This chapter focuses on Project Communications Management. Similar to the other knowledge areas, it begins with a process of planning, which produces a communications management plan. It then has an executing process, Manage Communications, focusing on carrying out the communications management plan, and a monitoring and controlling process, Control Communications, focused on checking whether project communications are meeting stakeholder communication requirements.
The PMBOK
®
Guide Processes
Project Communications Management Knowledge Area
The three processes in the Project Communications Management knowledge area
are as follows:
- Plan Communications Management (planning process)
- Manage Communications (executing process)
- Control Communications (monitoring and controlling process)
What Is Project Communications Management?
Project communications
management is focused on the processes of developing a communications management plan, gathering and distributing project information according to the communications management plan, and checking that you are completing the communications activities in accordance with the plan.
Project communications are absolutely critical for a smooth and successful running of any project, whether you are gathering information or disseminating information. You should assume that a project manager will spend 90% of their time communicating in different ways to different stakeholders. Of this time spent communicating, 50% will be spent communicating with project team members because they are the most important of the stakeholders.
Exam Tip
You should always assume that communication in its many forms is at the heart of many issues in project management. If you get a question outlining a problem, and one of the potential answers involves better or improved communication, this may be the correct choice.
REAL WORLD
I managed a construction project that I soon realized was actually a communications project. At the outset, we focused on building the deliverable and reporting on time and cost progress. Very few of the stakeholders were interested in the construction project itself; they were interested in how it would affect their business and the intended outcome. After about four months of work on what was a two-and-a-half-year-long project, I was taken aside by the project sponsor and told that despite the project being under budget and ahead of time, many stakeholders considered the project a failure because I wasn’t communicating effectively with them. I discovered that many of these stakeholders weren’t interested in updates about time and cost. They had other communication needs. The project sponsor was correct, and overnight we changed our focus from a construction project to a communications project. We began focusing on what people actually wanted to hear, how they wanted to hear it, when they wanted to hear it, and who they wanted to hear it from. Within a relatively short time, the project was judged a success.
Exam Tip
The project manager should not be in control of every communication, but the project manager should control the communications process.
Plan Communications Management
More Info
Plan Communications Management
You can read more about the Plan Communications Management process in the PMBOK Guide, 5th edition, in Chapter 10, section 10.1. Table 8-1 identifies the process inputs, tools and techniques, and outputs.
Table 8-1.
Plan Communications Management Process
Inputs ➪ | Tools and Techniques ➪ | Outputs |
|---|---|---|
• Project management plan • Stakeholder register • Enterprise environmental factors • Organizational process assets | • Communications requirements analysis • Communications technology • Communications models • Communications methods • Meetings | • Communications management plan • Project document updates |
The Plan Communications Management process is a planning process with the communications management plan as its primary output. In order to successfully develop a successful communications management plan, you need to gather and analyze information about individual stakeholders
and their communication needs.
The Plan Communications Management process covers the following planning domain tasks
:
- Task 6: Develop the communications management plan based on the project organization structure and stakeholder requirements, in order to define and manage the flow of project information.
- Task 12: Conduct kick-off meeting, communicating the start of the project, key milestones, and other relevant information, in order to inform and engage stakeholders and gain commitment.
Inputs
The Plan Communications Management process uses some or all of the following inputs as part of the development of the communications management plan for the project.
Project Management Plan
The key elements of the project management plan that are useful as inputs
into the Plan Communications Management process are information about project constraints; timeframes; and scope, risk, and stakeholder expectations. The project management plan is an output from the Develop Project
Management Plan process.
Stakeholder Register
The stakeholder register
is an essential input into the Plan Communications Management process. It provides information about stakeholders and most likely an assessment of their power, interest, impact, or influence on the project. This information can be used to assist in the development of a robust and appropriate communications management plan that can contribute to the effective management of stakeholder engagement and expectations. The stakeholder register is an output from the Identify Stakeholders process.
