?
ANSWER
By incorporating feedback loops to provide opportunities for interactive participation and by removing communications barriers.
[Executing]
38 QUESTION
What are six examples of organizational process assets used in control communications?
ANSWER
- Report templates
- Policies, standards, and procedures to define communications
- Specific communication technologies available
- Allowed communication media
- Record retention policies
- Security requirements
[Monitoring and Controlling]
How can work performance reports best be used to manage communications? How can their use be optimized?
ANSWER
To collect project performance and status information to facilitate discussion and create communications. These reports should be comprehensive, accurate, and available in a timely way to optimize their use.
[Executing]
40 QUESTION
What are three enterprise environmental factors that can influence manage communications?
ANSWER
- Organizational culture and standards
- Government or industry standards or regulations
- Project management information system
[Executing]
What are three examples of organizational process assets that can influence manage communications?
ANSWER
- Communication management policies, procedures, processes, and guidelines
- Templates
- Historical information and lessons learned
[Executing]
42 QUESTION
What are five inputs to the control communications process?
ANSWER
- Project management plan
- Project communications
- Issue log
- Work performance information
- Organizational process assets
[Monitoring and Controlling]
How is push communications used? Provide eight examples.
ANSWER
To send specific recipients information and ensure it is distributed.
Examples:
- Letters
- Memos
- Reports
- Emails
- Faxes
- Voice mails
- Blogs
- Press releases
[Planning]
44 QUESTION
What are four outputs of manage communications?
ANSWER
- Project communications
- Project management plan updates
- Project document updates
- Organizational process assets updates
[Executing]
How is push communications used? Provide four examples.
ANSWER
For very large volumes of information or for information to very large audiences; recipients access information at their own discretion.
Examples:
- Intranet sites
- E-Learning
- Lessons learned databases
- Knowledge repositories
[Planning]
46 QUESTION
How is an information management system used in control communications?
ANSWER
As a tool and technique to provide standard tools for the project manager to capture, store, and distribute information to stakeholders about the project’s costs, schedule progress, and performance.
[Monitoring and Controlling]
What formula is used to calculate the number of communication channels on a project?
ANSWER
n * (n-1) / 2
n = [the number of stakeholders]
[Planning]
48 QUESTION
Describe five types of valuable information in the project management plan that is useful to the control communications process.
ANSWER
- Stakeholder communication requirements
- Reason for the information distributed
- Timeframe and frequency for the distribution of the required communication
- Individual or group responsible for communicating the information
- Individual or group receiving the information
[Monitoring and Controlling]
How would you determine the choice of communications methods to use on your project?
ANSWER
By discussions and reaching agreement with stakeholders based on communication requirements, cost and time constraints, and familiarity and availability of required tools and resources for communications.
[Planning]
50 QUESTION
What are three examples of information management systems?
ANSWER
- Hard copy document management
- Electronic communications management
- Electronic project management tools
[Executing]
How is the performance management baseline affected by the manage communications process?
ANSWER
An output of the process is updates to the project management plan. It provides information on baselines, communication management, and stakeholder management. Each of these areas may require updates based on the current project performance versus the project management baseline.
[Executing]
52 QUESTION
What is the key benefit of control communications?
ANSWER
To ensure an optimal information flow among all communication participants at any moment of time.
[Monitoring and Controlling]
Define the performance management baseline.
ANSWER
It is an approved plan for the project work to which project execution is compared, and deviations are measured for project control.
[Executing]
54 QUESTION
What are two examples of communication elements that would immediately trigger a revision to the plan communications management or manage communications processes?
ANSWER
Issues
Key performance indicators such as actual versus planned schedule, cost, or quality.
[Planning, Executing, and Monitoring and Controlling]
What five items or parameters may be integrated in the performance management baseline?
ANSWER
- Scope
- Schedule
- Cost
- Technical
- Quality
[Executing]
56 QUESTION
How is expert judgment used in control communications?
ANSWER
As a tool and technique to assess the impact of the project communications, need for action or intervention, action that should be taken, responsibility for taking the action, and the required time frame for the action.
[Monitoring and Controlling]
List seven types of people or groups that can provide expert judgment in control communications:
ANSWER
- Other units in the organization
- Consultants
- Stakeholders, including customers and sponsors
- Professional and technical associations
- Industry groups
- Subject matter experts
- The project management office
[Monitoring and Controlling]
58 QUESTION
Who is responsible for determining the actions required to ensure that the right message is communicated to the right audience at the right time?
ANSWER
The project manager in collaboration with the project team
[Monitoring and Controlling]
How are change requests used in manage communications?
ANSWER
As an output of the process because there may be a need for adjustment, intervention, or action.
[Executing]
60 QUESTION
What are four possible actions that may result from change requests from manage communications?
ANSWER
- Provide new or revised cost estimates, activity sequences, schedule dates, resource requirements, and analysis of risk response alternatives
- Adjust the project management plan and other documents
- Recommend corrective actions to bring future performance in line with the project management plan
- Recommend preventive action to reduce the probability of incurring future negative project performance
[Monitoring and Controlling]