Project Communications

  1. Communications has many dimensions. Name the 6 discussed in class.
    • Internal and External
    • Formal and Informal
    • Vertical and Horizontal
    • Official and Unofficial
    • Written and Oral
    • Verbal and Non-verbal
  2. Project managers spend what percent of time communicating with team members and other stakeholders?
    90%
  3. Studies suggest ____________ is the #1 problem a project manager has.
    Communication
  4. Communications must be what 3 things?
    • Planned
    • Managed
    • Controlled
  5. Explain Effective Communication.
    Information is provided in the right format, at the right time, to the right audience, and with the right impact.
  6. Explain Efficient Communication.
    Providing only the information that is needed.
  7. When should Communications Planning be done?
    Very early, so that time and budget can be allocated.
  8. Name the 7 points of a Communications Management Plan.
    • To whom? (stakeholder analysis)
    • What info? (message)
    • Source of info? (sender)
    • What method? (stakeholder preference)
    • When? (frequency)
    • Other considerations (time zones, language differences, etc...)
    • Guidelines for escalation, templates, etc...
  9. With consideration to the impact of team size on communications, what is the formula for calculating the number of communications in a team?
    [N(N-1)]/2
  10. Explain and give an example of Interactive, Push, and Pull communication.
    • Interactive: Between two or more parties. Exchange of information. Ensures a common understanding by all participants.
    • -Verbal exchange, or dialogue between people.

    • Push communications: Sent to specific recipients who need to know the information. Info is distributed, but not necessarily received or understood.
    • -E-mail

    • Pull communications: Used for very large volumes of information or for a very large audience. Recipients access the communication content at own discretion.
    • -Online help resources, or job postings
  11. Give an example of a formal written communication method.
    Project charter, project management plan, reports, complex problems
  12. Give an example of a formal verbal communication method.
    Presentations, speeches, briefings
  13. Give an example of an informal written communication method.
    Memos, e-mails, notes
  14. Give an example of an informal verbal communication method.
    Meetings, conversations, ad hoc discussions
  15. What is the 5 step communication model?
    • Encode
    • Transmit message
    • Decode
    • Acknowledge
    • Feedback/Response
  16. In communications, what does the "medium" refer to?
    The mode of communication.
  17. In communications, what does the "noise" refer to?
    Any interference or barriers (to communication).
  18. What are the Meeting Tips for Success?
    • Determine if a meeting can be avoided.
    • Define the purpose and intended outcome of each meeting.
    • Determine who should attend.
    • Schedule recurring meetings in advance.
    • Meet the team regularly but not too often.
    • Distribute an agenda beforehand.
    • Let people know responsibilities in advance.
    • Prepare handouts & visual aids and make any arrangements ahead of time.
    • Set the ground rules for the meeting.
    • Run the meeting professionally.
    • Assign deliverables and time limits for all work that results from meetings.
  19. What does a Communications Management Plan have?
    Documents how project communications will be planned, structured, monitored and controlled.
  20. What is "Control Communications"?
    The process of monitoring and controlling communications throughout the entire project to ensure the information needs of the project stakeholders are met.
  21. Can the project manager control all communications?
    No, but they should try to control as much as they can.
  22. What is an issue log/what purpose does it serve?
    • Communicates issues to concerned parties by documenting and monitoring the resolution of issues.
    • Can be used to facilitate communication and ensure a common understanding of issues.
    • A repository for what has already happened in the project and a platform for subsequent communications
  23. Why might expert judgment be needed?
    • Impact of project communications
    • Need for action
    • Actions that should be taken
    • Responsibility for taking such actions
    • Timeframe for taking action
  24. What are change requests?
    • Controlling communications may result in the need for adjustment, action and intervention.
    • Therefore, change requests will be generated as an output.
  25. What are some elements of a Lessons Learned document?
    • What worked well?
    • What can be improved?
    • What would be done differently if the project could be redone?
  26. What is the role of Lessons Learned?
    • Lessons learned from similar projects are collected and reviewed before starting work on a project.
    • Don’t make the same mistakes or face the same problems others have
    • Benefit from the experience of others
    • Your project will add lessons learned to the company database.
Author
Holdenjohnson32
ID
313069
Card Set
Project Communications
Description
HR
Updated