Enterprise Environmental Factors
The specific enterprise environmental factor that is useful as an input
into this process is the broader organizational structure, because that affects how well communications are managed.
Organizational Process Assets
The specific organizational process assets
that may be an important input into the development of your communications management plan include any lessons learned and historical information about successful
or unsuccessful communications from past projects, and any blank templates or guidelines for the preparation of the communications management plan.
Tools and Techniques
The following tools and techniques are available to be used to develop the inputs into this process in order to produce the communications management plan.
Communications Requirements Analysis
The purpose of communications requirements analysis is to obtain a detailed description of individual stakeholders and their communications needs. In order to identify the communications requirements of individual stakeholders, you can use a variety of techniques to identify the stakeholders. These techniques allow you to
either solicit their requirements from them directly or gather information from other sources about their requirements. The important thing is to gather and document the stakeholder communication requirements so you can then plan how you will meet them.
In order to appreciate the number of potential communications channels that can exist as part of identifying stakeholders on a project, you can use a formula that shows the exponential growth and total number of potential communications channels with every additional stakeholder that is identified. The formula is
where n equals the number of stakeholders, including yourself.
For example, if you have four stakeholders in your project, you have six potential communications channels:
If you have five stakeholders in your project, you have ten potential communications channels:
If you have 20 stakeholders, you have 190 potential communication channels:
The number of communications channels is an important consideration in your communications requirements analysis. Figure 8-1 shows how these
communication channels are formed between stakeholders.
Figure 8-1.
How to show the number of
communications channels in a project
Communications Technology
The choice of
communications technology
depends on several different factors, including urgency, the availability of specific forms of technology, the ease of use of that technology, the project
environment, whether the project team members and stakeholders are able to communicate face to face or virtually by using technology, and the sensitivity and confidentiality of information. All of these factors influence which technologies you choose to use and favor in your communications management plan. It is becoming increasingly common to rely on virtual forms of technology, but nothing is as good as face-to-face communication.
Communications Models
Having an awareness of a
communications model
, which outlines how communications can work, is an important skill for a project manager to have. Communications is not just a simple matter of your deciding which information you want to communicate and assuming that those with whom you want to communicate will understand what you are trying to say. According to the Shannon and Weaver communication model, there is a continual
looping process in action, as Figure 8-2 shows. The sender encodes a message according to their own preferences, prejudices, and particular worldview. The sender then transmits this message via whichever communications technology, or medium, they have selected to use. As the message is transmitted, it must pass through a particular medium, and in doing so it will encounter noise. In this instance, noise does not always relate just to acoustic noise, but also includes any other aspects present in the selected medium that may interfere with or change the message being transmitted. It can include the physical environment, participant energy levels, cultural differences, accents, and individual prejudices.
Figure 8-2.
A communications model showing how a sender encodes and sends a message through a medium to a receiver
The receiver then receives the message and decodes it according to their own preferences and prejudices. If the receiver then attempts to send the message on to another person or back to the original sender, it must go through the same obstacles again.
You can begin to recognize how errors in communication can happen very easily even with the best of intent. It is vital that project managers recognize the challenges to effective communication and to try to minimize the potential disruption to the messages they are trying to send.
You can mitigate
some of the
potential negative effects on communication in this model by practicing and being aware of the following five techniques:
- Active listening: With this technique, the listener takes active steps to ensure that the message was understood correctly. The result is that the listener is more engaged and there is a much better transfer of information between sender and receiver.
REAL WORLD
Throughout my career as a project manager, the ability to listen and understand what people are actually communicating has played an important role in the success of projects I have managed. I remember when I was younger and perhaps a little more headstrong, and I would take shortcuts when receiving information from people, assuming I understood what they were trying to communicate. This, of course, led to many misunderstandings and inefficiencies and mistakes that affected the chances of project success. I have since learned that being an active listener is more important than being an active talker.
- Effective listening: Similar to active listening, this technique also involves the listener or receiver monitoring non-verbal and physical communication.
