Communication Management Tutorial | Know more about Plans & Process

Communication management:

Communication management during a project state of affairs is that the most vital facet, that aims at making certain that “right info reaches the proper neutral at the proper time within the right manner” in order that effective and economical exchange of knowledge takes place, leading to bigger collaboration between all stakeholders.The success of a project depends on impartial participation and cooperation.PMBOK states that “Communication management covers the activities required to ensure timely and appropriate creation, collection, dissemination, storage, retrieval, and ultimate disposal of project information.” Transmission of causality information from one entity to another may include a two-way process, facilitated via communication. More than 90% of a project manager’s time is devoted to communicating with stakeholders.The project manager and team members, by extension, need to have excellent communication and social skills in order to effectively handle the flow of information. These abilities may help both parties in a conversation understand each other completely. Here are some examples of necessary communication and social skills:

• Written communication ability
• Verbal communication ability
• Non-verbal communication skills
• Listening skills
• Empathy for the stakeholders
• Questioning and searching skills
• Influencing ability
• Interpersonal skills (Conflict management)
• Political and social skills

In addition to having the on top of skills, we have a tendency to conjointly have to be compelled to adopt a structured approach for managing communication. According to the Project Management Body of Knowledge, sixth edition, the following three procedures make up project communication management.Communications management in project management outlines the processes and procedures required to make sure that info and information throughout the lifetime of a project area unit properly collected, stored, and distributed across the project team.

Communications management method:

There are a unit three primary steps within the communications management process:

• Plan communications
• Manage communications
• Control communications

Plan communications:

It is initial necessary to develop a communication management set up or approach. Knowing the information needs of each uncharged or uncharged cluster is part of this. Conjointly understanding every neutral or neutral groups’ communication preferences like language, medium, technology, frequency, format if any for every info exchange. throughout communication coming up with, the team conjointly develops a method for info exchange victimization totally different communication ways like “interactive, push and pull” ways. A communication strategy that takes into account each neutral’s unique social and cultural background has also been prepared.You can begin managing your project’s communication strategy by making a communications management set up. The communications management set up must document communications necessities throughout the lifetime of a project. a number of these necessities include:

Cadence: however, ofttimes are a unit updates planning to be sent out?

Audience: WHO can project communications be sent out to? Is there a special cluster for various kinds of communications?

Purpose: can progress reports be sent out at every milestone? can modification requests be shared with all stakeholders?

Channel: What channels are used for communication?

The communications management set up ought to embrace the maximum amount detail as potential in order that there are unit clear expectations set and every one stakeholders area unit on identical page.

Manage communications?

Communication starts happening throughout the project by following the communication management set up. the specified info is collected, created, distributed, and hold on for future reference throughout the project life cycle fulfilling the knowledge desires of all stakeholders. Here the project manager and therefore the team members answerable for communication use their communication skills.Now that each one stakeholders have united on the communications management set up, the project manager must make sure that project communications follow those pointers. The communications set up ought to be seen as a living document throughout the life cycle of a project, however any changes ought to be communicated to the project team.

Communication Tools:

• While communication starts within the project, it’s conjointly necessary to stay making certain that the knowledge desires of all stakeholder’s area unit met. Any problems with stakeholders touching on communication and their info desires area unit self-addressed by adjusting the communication set up. this is often conjointly associate on-going parallel method that runs throughout the project life cycle.
• Not all stakeholders realize relevancy in each project detail. owing to this, solely embrace stakeholders on communications once necessary. produce sub-groups of stakeholders to choose what kinds of communications they have to receive. These embrace project standing, project performance, risks, costs, and others. Being effective in dominant communication streamlines project management and saves project leaders and team members from obtaining inapplicable updates and emails.

Communication Tools:

Part of the communications management set up is to outline that channels are used for varied kinds of messages. Here are a unit some useful tools to facilitate these communications:

Instant electronic messaging:

While it’s one among a lot of informal electronic messaging channels, instant electronic messaging provides an efficient, period approach of act with the project team. If you’re wanting to urge immediate feedback, these tools may be effective.One of the downsides to victimization instant electronic messaging is that the conversations happen during a vacuum. it’s up to the project manager to {make sure|to confirm} that any relevant details from these conversations make its approach into the first system of record for the project.

