Page 228 - Project+

So, let’s get started with the most important aspect of any project: communications.

Communications Planning

Good communication is the key to project success. Granted, you need a solid plan
including the scope statement, schedule, and budget. But if you aren’t able to

communicate the plan or keep stakeholder expectations in line with the project goals,
you could end up with an unsuccessful project on your hands in spite of having a great
plan.

Good communication involves far more than just setting up distribution lists and
talking with your stakeholders at the watercooler. You need a plan to determine what
gets communicated to whom and when. Communications planning is the process of
identifying what people or groups need to receive information regarding your project,

what information each group needs, and how the information will be distributed. The
communication system should monitor the project status and satisfy the diverse
communication needs of the project’s stakeholders.

The need for good communication starts from the day the project charter is issued and
you are formally named project manager (perhaps even earlier if you’ve been filling the
project manager role informally). As you’ve already seen, the project charter is the first
of many project artifacts that needs to be reviewed with your stakeholders. The scope

statement, project schedule, budget, and final project plan are all documents that
should be discussed, reviewed, and approved by your stakeholders. But the
communication can’t stop with reviews and approvals. They’ll want to know the status
of the schedule and budget, and it will be your job to inform them of potential risk
events, changes, and issues that may impact the project. To do that, you need a plan.

You’ll start by reviewing some of the general principles of exchanging information.

How Much Time?

According to PMI®, project managers should spend as much as 90 percent of
their time communicating.

Exchanging Information

The act of communicating is part of your daily life. Every aspect of your job as a project

manager involves communicating with others. Communication is the process of
exchanging information, which involves these three elements:

Sender The sender is the person responsible for putting the information together in a
clear and concise manner and communicating it to the receiver. The information
should be complete and presented in a way that will allow the receiver to correctly
understand it. Make your messages relevant to the receiver. Junk mail is annoying, and

information that doesn’t pertain to the receiver is nothing more than that.

228