- Feedback: This consists of cues from the receiver to the sender that indicate whether the message has been understood.
- Nonverbal: This is communication in the form of body language, posture, and similar. You may be surprised to know that most communication is nonverbal and that we are very skilled at picking up nonverbal communication.
- Paralingual: This type of communication is vocal but not verbal, and includes tone of voice, inflections, and volume—how the words are said rather than what is said.
Communications Methods
You can use three broad categories of types of communications methods:
- Interactive communication : Where all parties in the communications conduct a multidirectional exchange of information concurrently. The most common examples of interactive communication include team meetings, phone calls, and videoconferencing.
- Push communication : A form of communication that is sent to recipients. It is an effective means of communication to ensure that information is distributed as planned and includes e-mail messages, reports, memos, press releases, and letters.
- Pull communication : Used when recipients can choose to access information at their own discretion. Common examples of pull communication include intranet and Internet sites and e-learning sites.
In addition to these categories of communications, there are also different ways in which communications can be delivered. These can be formal or informal and verbal or written. Table 8-2 shows the possible combinations of these communications forms and examples of each.
Table 8-2.
Types of Communication
Method | Examples |
|---|---|
Informal written | Notes, e-mail messages, memos |
Formal written | Contracts, legal notices |
Informal verbal | Meetings, discussions, phone calls, conversations |
Formal verbal | Speeches, mass communications, presentations |
Meetings
Meetings are generally a useful way to bring together members of the project team and other stakeholders so that they can contribute to the development of the communications management plan. Effective meetings feature the use of predistributed agendas, defined start and finish times, agreed ground rules, and a focus on decision-making.
A particular type of meeting that is useful for communicating the end of project planning and the beginning of project execution is the kick-off meeting. The kick-off meeting is held with project team members and relevant stakeholders in attendance, usually on site, and it signifies the start of execution. It is a particularly effective form of communication because it signals to the team and stakeholders that the project is progressing, and it contributes
to increased team morale.
Outputs
After applying the appropriate tools and techniques to the selected inputs, the Plan Communications Management process has the following outputs.
Communications Management Plan
The Plan Communications Management process has the
communications
management plan as its primary output. Similar to other management plans, the communications management plan provides a guide for completing the communications management activities in the project.
Your communications management plan identifies individual stakeholders, what information they require, when they require that information, how they will receive information, from whom the information will be received, and any other issues affecting communications. Your communications management plan may also outline key messages, general communication strategies, how you will review and update the plan, and an overview of the intended outcomes from the communications management plan. The communications management plan is a subsidiary of the project management plan and is used as an input into the other two communications management processes.
REAL WORLD
Keep in mind that a lack of communication is a communication in itself. Some stakeholders will take a lack of communication as a sign of arrogance and indifference. I have always found that the absence of communication leads to opinions based on assumptions and gossip. Correcting these opinions takes more energy and time than it would have taken to distribute the correct information in the first place.
Project Document Updates
The specific project documents that may be updated as a result of the Plan Communications Management process are the stakeholder register and requirements documentation, scope statement, issue log, and any
other relevant documents.
Quick Check
1.
What is the primary purpose of the communications management plan?
2.
If you are working in an organization with nine stakeholders, including yourself, how many potential communications channels are there?
3.
What is the significance of the kick-off meeting?
Quick Check Answers
1.
The main purpose of the communications management plan is to guide your actions in defining what communications the project is going to receive and send, how it will identify stakeholders communications requirements, and how information will be tracked and measured.
2.
If you have 9 stakeholders, including yourself, there are 36 potential communications channels.
3.
The kick-off meeting is used to gather project team members and other relevant stakeholders together and communicate to them that enough planning has occurred for project execution to begin.
Manage Communications
More Info
Manage Communications
You can read more about the Manage Communications process in the PMBOK Guide, 5th edition, in Chapter 10, section 10.2. Table 8-3 identifies the process inputs, tools and techniques, and outputs.
