9781932159509 Chapter 10 Communications

Achieve PMP Exam Success PMBOK® Guide: A ConciseStudy Guide for the Busy Project Manager, 3rd Edition

Companionby Margaret Chu, Diane Altwies and Edward Walker

OuterCore Professional Development. (c) 2006. Copying Prohibited.

Reprinted for DINESH PILLAI, [email protected]

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Table of Contents Chapter 10: Communications.........................................................................................................1

COMMUNICATIONS MANAGEMENT...................................................................................1Things to Know................................................................................................................1Key Definitions.................................................................................................................1

COMMUNICATIONS PLANNING PROCESS.......................................................................2Case Study Exercise........................................................................................................2The Communications Channels Formula.........................................................................3Communications Management Plan................................................................................3

INFORMATION DISTRIBUTION PROCESS.........................................................................4The Communications Model............................................................................................4Communication Styles.....................................................................................................5Communication Types.....................................................................................................5Communication Methods.................................................................................................5Barriers to Communication...............................................................................................6

PERFORMANCE REPORTING PROCESS..........................................................................6MANAGE STAKEHOLDERS PROCESS...............................................................................7SAMPLE PMP EXAM QUESTIONS ON COMMUNICATIONS MANAGEMENT..................7

Communications — Planning Questions..........................................................................7CASE STUDY SUGGESTED SOLUTION...........................................................................10

i

Chapter 10: Communications

COMMUNICATIONS MANAGEMENT

Most of the questions in the communications management section of the PMP certification examare taken from the PMBOK Guide. Common sense and your own experience will play a large role inyour ability to answer the questions on this topic. There will be questions on specific PMI terms andconcepts; however, there will also be many general questions that require you to choose the bestanswer. Apply good common sense to answer these.

You will most likely have questions related to formal and informal communication, verbal vs. writtencommunication, conflict resolution and management styles. PMI considers management style to bean essential component of how a project manager communicates.

Things to Know

The 4 processes of communications management:Communications Planning♦

Information Distribution♦

Performance Reporting♦

Manage Stakeholders♦

1.

The Communications Channels Formula2.

What a Communications Management Plan contains3.

The Communications Model4.

Communication Styles5.

Communication Types6.

The different Communication Methods7.

Barriers to Communication8.

What an Issues Log contains9.

Key Definitions

Active Listening: the receiver confirms listening by nodding, eye contact and asking questions forclarification.

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Effective Listening: the receiver attentively watches the sender to observe physical gestures andfacial expressions. In addition, the receiver contemplates responses, asks pertinent questions,repeats or summarizes what the sender has sent and provides feedback.

Feedback: affirming understanding and providing information.

Noise: anything that compromises the original meaning of the message.

Nonverbal Communication: about 55% of all communication, based on what is commonly calledbody language.

Paralingual Communication: optional vocal effects, the tone of voice that may help communicatemeaning.

COMMUNICATIONS PLANNING PROCESSDuring the communications planning process, the communications requirements of the stakeholdersare determined. These stakeholders' informational needs are documented in the communicationsmanagement plan and contain communication requirements such as:

Who needs what information?•

When will they need it?•

How will it be given to them?•

Who will give it to them?•

A Communications Matrix can help identify this information. Note that the organizational structure(functional, matrix or projectized) will influence the information and distribution channels of theproject. There are many formats for communications matrices. No matter what the format, theobjective is to identify who is being communicated to, when communication is needed, howcommunications will be distributed and who is responsible for their delivery.

In analyzing communications, you must also address the types of technologies available to facilitatecommunications and make their transfer more effective.

Case Study Exercise

Exercise 10−1

Use the table below to develop a sample communications matrix for the Lawrence RV GarageProject. Identify the different kinds of communication vehicles, their frequency, who is responsiblefor creating each one and who receives each one.

CommunicationsMatrix

Achieve PMP Exam Success PMBOK® Guide: A Concise Study Guide for the Busy Project Manager, 3rd Edition Companion 2


R = Report progress

P = Prepare Report

A = Attend meeting(* = whenappropriate)

RR = Review Report

The Communications Channels Formula

There is a simple formula to determine the number of communication channels that exist on aproject:

(n[n − 1])/2 where n indicates the number of people

For example, if 5 people work on a project, n = 5, communication channels = 5(4)/2 = 10

With 7 people, n = 7, channels = 7(6)/2 = 21. The number of links has more than doubled with just 2additional team members.

How many channels on a project with 50 people?

