Project Communications and HR Management

1
Project Communications andHR Management

• Unit 10
• Stakeholder Management

2
Agenda

• Communications Management overview
• Manage Stakeholders
• The Project Sponsor
• The New Role of the Executive

3
CommunicationsManagement Overview
Planning Processes
Initiating Processes

• Communications Planning
• Information Distribution
• Performance reporting
• Manage Stakeholders

Executing Processes
Controlling Processes
Closing Processes
4
Manage Stakeholders Process
Inputs
Tools Tech.
Outputs
1. Communications management plan 2.
Organizational process assets
1. Communications methods 2. Issues logs
1. Resolved issues 2. Approved change
requests 3. Approved corrective actions 4.
Organizational process assets updates
Source PMBOK 2004 Page 235
5
Project Stakeholders
Project Stakeholders
Project Sponsor
Project Team
Project Management Team
Project Manager
Project
Positive/Negative
Source PMBOK 2004 Page 25/26
6
Manage Stakeholders Tools Techniques

• Communications Methods
• Identified in the communications plan for each
  stakeholder
• Face to face meetings
• Are the effective means for communicating and
  resolving issues
• Critical at
• Initiation
• Plan signoff
• When not possible
• videoconferencing, web conferences and other
  tools should be used

• Key milestones
• Close out

7
Manage Stakeholders Tools Techniques

• Issue Logs
• Tool to document and monitor resolution
• Do not usually arise to become a project or
  activity
• Resolution required to maintain good
  relationships among stakeholders (including team
  members)
• Unresolved issues can be a source of conflict,
  project delays and cost overruns
• Realized risks become issues
• Significant issues can be prevented through risk
  management

8
Manage Stakeholders - Outputs

• Resolved Issues - through specific action items
• Approved change requests
• Approved corrective actions - to bring expected
  project future performance in line with the plan
• Organizational process assets updates
• Lessons learned include causes of issues and
  reasoning behind corrective action
• A lesson learned in one project through an issue
  can help another project to identify a potential
  risk or document an assumption
• Updates to project plan (Communications Plan)

9
The Project Sponsor

• A key stakeholder
• Part of the project team
• Usually from the executive level
• Key responsibility is to maintain
  executive-client contact
• Ensures the correct information from the
  contractors organization is reaching executives
  in the customer organization, with no filtering
  from the contractor to the customer

Source Kerzner
10
The Project Sponsor

• The sponsor usually transmits cost and
  deliverables information
• The PM usually communicates schedule and
  performance status

Source Kerzner
11
The Project Sponsor

• Also provides guidance on
• Objective setting
• Project organizational structure
• Project policies and procedures
• Project master planning
• Up-front planning
• Key staffing
• Monitoring execution
• Conflict resolution

Source Kerzner
12
The Project Sponsor - Role

• Changes through the project management life
  cycle
• Critical during Initiation, to set objectives,
  direction and priorities
• During planning, the PM negotiates constraints
  with the sponsor to find a viable and executable
  project
• During execution more passive and should be
  selective in which problems he/she should help
  resolve

Source Kerzner
13
Class Discussion

• Share examples of
• Key Lesson Learned in dealing with Project
  Sponsors
• A Project Sponsor has helped you overcome an
  obstacle
• The most effective Project Sponsor you have
  worked with and what they did differently from
  others

14
The Project Sponsor - Assignment

• Only projects that require integration and have
  potential for conflict between functional lines
  require sponsor

Source Kerzner
15
The New Role of the Executive

• Establish a Center of Excellence for Project
  Management
• Establish a project office or PMO
• Creating a project management career path
• Creating a mentorship program for newly appointed
  project managers
• Create an organization committed to benchmarking
  of best practices
• Providing strategic information for risk
  management

Source Kerzner
16
Next Week

• Unit 11 Effective Personal Communications
• Reading
• Text Chapter 5.13, 5.16