Table 8-3.
Manage Communications Process
Inputs ➪ | Tools and Techniques ➪ | Outputs |
|---|---|---|
• Communications management plan • Work performance reports • Enterprise environmental factors • Organizational process assets | • Communications technology • Communications models • Communications methods • Information management systems • Performance reporting | • Project communications • Project document updates • Project management plan updates • Organizational process asset updates |
The Manage Communications process is an executing process that gathers project information so that it can be distributed and stored according to the communications management plan.
The Manage Communications process covers the following executing domain task:
- Task 6: Manage the flow of information by following the communications plan, in order to keep stakeholders engaged and informed.
Inputs
The Manage Communications process uses some or all of the following inputs.
Communications Management Plan
The communications management plan
is an essential component of the Manage Communications process because it provides direction and guidelines on how to complete this process. The communications management plan is an output from the Plan Communications Management
process.
Work Performance Reports
Work performance reports
are a specific presentation of work performance information. The timely dissemination of work performance reports to the right stakeholders is one of the factors influencing project success. All project reports should be tailored to be suitable to their intended audience. Work performance reports are an output from the Monitor and Control Project Work process.
Enterprise Environmental Factors
The specific types of enterprise environmental factor that are useful in managing project
communications are any broad organizational cultural issues, any relevant government or industry standards, and any licensed software being used to gather and disseminate information.
Organizational Process Assets
The specific types of organizational process assets that will assist in managing project communications are any blank templates, historical information and lessons learned, and project-specific policies and
guidelines relating to communications management.
Tools and Techniques
The following tools and techniques are used on the inputs to deliver the Manage Communications process outputs.
Communications Technology
The particular type of
communication technology you choose to use to facilitate project communication is an important consideration because each stakeholder will respond differently to the technology chosen. It is up to the project manager to ensure that the correct type of communication technology is selected to ensure that individual project communication requirements can be met. Remember that what works well for one stakeholder may not work for another stakeholder.
REAL WORLD
On a project I was managing, we generally disseminated project progress information by way of written and graphical reports. One senior manager continued to ask questions about information that was clearly contained in these reports. Answering these questions took time, so we gave this issue some thought. Ultimately we realized that instead of written reports, this person preferred brief face-to-face updates. So we initiated a regular process of “accidentally” stopping by this manager’s office and giving him a brief update.
Communications Models
An awareness of how communications work, according to a basic communications model, is important for project managers to understand so they can avoid potential obstacles and difficulties in
transmitting messages. A more thorough description of communications models was covered earlier in this chapter in the Plan Communications Management process.
Communications Methods
Your choice of push communications, pull communications, or interactive communications as a communications method depends on the stakeholder communications requirements. Communications methods were covered in more detail earlier in this chapter in the Plan Communications
Management process.
Information Management Systems
Information management systems
are ways of managing and distributing your project information in hard copy and electronic form. Examples of hard copy distribution formats include press releases, memos, and project documents and plans. Increasingly, management and
distribution of project information is handled by electronic means such as web sites, web publishing, and intranet portals.
Performance Reporting
Effective performance reporting
is a key element in ensuring that a project is successful and that stakeholder communication requirements are met. The way in which you collect and report performance information should
be in response to how individual stakeholders want to receive that information. All performance reports should be concise, succinct, and targeted at their intended audience. Performance reports may include simple text reports, or they may be more complex reports featuring a lot of narrative and descriptive text, diagrams, and tables. The content of a performance report can be on any relevant element and metric of the project. You may also choose to report certain elements such as cost and time to one group of stakeholders, while reporting aspects of quality to another group of stakeholders.
Outputs
The Manage Communications process produces some or all of the following outputs.
Project Communications
Project communications are the
key output from the Manage Communications process. They can take many forms, based on the communications management plan. You may choose to send project communications in different formats, at different times and frequencies, and with different content, according to individual stakeholder communication requirements. Project communications go on to be used as an input into the Control Communications process.