Communications Management Plan

The communications management plan is the only output of the communications planning process.It should be created by the project manager and becomes part of the project management plan. Thecommunications management plan must also include the:

Method used to gather and store information•

Reporting relationship•

Distribution schedule•



Performance reporting process•

Close project process•

INFORMATION DISTRIBUTION PROCESSThe information distribution process involves the execution of the communications managementplan by making the identified needed information available to stakeholders. It also involvesresponding to various ad hoc requests for information from stakeholders.

One of the primary and most important roles of the project manager is communication — of projectobjectives, management strategies and the project plan. A project manager's responsibility is tofacilitate understanding, thereby enhancing the team's effectiveness.

Inadequate communication, one−way communication, incomplete messages and unclear messagesare common problems in many projects. Communications skills are both general management andproject management skills necessary for effective exchange of information.

The project manager has a responsibility to:

Know what kind of message to send•

Know how to translate the message•

Build consensus and confidence, NOT compromise•

There are many communication channels utilized by a project manager; these include:

Upward communication to management•

Lateral communication to peers, other functional groups and customers•

Downward communication to subordinates and project office personnel•

ExamTip

90% of the project manager's time is spent communicating (from Kerzner, page 232).

The Communications Model

PMI emphasizes the basic communication model (see the PMBOK Guide Figure 10−3) that consistsof the following components: a sender, a receiver and a medium through which messages are sentand received.

The sender encodes the message, chooses the medium in which to send the message andattaches symbols, gestures or expressions to confirm that the message is understood. The receiverdecodes the message based on background, experience, language and culture. The receiver



should confirm that the message is understood.

Communication Styles

Verma (Human Resource Skills, page 49) notes that languages and culture emphasizecommunication styles differently. People use one (or more) of the following communication styles,partially shaped by their culture and partially shaped by their personal characteristics:

Concrete−Sequential: focuses on tangible tasks listed in a systematic way; not open tochange; "Mr. Fixit"

•

Abstract−Sequential: relies on logical analysis and systematic planning to solve problems;effective team builders; focuses on people and tasks; "organizers"

•

Concrete−Random: relies on people and technology; sees practical use for theories;"entrepreneurial types"

•

Abstract−Random: intuitive; has the "vision thing"; focuses on big picture and long−termview; "brainstormers"

•

Communication Types

Verma (Human Resource Skills, pages 18 to 21) cites 3 major types of communication:

Written Communication: use of representative symbols external to the communicator•

Verbal Communication: use of linguistic and paralinguistic sounds•

Nonverbal Communication: use of gestures, postures and movement for communication•

ExamTip

Email is an informal communication method according to PMI.

Communication Methods

An effective communicator knows which method of communication to choose to obtain results.

Formal Written communication methods should be used for key documents such as projectplans, the project charter, communicating over long distances, complex problems, legaldocuments and long or technical situations to a wide or varied audience.

•

Formal Verbal communication methods such as presentations and speeches should beused when persuading people to accept ideas and products.

•

Informal Written communication methods such as memos, email and notes are used forstatus updates, information updates and day−to−day communication.

•

Informal Verbal communication methods such as meetings, conversations, humor andinquiries are used for small informal groups, team building and day−to−day communication.

•



Barriers to Communication

In addition to the large number of communication links required as the resources increase, otherbarriers also exist to deter effective communication. Some of these barriers are:

Ineffective listening•

Improper encoding of messages•

Improper decoding of messages•

Naysayers•

Hostility•

Language•

Culture•

Language and culture are also the source of problems in communication. Additional material on thistopic is found in Chapter 13 on professional responsibility.

PERFORMANCE REPORTING PROCESSPerformance reporting is a key process in project communications management. This processinvolves collecting and disseminating project information, communicating progress and utilization ofresources and forecasting future progress and status. The work results of other processes areanalyzed and combined into performance reports. These performance reports should include:

Performance and status reports•

Trend and forecasting reports•

Change requests and recommendations•

Process updates•

Risk monitoring and control outcomes•

The methods for reporting project performance were discussed in the information distributionprocess section.

Earned value techniques are very helpful in providing answers to common time and costperformance questions such as:



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Where are we in the project schedule?•

What is the percentage of completion?•

What is the estimated time to complete the project?•

Are we ahead or behind schedule and why?•

What are actual expenditures to date?•

What are the committed expenditures?•

What are the estimated remaining costs?•

Are we under budget or over budget and why?•

MANAGE STAKEHOLDERS PROCESSManaging stakeholders' communications, expectations and requirements are addressed in thisprocess. It uses various methods to communicate effectively, such as frequent and regularmeetings, developing and tracking issues via an issues log and resolving conflict.

