PMP Exam Quiz 02

Project Communications Management includes the processes that are required to ensure timely and appropriate planning, collection, creation, distribution, storage, retrieval, management, control, monitoring, and the ultimate disposition of project information. Project managers spend most of their time communicating with team members and other project stakeholders, whether they are internal (at all organizational levels) or external to the organization.

Project Communications Management processes are as follows:
1. Plan Communications Management
2. Manage Communications
3. Control Communications

The communication activities involved in these processes may often have many potential dimensions that need to be considered, including:
• Internal and external
• Formal and informal
• Vertical and horizontal
• Official and unofficial
• Written and oral, and verbal and nonverbal

Plan Communications Management is the process of developing an appropriate approach and plan for project communications based on stakeholder’s information needs and requirements, and available organizational assets. The key benefit of this process is that it identifies and documents the approach to communicate most effectively and efficiently with stakeholders.

Plan Communications Management is the process of developing an appropriate approach and plan for project communications based on stakeholder’s information needs and requirements, and available organizational assets. The key benefit of this process is that it identifies and documents the approach to communicate most effectively and efficiently with stakeholders. Planning the project communications is important to the ultimate success of any project. Inadequate communications planning may lead to problems such as delay in message delivery, communication of information to the wrong audience, or insufficient communication to the stakeholders and misunderstanding or misinterpretation of the message communicated.

Plan Communications Management: Inputs
1. Project Management Plan
2. Stakeholder Register
3. Enterprise Environmental Factors
4. Organizational Process Assets

Plan Communications Management: Tools and Techniques
1. Communication Requirements Analysis
2. Communication Technology
3. Communication Models
4. Communication Methods
5. Meetings

Communication Requirements Analysis
The analysis of the communication requirements determines the information needs of the project stakeholders. These requirements are defined by combining the type and format of information needed with an analysis of the value of that information.

Communication Requirements Analysis
The analysis of the communication requirements determines the information needs of the project stakeholders. These requirements are defined by combining the type and format of information needed with an analysis of the value of that information. Project resources should be expended only on communicating information that contributes to the success of the project or where a lack of communication can lead to failure. The project manager should also consider the number of potential communication channels or paths as an indicator of the complexity of a project’s communications.

Factors that can affect the choice of communication technology include:
• Urgency of the need for information
• Availability of technology
• Ease of Use
• Project environment
• Sensitivity and confidentiality of the information

As part of the communications process, the sender is responsible for the transmission of the message, ensuring the information being communicated is clear and complete, and confirming the communication is correctly understood. The receiver is responsible for ensuring that the information is received in its entirety, understood correctly, and acknowledged or responded to appropriately.

The sequence of steps in a basic communication model is:
• Encode
• Transmit Message
• Decode
• Acknowledge
• Feedback/Response

Communication Methods
There are several communication methods that are used to share information among project stakeholders. These methods are broadly classified as follows:
• Interactive communication
• Push communication
• Pull communication

Interactive communication.
Between two or more parties performing a multi-directional exchange of information. It is the most efficient way to ensure a common understanding by all participants on specified topics, and includes meetings, phone calls, instant messaging, video conferencing, etc.

Pull communication.
Used for very large volumes of information, or for very large audiences, and requires the recipients to access the communication content at their own discretion. These methods include intranet sites, e-learning, lessons learned databases, knowledge repositories, etc.

Push communication.
Sent to specific recipients who need to receive the information. This ensures that the information is distributed but does not ensure that it actually reached or was understood by the intended audience. Push communications include letters, memos, reports, emails, faxes, voice mails, blogs, press releases, etc.

Manage Communications is the process of creating, collecting, distributing, storing, retrieving, and the ultimate disposition of project information in accordance to the communications management plan. The key benefit of this process is that it enables an efficient and effective communications flow between project stakeholders.

Manage Communications is the process of creating, collecting, distributing, storing, retrieving, and the ultimate disposition of project information in accordance to the communications management plan. The key benefit of this process is that it enables an efficient and effective communications flow between project stakeholders. This process goes beyond the distribution of relevant information and seeks to ensure that the information being communicated to project stakeholders has been appropriately generated, as well as received and understood. It also provides opportunities for stakeholders to make requests for further information, clarification, and discussion.

Techniques and considerations for effective communications management include the following:
• Sender-receiver models
• Choice of media
• Writing style
• Meeting management techniques
• Presentation techniques
• Facilitation techniques
• Listening techniques

Manage Communications: Inputs
1. Communications Management Plan
2. Work Performance Reports
3. Enterprise Environmental Factors
4. Organizational Process Assets

Specific enterprise environmental factors that can influence the Manage Communications process include:
• Organizational culture and structure
• Government or industry standards and regulations
• Project management information system

Manage Communications: Tools and Techniques
1. Communication Technology
2. Communication Models
3. Communication Methods
4. Information Management Systems
5. Performance Reporting

Performance reporting is the act of collecting and distributing performance information, including status reports, progress measurements, and forecasts. Performance reporting involves the periodic collection and analysis of baseline versus actual data to understand and communicate the project progress and performance as well as to forecast the project results.

Performance reporting is the act of collecting and distributing performance information, including status reports, progress measurements, and forecasts. Performance reporting involves the periodic collection and analysis of baseline versus actual data to understand and communicate the project progress and performance as well as to forecast the project results. Performance reporting needs to provide information at an appropriate level for each audience.

Manage Communications: Outputs
1. Project Communications
2. Project Management Plan Updates
3. Project Documents Updates
4. Organizational Process Assets Updates

Control Communications is the process of monitoring and controlling communications throughout the entire project life cycle to ensure the information needs of the project stakeholders are met. The key benefit of this process is that it ensures an optimal information flow among all communication participants, at any moment in time.

Control Communications is the process of monitoring and controlling communications throughout the entire project life cycle to ensure the information needs of the project stakeholders are met. The key benefit of this process is that it ensures an optimal information flow among all communication participants, at any moment in time. The Control Communications process can trigger an iteration of the Plan Communications Management and/or Manage Communications processes. Specific communication elements, such as issues or key performance indicators (e.g., actual vs. planned schedule, cost, and quality), may trigger an immediate revision, while others may not. The impact and repercussions of project communications should be carefully evaluated and controlled to ensure that the right message is delivered to the right audience at the right time.

Control Communications: Inputs
1. Project Management Plan
2. Project Communications
3. Issue Log
4. Work Performance Data
5. Organizational Process Assets

Project communications come from multiple sources and may vary significantly in their format, level of detail, degree of formality and confidentiality. Project communications may include:
• Deliverables status,
• Schedule progress, and
• Costs incurred.

Control Communications: Outputs
1. Work Performance Information
2. Change Requests
3. Project Management Plan Updates
4. Project Documents Updates
5. Organizational Process Assets Updates