Project Document Updates
The specific types of project documents that may be updated as a result of completing the Manage Communications process are issue logs, stakeholder
registers, project schedules, and budget.
Project Management Plan Updates
The specific part of the project management plan that may be updated as a result of the Manage Communications process is the communications management plan, along with any document affected by the communications
management plan, such as the stakeholder management plan. Additionally, as a result of reporting project performance, parts of the scope management plan, time management plan, and quality management plan may be updated.
Organizational Process Asset Updates
The specific organizational process assets that may be updated as a result of this process include any generic project performance reports, templates, stored
project records, and lessons learned documentation.
Quick Check
1.
What is the main purpose of the Manage Communications process?
2.
What format should be selected, and what content should be included, when reporting project performance?
3.
In the basic communication model, what can happen to an intended communication between sender and receiver?
Quick Check Answers
1.
The main purpose of the Manage Communications process is to gather project information and distribute and store it in accordance with the communications management plan, which will also reflect individual stakeholder communication requirements.
2.
When reporting project performance, your choice of format and content will be directly influenced by the intended audience and their communication needs.
3.
In the basic communication model, a message that is sent can encounter noise in the chosen medium. This noise could be actual audio sound, or it could be any other aspect that impedes, or interferes with, the message being sent.
Control Communications
More Info
Control Communications
You can read more about the Control Communications process in the PMBOK Guide, 5th edition, in Chapter 10, section 10.3. Table 8-4 identifies the process inputs, tools and techniques, and outputs.
Table 8-4.
Control Communications Process
Inputs ➪ | Tools and Techniques ➪ | Outputs |
|---|---|---|
• Project management plan • Project communications • Issue log • Work performance data • Organizational process assets | • Reporting systems • Expert judgment • Meetings | • Work performance information • Change requests • Project management plan updates • Project document updates • Organizational process asset updates |
The Control Communications process is focused on monitoring and controlling project communications to ensure that they are in accordance with the communications management plan and individual stakeholder communication requirements.
The Control Communications process covers the following monitoring and controlling domain tasks
:
- Task 1: Measure project performance using appropriate tools and techniques, in order to identify and quantify any variances and corrective actions.
- Task 5: Review the issue log, and update if necessary, and determine corrective actions by using appropriate tools and techniques, in order to minimize the impact on the project.
- Task 6: Capture, analyze, and manage lessons learned using lessons learned management techniques, in order to enable continuous improvement.
Inputs
The following inputs are used in the Control Communications process.
Project Management Plan
The project management plan
contains information about how each part of the project will be executed, monitored, and closed, and as such it provides a valuable input into any monitoring and controlling process. The specific part of the project management plan that is most useful for the Control Communications process is the communications management plan. The project management plan is an output from the Develop Project Management Plan process, and the communications management plan is an output from the Plan Communications Management process.
Project Communications
Project communications include all forms of communication about project progress, and also any communications that seek to generate political support from stakeholders for the project. As such, project communications
can be in many forms and can contain different amounts and types of information. The most common forms of project communications relate to project performance reports about the most popular project metrics: cost, time, and quality. Project communications are an output from the Manage Communications process.
Issue Log
The issue log is a useful input into the Control Communications process because it documents and describes issues relating to communication. Additionally, the issue log provides information about who is responsible for resolving and monitoring the issue. Therefore, the issue log is useful both as a repository of project issues
and as a communications tool that shows stakeholders that issues are being dealt with. The issue log is an output from the Manage Stakeholder Engagement process.
Work Performance Data
Work performance data
is the raw information gathered about how well the project is doing in relation to cost, time, quality, and any other relevant metrics that are being measured. Work performance data is turned into work performance information in the Control
Communications process, and this work performance information in turn is turned into work performance reports in the Monitor and Control Project Work process. Work performance data is an output from the Direct and Manage Project Work process.
Exam Tip
Remember the sequence that work performance data becomes work performance information, which becomes work performance reports.