Face−to−face meetings should be used as much as possible in the manage stakeholders process.When stakeholders' presence is virtual, other means such as phone calls, mail, teleconferencing,web meetings and other electronic tools must be used extensively to ensure effectivecommunications. The communications management plan should contain the information exchangetechnology to be used and stakeholders should have the skills and resources to use thesetechnologies effectively.

Issues Logs are a key tool in communicating about and monitoring a project. An issues log shouldcontain the owner assigned to resolve the issue and the target date for the resolution of the issue.An Action Item Log is the same as an issues log when it is used as a control document of issueowner's resolution. The log of resolved issues together with the solution to the issue becomeprimary outputs of this process. Any approved change requests, corrective actions, updates to theproject management plan and the organizational process assets (including the lessons learned) arealso outputs of this process.

SAMPLE PMP EXAM QUESTIONS ON COMMUNICATIONSMANAGEMENTCommunications — Planning Questions

1. _____is not a project communications management process.

Manage stakeholdersa.

Performance reportingb.



Information distributionc.

Conflict resolutiond.

Communications — Executing Questions2. A project status report is an example of which form of communication?

Formal written communicationa.

Formal verbal communicationb.

Informal written communicationc.

Informal verbal communicationd.

3. When is formal written correspondence with the customer required?

When defects are detecteda.

When the customer requests additional work not covered under the contractb.

When the project has a schedule slippagec.

When the project has cost overrunsd.

4. The 3 major types of communication are:

Written, verbal and nonverbala.

Upward, downward and lateralb.

Written, verbal and graphicc.

Written, verbal and electronicd.

Communications — Monitoring and Controlling Questions5. All of the following are true about earned value techniques except:

They allow for an assessment of project performancea.

They can be done at any level, work element, summary or projectb.

They are techniques to measure performance against the project planc.



They should only be done on high−value government projectsd.

6. Outputs from performance reporting include all of the following except?

Trend analysisa.

Forecastsb.

Performance reportsc.

Change requestsd.

7. You are a new project manager assigned to a troubled project that is 20% into theplanning phase. What is the first thing you should do?

Hold a status meeting to assess project statusa.

Stop all tasks until a new approved project charter is establishedb.

Review the project charter and supporting documents, including the current teamstatus reports

c.

Close the project; it has no chance of succeedingd.

Answers

1. Section numbers refer to the PMBOK Guide. D Planning Section 10 CommunicationsManagement

Communicating is a general management skill that includes conflict management.2. A Executing Section 10.2.2.1 Information Distribution3. B Executing Section 10.2 Information Distribution

This is an example of a question in which all the answers are correct. The exam taker hasto choose the best answer based on experience and common sense.

4. A Executing, see Verma, pages 18 to 215. D Monitoring and Controlling Section 10.3 Performance Reporting

All the other answers are true. Earned value techniques are used to integrate theprocesses of time, cost and communication and to measure the performance of theproject.

6. A Monitoring and Controlling Section 10.3.3 Performance Reporting

Trend analysis is a tool, not an output.7. C Monitoring and Controlling

Although there is nothing in the PMBOK Guide specifically addressing this issue, this is agood example of the situational question that requires that you understand the purpose



and value of a project charter and regular performance reporting.

CASE STUDY SUGGESTED SOLUTIONExercise 10−1: Communications Matrix for the Lawrence RV Garage Project

Communications Matrix

ReportProgressWeekly

WeeklyStatus

Meeting

WeeklyEarnedValue

Reports

PhaseReviewMeeting

Phase−endEarnedValue

Reports

FinalProject

EVReports

Final ProjectAcceptance

LessonsLearnedReport

Owner A RR A RR RR A RRArchitect A RR A RR RR A RRGeneralcontractor

R A P A P P A P

Siteexcavationcrew

R A[*]

Concretecrew

R A[*]

Framingcrew

R A[*]

Drywallcrew

R A[*]

Paintingcrew

R A[*]

Finishcarpentrycrew

R A[*]

Electriccontractor

R A[*] RR A[*] RR RR RR

Plumbingcontractor


Roofingcontractor


Insulationcontractor


Heatingand ACcontractor


Lath &Plastercontractor


Inspector A[*]

Electriccompany

A[*]

R = Report progress

P = Prepare Report

A = Attend meeting



RR = Review Report[*]= when appropriate



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9781932159509 Chapter 10 Communications