Communication

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Communication

• Kathy S. Schwaig

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Objectives

• To understand Project Communications Management
• Meeting project communication needs
• Uncovering the reasons for ineffectiveness
• Matching communication styles and media
• Gaining access for communication
• Ensuring efficiency and confirming appreciation

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Project Communications Management

• Goal to ensure timely and appropriate
  generation, collection, dissemination, storage,
  and disposition of project information.

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Project Communications Process

• Communications Planning
• Determine the information and communication needs
  of stakeholders
• Information Distribution
• Involves making needed information available to
  project stakeholders in a timely manner
• Performance Reporting
• Collecting and disseminating performance
  information, including status reports, progress
  measurement, and forecasting
• Administrative Closure
• Generating, gathering, and disseminating
  information to formalize phase or project
  completion

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1. Communications Planning(A Plan)

• A description of a collection and filing
  structure for gathering and storing various types
  of information.
• A distribution structure describing what
  information flows to whom, when, and how
• Format for communicating key project information
• A production schedule for producing the
  information.
• Access methods for obtaining the information
• Method for updating the communications management
  plans as the project progresses and develops
• Stakeholder communications analysis

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Sample Stakeholder Analysis
Stakeholders Document Name Document Format Contact Due
Customer MGT Monthly Status Rpt Hard copy Gail, Tony First of Month
Customer Bus. Staff Monthly Status Rpt Hard copy Julie, Jeff First of Month
Customer Tech. Staff Monthly Status Rpt E-mail Evan, Nancy First of Month
Internal Mgt Monthly Status Rpt Hard copy Bob First of Month
Internal Bus. And Tech. Staff Monthly Status Rpt Intranet Angie First of Month
Training Subcontractor Training Plan Hard copy John Nov 1, 2002
Software Subcontractor Software Implementation Plan E-mail Barbara June 1, 2002
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2. Information Distribution

• Getting project information to the right people
  at the right time and in a useful format.

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Formal and Informal Methods

• Formal Project Communication
• Meetings
• Status Reports
• Change Orders
• Conference Calls
• Project Scope (or project map)
• Control Reports
• Test Results
• Problem detections and notification
• Problem Solving
• Informal Project Communication?

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3. Performance Reporting

• Goal Keep stakeholders informed about how
  resources are being used to achieve project
  objectives
• Status Report where a project stands at a
  specific point in time with respect to the triple
  constraint.
• Progress Report what the team has accomplished
  within a certain period of time
• Project Forecasting predicts future project
  status and progress based on past information and
  trends.

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4. Administrative Closure

• Project Archives a complete set of organized
  project records that provide an accurate history
  of the project
• Formal acceptance documentation that the
  projects sponsor or customer signs to show they
  have accepted the products of the project.
• Lessons learned reflective statement written by
  project manager and team members

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Challenges to Communication Nature of the
Project Team

• Project team members often come from diverse
  departments and are unfamiliar with each other
• Projects are made up of highly specialized people
  who may prefer to interact only with those of
  their specialty
• Project team members understand less about the
  intricate interdependencies of the tasks required
  than the project manager
• Project managers are responsible for soliciting
  input from team members who are reluctant to
  communicate, and therefore project managers must
  be superior communicators themselves.

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Project Managers Role

• Motivate team members to communicate regularly
• Encourage or train team members to communicate
  well

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Matching Communication Styles

• Communication information is exchanged between
  individuals through a common system
• People tend to send out messages in the manner
  they take in information best
• Some avoid certain media altogether even when
  doing so may create a problem for them

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Readers

• Advantages
• Ability to explain complex ideas or numerical
  data and keep it available for referral
• Documents provide a record for communication
• Things in print seem to have enhanced credibility

• Disadvantages
• Without nonverbal cues, possibility exists for
  misunderstanding. Requires greater attention to
  word choice, grammar, and punctuation.
• An error in print could be taken as fact and
  legally binding
• Follow-up may be required to ensure communication

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Listeners

• Advantages
• Quick feedback and response during real-time
  communication
• Sender can adapt message if he/she perceives it
  is not being received correctly

• Disadvantages
• Risk of error, of not hearing you right or
  forgetting important facts
• Most people are not efficient listeners and are
  influenced by biases in some way or another

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Exchangers

• Advantages
• Both parties to the communication are actively
  involved
• Feedback is automatic
• Often many relevant issues emerge during exchange.

• Disadvantages
• Conversation may drift off-target unless sender
  is skillful in keeping on track
• Process constantly, may step on ends of sentences
  of others
• Must have some kind of exchange
• Conversations often arent documented

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Movers

• Advantages
• Think well on their feet or on the run, and
  process quickly and generate ideas rapidly
• Get through to movers by joining them for a walk
  around the plant or communicating during some
  sort of physical activity.

• Disadvantages
• May not sit still at meetings, might get out of
  seat frequently, which distracts others.
• Will not process as efficiently if required to
  sit still while information is being distributed
  may pace or fidget when doing presentation, which
  will distract listeners.

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Manipulators

• Advantages
• Generally easily comprehend an idea if allowed to
  manipulate equipment or to work through an
  operation rather than just watch.
• When abstract concept is involved, an activity or
  object to reinforce concept will ensure
  successful communication.

• Disadvantages
• If they cannot physically be involved in the
  procedure in some way, they will not retain the
  ideas as well

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Viewers

• Advantages
• Pictures can substitute for words or can enhance
  meaning for viewers
• Might feel like your ideas make more sense if
  you have represented them graphically and another
  presenter has not.

• Disadvantages
• Difficult to accomplish goals with words with
  viewers. Viewers will likely assign more
  importance to drawings and charts than to words.

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Meeting Channel Preferences
Readers Listeners Viewers
Memos Phone Movies
Letters Conversation Multimedia
Articles Music Charts
Proposals Meetings Graphs
Email Videoconferencing Line Drawings
Photographs

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Understanding the Communication Process
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Senders Idea
Receivers Idea
Communication
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Elements of the Message Sent

• Purpose
• Motivation for the communication
• Body Language
• Nonverbal communication
• Proxemics
• The physical distance between people during an
  exchange
• Inflection
• Any change in loudness or pitch in a persons
  voice

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Elements Affecting the Message Received

• Listening
• hearing something with thoughtful attention
• Bias
• Inclination to think good or bad thoughts based
  on prior attitudes or experiences
• Connotations
• Value placed on certain words implication
• Appreciation
• Understanding message sent and believing it has
  value and merit

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Reasons for Ineffectiveness

• Chasms
• The physical distance between you and the person
  with whom you are communicating
• Barriers
• Anything that gets in the way of communication
• Noise
• Anything that muddles the message being
  communicated

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Gaining Access for Communication

• Clues to Accessibility
• Electronic Access Alternatives
• Personal Time Accessibility

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Need for Control versus Need to Communicate
Cell Phone
Pager
High
Need to Communicate
Calendar
Low
Low
High
Need to Control
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Ensuring Appreciation

• Common Experience
• Communication Skill
• Constructive Attitude
• Reasonable, problem-solving approaches
• Concern for mutual agreement, no one-sided
  dominant solutions
• Constant pursuit of understanding
• Acceptance of responsibility for success of
  communication
• Interactive Processing

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Ensuring Appreciation

• Interactive Processing
• Model excellent communication patterns themselves
• Affirm superior communication skill in employees
• Value clear, open communication (good news/bad
  news)
• Persist in encouraging skill improvement through
  training or coaching
• Remove as many communication barriers as possible
• Provide person-to-person, electronic, and other
  formalize platforms to encourage frequent and
  candid communication
• Provide ample opportunities for informal idea
  exchange to foster cooperation.