Organizational Process Assets
The specific organizational process assets that are of use in the Control Communications process are any templates, policies, and guidelines for
project communications that the organization has.
Tools and Techniques
The following tools and techniques of this process can be used on the separate inputs to deliver the Control Communications process outputs.
Reporting Systems
A
reporting system
is any method
you choose to gather, store, and distribute or disseminate information. Reporting systems can be manual, although they are increasingly electronic and based on software. Reporting systems can be based on text or graphs and pictures. Whatever method you choose, it must be appropriate to the needs of you and your
project team, as well as the stakeholders.
Expert Judgment
The use of expert judgment
in monitoring and controlling communications is a valuable tool, because it makes available to you the experience, wisdom, and skills of groups or individuals on the project team or within the wider group of project stakeholders, or of external consultants or subject matter experts. It is often important to bring in people external to the project who can add a sense of objectivity to how well the communications on the project are being monitored and controlled, and how effective and appropriate they are. This is the real strength in using expert judgment as a tool in this process.
Meetings
The Control Communications process is a monitoring and controlling process and, as such, requires careful attention. One of the better ways of
giving it the attention it deserves is through the use of meetings as a tool, where the project team is able to discuss progress with project communications and make decisions about any improvements. Meetings are a form of communication themselves and so should always be run in an effective way to encourage attendance and involvement.
Outputs
The outputs from the Control Communications process are the following.
Work Performance Information
Work performance information
is work performance data that has been organized and summarized in a way that can be used for work performance reports. Work performance information typically organizes raw data and reports on project status in relation to time and cost progress on the project. Work performance information is used as an input into the Monitor and Control
Project Work process.
Change Requests
As a result of carrying out any monitoring and controlling process, including the Control Communications process, you may come across variations between what you planned to do in the communications management plan and what is actually occurring. You may also have situations in which corrective or preventive actions are required to ensure that you stay on track. The best way to ensure that any variations or preventive or corrective actions are captured is through a change request. Change requests then go on
to be processed according to your approved change-control process in the Perform Integrated Change Control process.
Project Management Plan Updates
As a result of monitoring and controlling project communications, you may choose to update parts of your project management plan to ensure that all of your planning efforts result in good communication and support your communication efforts.
Project Document Updates
The specific project documents that may be updated as a result of the Control Communications process include any issues logs, performance reports, and
other relevant communications documents.
Organizational Process Asset Updates
The specific organizational process assets
that will be updated include any existing templates, guidelines, lessons learned, or historical databases relating to project communications management.
Quick Check
1.
What is the main purpose of the Control Communications process?
2.
Why are reporting systems an important tool or technique in the Control Communications process?
3.
What is the relationship between work performance data, work performance information, and work performance reports?
Quick Check Answers
1.
The main purpose of the Control Communications process is to assess whether project communications are being carried out as per the communications management plan and whether variations or corrective or preventive actions need to be taken to ensure that you stay on track.
2.
Reporting systems are the primary tool used in the Control Communications process because they are the manual or electronic means by which you choose to gather and distribute information about project progress to stakeholders.
3.
Work performance data is the raw data that is refined and becomes work performance information, which in turn is further refined to become work performance reports.
Chapter Summary
- The Communications Management knowledge area is focused on the successful use of project communications to report project performance, gain political support, and provide stakeholders with their communications requirements.
- The Plan Communications Management process produces the communications management plan, which guides the subsequent communications management processes.
- The Manage Communications process, which is an executing process, uses the communications management plan to gather, store, and distribute project information to stakeholders in the most effective way.
- The Control Communications process, which is a monitoring and controlling process, is like other monitoring and controlling processes in that it assesses actual performance against that forecast in the communications management plan and, if variations or corrective or preventive actions are required, raises a change request.
Exercises
The answers for these exercises are located in the “Answers” section at the end of this chapter.
1.
Match up the communication tool on the left with the description on the right.