Instant electronic messaging options:

• Slack
• Google Meet
• Jabber
• Spark
• Adium
• Microsoft groups
• Email
• Unlike instant electronic messaging, email is an efficient channel for a lot of formal project updates being sent bent multiple stakeholders. Progress reports, performance updates, and alter updates area unit samples of messages historically sent through email.

Planned Approaches to Project Communication:

Project managers have to be compelled to clearly define however they’re going to manage communications across their comes. this can be done by making a project communication management arrangement.When making an inspiration, project managers ought to follow these 5 steps:

Decide your objectives: what’s going to be the aim of your communication? you will use some communication tools for awareness, like a standing report. Others might need action, like requiring a sponsor to authorize defrayment or a client to approve project testing.

Determine your audience: UN agency area unit the stakeholders during this project? you must build an in depth list of everybody concerned. contemplate anyone compact by the project or UN agency influences its success. This list ought to embody team members, sponsors, customers, and alternative interested parties.

Write your message: what’s going to the message be for every sort of communication? this can be the particular content which will be shared. Key parts to be communicated embody scope, schedule, budget, objectives, risks, and deliverables.

Choose your channel: however, can the message be delivered? can or not it’s a proper report emailed bent all stakeholders? Or can or not it’s a casual verbal question throughout a team meeting?

Set a timeline: once can you deliver your message? Do your stakeholders need weekly or monthly reports? Is there a point in time to meet? contemplate varied time zones and worker schedules here.

Your project communication management arrange ought to be elaborate enough to get out why your causation a message, UN agency your causation it to, what specific info are sent, however you’re getting to send it, and when.Involving your stakeholders within the creation of this arrange is vital. you wish to grasp their communication preferences and expectations. If you over-communicate, they will stop listening. But, if you under-communicate, it will cause misunderstandings and problems.The golden rule here is that, to be an honest somebody, you wish to be an honest auditor. it should appear obvious; however, Harvard Business Review points out that listening is associate degree unnoted leadership tool. concentrate to any or all the factors and take each opinion into consideration before making your project communication management arrange.

Manage project communication:

Once the project communication management arrange has been created and approved, it’s the project manager’s job to make sure it’s disbursed with success. this implies the arrange has to be reviewed and updated on an everyday basis to replicate any changes to the project or its stakeholders.The project manager additionally needs to manage the execution of the project communication management arrange. This includes:

• Collection and analysis of knowledge
• Creation of messages for communication
• Transmission or distribution of communications
• Storage of any communication reports, files, or document
• Retrieval of any hold on communications
• Disposal of unspecified communications upon project closure or a collection date

Monitor project communication

This method wont to be known as ‘control communications,’ however was updated within the sixth edition of the PMBOK. Despite the title amendment, the method is that the same. It involves observation and dominant project communications throughout the whole lifecycle.This may embrace the confirmation of the following:

• Communications went out as planned
• They were received by the correct stakeholders
• Messages were understood
• Any relevant feedback was provided to the suitable project members
• The actual variety of observation, as well as technique and frequency, ought to be a section of the project communication management arrange.

How to achieve success at project communication management:

Excellent communication may be a vital part of project success. In fact, poor communication is one in every of the most reasons a project will fail. Project communication management ensures that doesn’t happen.Successful project managers use formal and informal communication strategies across numerous channels. This helps increase the possibilities that messages ar received. Use easy language, persist with relevant topics, keep messages elliptical, and embrace all info in one place to cut back your possibilities of communication failure.

The following communication management skills also can increase a project manager’s possibilities of success:

• Strong active listening skills
• Proficient writing skills
• Excellent speaking ability
• Asking queries and looking for a lot of info
• Setting and managing expectations
• Motivating individuals to become and keep engaged
• Conflict resolution skills
• The ability to summarize and recap what you’ve detected

Conclusion:

Communication management is analogous to the central system that ensures that the proper info reaches the proper neutral at exactly the proper time within the right format. The project manager is entirely answerable for making certain project communication. In fact, communication management is that the major mechanism within the hands of the project manager that helps in obtaining all the project work worn out the proper manner. whereas communication skills area unit extraordinarily necessary, it’s conjointly equally necessary to manage the knowledge flow during a systematic and planned manner.