Communication Tool | Definition |
|---|---|
1. Communications technology
| A. A tool that recognizes that communications can be interactive, push, or pull |
2. Communications requirements analysis | B. A tool that describes how communication moves from sender to receiver through a particular medium |
3. Communications models | C. A tool for gathering and documenting the communication requirements of project stakeholders |
4. Communications methods | D. A tool that decides the particular form of technology to be used to disseminate information |
5. Performance reporting | E. A tool for collecting and disseminating appropriate reporting on project progress to stakeholders |
6. Information management systems
| F. A tool for the management, storage, and distribution of project information in either hard copy or electronic form |
2.
You are the project manager on a project that initially identified seven stakeholders, including yourself. You have since identified an additional six stakeholders. How many extra potential communication channels are there?
Review Questions
Test your knowledge of the information in Chapter 8 by answering these questions. The answers to these questions, and the explanation of why each answer choice is correct or incorrect, are located in the “Answers” section at the end of this chapter.
1.
Which of the following processes produces the communications management plan?
A.
Develop Project Management Plan
B.
Plan Communications Management
C.
Manage Communications
D.
Develop Communications Management Plan
2.
The decision to use a written document to provide project updates is an example of what sort of tool or technique?
A.
Communication technology
B.
Communication models
C.
Expert judgment
D.
Meetings
3.
What is the name of the tool that analyzes the individual communication requirements for each of the stakeholders?
A.
Communication models
B.
Information management systems
C.
Communications requirements analysis
D.
Communications technology
4.
You are managing a project with 17 stakeholders, including yourself. How many potential communication channels are there?
A.
17
B.
136
C.
272
D.
34
5.
You have decided to send a handwritten update to project stakeholders on project progress. Some stakeholders complain that they are unable to read your handwriting. This is an example of what?
A.
Bad handwriting
B.
Noise
C.
Interference
D.
Feedback
6.
You have set up an intranet site for project team members to be able to download project progress updates. This is an example of which method of communication?
A.
Interactive
B.
Push
C.
Pull
D.
Manual
7.
How does the project kick-off meeting act as a means of communication?
A.
The kick-off meeting does not act as a means of communication.
B.
The kick-off meeting signals to the team that enough planning has been completed to begin execution.
C.
The kick-off meeting is completed to start project initiation, and therefore it informs the team that the project is about to start.
D.
The kick-off meeting signals the beginning of project closure and communicates to the team that the job is done.
8.
What is the correct sequence of the following terms?
A.
Work performance report, work performance data, work performance information
B.
Work performance information, work performance data, work performance report
C.
Work performance data, work performance report, work performance information
D.
Work performance data, work performance information, work performance report
9.
If you are engaged in consciously paying attention to body language and trying to understand the communication from a sender, what are you involved in?
A.
Active listening
B.
Effective listening
C.
Providing feedback
D.
Paralingual communication
Answers
This section contains the answers for the Exercises and Review Questions in this chapter.
Exercises
1.
Match up the communication tool on the left with the description on the right.
Communication Tool | Definition |
|---|---|
1. Communications technology
| D. A tool that decides the particular form of technology to be used to disseminate information |
2. Communications requirements analysis | C. A tool for gathering and documenting the communication requirements of project stakeholders |
3. Communications models | B. A tool that describes how communication moves from sender to receiver through a particular medium |
4. Communications methods | A. A tool that recognizes that communications can be interactive, push, or pull |
5. Performance reporting | E. A tool for collecting and disseminating appropriate reporting on project progress to stakeholders |
6. Information management systems
| F. A tool for the management, storage, and distribution of project information in either hard copy or electronic form |
2.
You are the project manager on a project that initially identified seven stakeholders, including yourself. You have since identified an additional six stakeholders. How many extra potential communication channels are there?
This question is asking you what the difference is between 7 stakeholders and 13 stakeholders in relation to the number of potential communication channels. You need to calculate n(n – 1)/2 for each and find the difference. The answer is not simply subtracting 7 from 13 and applying the formula to it—that would give you a very wrong answer, but be aware that on the exam that answer may be one of the options.
For 7 stakeholders, you have 21 communication channels; and for 13 stakeholders, you have 78 communication channels. Therefore, the correct answer is the difference between these two numbers, which is 57 extra potential communication channels
Chapter Review
1.
Correct Answer: B
A.
Incorrect: The Develop Project Management Plan process produces the project management plan.
B.
Correct: The main output from the Plan Communications Management process is the communications management plan.
C.
Incorrect: The Manage Communications process uses the communications management plan to gather, store, and distribute project information and communications.
D.
Incorrect: Develop Communications Management Plan is a made-up process name.
2.
Correct Answer: A
A.
Correct: Any decision you make about the technology used, whether manual or electronic, for the dissemination of project information, is a decision about communication technology.
B.
Incorrect: Communication models explain what might happen between sender and receiver.
C.
Incorrect: Expert judgment is a tool used to assist with monitoring how well communications are going.
D.
Incorrect: Meetings are a tool used to help the project team understand and contribute to effective project communications.
3.
Correct Answer: C
A.
Incorrect: Communications models explain what may happen to communications between sender and receiver.
B.
Incorrect: Information management systems are used to gather and store project information.
C.
Correct: Communications requirements analysis is the technique used to determine individual stakeholder communication requirements.
D.
Incorrect: Communications technology is a technique used to determine what form the communication will take.
4.
Correct Answer: B
A.
Incorrect: This is simply the number of stakeholders, not the number of potential communication channels.
B.
Correct: If you use the formula n(n – 1)/2, you will calculate that there are 136 potential communications channels.
C.
Incorrect: This is the answer you get if you only use the first part of the correct formula.
D.
Incorrect: This is the number of stakeholders multiplied by 2.
5.
Correct Answer: B
A.
Incorrect: In the strictest sense of the word, it is an example of bad handwriting. But according to the basic communications model, it is an example of interference with the message, and that is the definition of noise.
B.
Correct: Any element that can interfere with the message is considered to be noise.
C.
Incorrect: This is not the correct answer because noise creates interference.
D.
Incorrect: Feedback is used by the receiver to send confirmation of the message received back to the sender.
6.
Correct Answer: C
A.
Incorrect: Interactive communication is where more than one person is involved in the communication at the same time.
B.
Incorrect: Push communication involves the sender sending the communication to the receiver.
C.
Correct: This is an example of pull communication, because the receivers download the information at their discretion.
D.
Incorrect: Manual communication refers to forms of communication that are not conducted electronically.
7.
Correct Answer: B
A.
Incorrect: The kick-off meeting does act as a means of communication by communicating to the team that enough planning has been done to begin execution.
B.
Correct: The use of the kick-off meeting as both a functional meeting to discuss execution and as a team morale-building exercise means it is an effective form of communication.
C.
Incorrect: The kick-off meeting is completed after enough planning has been done to begin project execution, not at the beginning of project initiation.
D.
Incorrect: The kick-off meeting does not begin the process of project closure.
8.
Correct Answer: D
A.
Incorrect: Work performance reports come after work performance data and work performance information.
B.
Incorrect: Work performance data comes before work performance information.
C.
Incorrect: Work performance information comes before work performance reports.
D.
Correct: This is the correct order: work performance data, which is the raw data gathered about project performance, in turn is filtered and refined as understandable work performance information, which in turn is selected to be included in work performance reports.
9.
Correct Answer: B
A.
Incorrect: Active listening means the receiver is actively engaged in trying to understand the message from the sender and does not necessarily involve paying attention to things like body language.
B.
Correct: Effective listening takes active listening one step further and has the receiver monitoring nonverbal cues such as body language.
C.
Incorrect: Feedback doesn’t necessarily involve the interpretation of body language.
D.
Incorrect: Paralingual communication involves recognizing and observing vocal but nonverbal communication clues such as expressions, inflections, tone, and volume of voice.