Project Communication Management Dr Thanasis Spyridakos Overview Introduction Course Overview and Objectives Project Communication Management: Communication Planning, Information Distribution, Performance Reporting, Administrative Closure Management Communication in Transition Course Description Understand and develop the oral and written communication skills Learn how and develop and implement a detailed project communication plan for all the Phases Acquire knowledge concerning the appropriate methods, techniques and practices used for project communication taking into consideration the characteristics of every project. Goals Create and execute a project communication plan Use appropriate information resources Articulate Cleary your project communications Assess how intercultural and information issues affect business and project communications Evaluate your communication style Assess the value of communication styles and respond appropriate Understand and apply good virtual communication skills Select an appropriate communication media Concepts Communication planning Information Distribution Performance Reporting Administrative Closure Project Manager as leader, manager, facilitator and mentor Managing project conflicts Communication during the stages of a project Project manager awareness of self Managing team performance Interpersonal communications Motivating team members Basics of Knowledge management Business writing Communications at work Communications effectively via e-mail Communication strategy Communication ethics Conducting research on line Effectively summarizing material Designing successful documents for work Writing proposals Developing effective presentaations Project Communication Management Includes the processes required to ensure timely and appropriate generation, collection, dissemination, storage, and ultimate disposition of project information. Critical links among people, ideas and information All the involved actors must be prepared to send and receive communications Must understand their involvement as individual and their affects on the project Resources Flannes, S.W, G. Levin (2001), People skills for Project Managers, Management Concept Project Management Institute (2000), A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge O’Rourke, J. (2004), Management Communication: a caseanalysis approach, Pearson Prentice Hall. Kolin, C.K. (2004), Successful writing at work, Houghton Mifflin Company. Boston Major Processes (1) Communication Planning – Determine the information and communication needed- WHO - WHEN - HOW Information Distribution – making information available to project stakeholders Performance Reporting – Collecting and disseminating performance information Administrative Closure – generating, gathering and disseminating information to formalise a phase or project completion Project Communication Management Communication Planing Information Distribution Performance Reporting Administrative Closure Major Processes (2) There is a high degree of interaction among the four discrete processes In practice there is an overlapping and interaction Also, the Project Management Skills of Communicating is related to (not the same) with the project communication management A substantial body of knowledge is required (not unique for the project context) Communication Planning Input: Communication requirements Communication Technology Constraints Assumptions Tools and Techniques Stakeholder Analysis Outputs Communication Management Plan Communication Planning Project Communication Requirements includes Project organisation and stakeholders responsibility relationships Disciplines, departments and specialties involved in the project Logistics of how many individuals will be involved in the project and at which location External Information Needs Communication technology Keypoints: Immediacy of the need of information Availability of Technology Expected project staffing Length of the project Communication Planning Stakeholder Analysis: Develop a methodical as logical view of the information needs Avoid wasting resources and the use of not appropriate technology Communication Management Planning A collection of filling and details of methods for gathering and storing infromation A distribution structure (to whom, what method, which information). Take care the responsibilities and reporting needs. Description of the Information to be distributed. Production Schedules Methods of assessing information Method to evaluate, update and refine the plan Information Distribution Inputs Work Results Communication management plan Project Plan Tools and Techniques Communication Skills Information Retrieval System Information Distribution methods Outputs Project records Project Reports Project Presentations Communication Skills Communication Skills (Dimensions) Written and oral, listening and speaking Internal and external Formal and Informal Vertical (up and down) and horizontal (with peers) Performance Reporting Input Project Plan Work results Other prject records Tools and Techniques Performance Review Variance Analysis Trend Analysis Earned value analysis Information distribution toools and techniques Outputs Performance Report Change requests Performance reporting Process invcludes: Status reporting, Progress reporting, Forecasting Administrative Closure Inputs Performance Measurement documentation Product Documents Other project records Tools and techniques Performance reporting tools and techniques Project reports Project presentations Outputs Project archives Project closure Lessons learned MANAGEMENT COMMUNICATION IN TRANSITION “Communication is the work of managers, day in and day out.” I. A. The daily work of managers. Managers are in constant action. 1. Switch frequently from task to task. 2. Change their focus of attention to respond to issues as they arise. 3. Engage in a large volume of tasks of short duration. B. Managers spend most of their time interacting with others. 1. Engage in interactions both inside and outside the organization. 2. Talk and listen when in action. Management Communication in Transition II. The majority of managers cluster around three core management roles. A. Interpersonal roles are the richest source of information for managers because of their immediate and personal nature. 1. The figurehead role is exhibited when performing ceremonial duties of their position. 2. The leader role is exhibited when demonstrating their responsibility for the work of the people in their unit and their actions. This is where the influence of managers is most clearly seen. 3. The liaison role is exhibited when establishing and maintaining contacts outside the vertical chain of command. Management Communication in Transition B. Informational roles of managers are required because not even the most expensive management information system can match the speed and intuitive power of a well-trained manager’s brain for information processing. 1. The monitor role allows managers to scan the environment for information. 2. The disseminator role allows managers to pass privileged information directly to subordinates. 3. The spokesperson role allows managers to send information to people outside of their organizations. Management Communication in Transition C. Decisional roles are used by managers to make decisions on behalf of the organization and the stakeholders with an interest in the organization. 1. Interpersonal and informational roles often aid the decision making process. 2. The entrepreneur role is shown when managers seek to improve their businesses, to adapt to changing market conditions, and to react to opportunities as they present themselves. 3. The disturbance or crisis handler role depicts managers who must involuntarily react to conditions. 4. The resource allocator role involves managers making decisions about who gets what, how much, when, and why. 5. The negotiator role is used to resolve disputes with people inside and outside the organization. Management Communication in Transition III. Although the specificity of managers’ work may differ, there are a few major characteristics relating to every job. A. The time of managers is fragmented. This often drives managers to overwork and can force them to complete tasks superficially. B. Values compete and the various roles are in tension placing managers in the middle when making many decisions. Managers cannot satisfy all parties involved, thus decisions are often based on the urgency of the need and the proximity of the problem. C. The job of managers is overloaded due to significant reorganization efforts to make businesses more efficient, nimble, and competitive. Downsizing, coupled with high-speed data processing and remarkably efficient telecommunication systems has greatly increased the number of people directly reporting to managers. D. Efficiency becomes a core skill for successful managers. Management Communication in Transition IV. The emphasis of management roles is what varies in a manager’s job. A.The role of the entrepreneur is gaining importance as managers become increasingly aware of threats and opportunities in their environment. Managers who are carefully attuned to the marketplace and competitive environment will look for opportunities to gain an advantage. B. The leader role is gaining importance as managers must become more sophisticated as strategists and mentors. Managers need to become more active mentors to attract and retain skilled employees. C. Managers must create a local vision as they help people within their organization to grow. Management Communication in Transition V. The 21st century workplace will require three types of skills, each of which will be useful at different points in your career. A. Technical skills are most valuable at the entry level, but less valuable at the senior levels. These skills constantly change and become outdated. B. Relating skills are valuable across the managerial career span and are more likely to help you progress and be promoted to higher levels of responsibility. These skills help you form relationships with people both inside and outside of the organization. C. Conceptual skills are the least valuable at the entry level, but more valuable at senior levels in the organization. These skills permit you to look past the details of everyday work assignments and see the bigger picture. Management Communication in Transition VI. Talking is the work of managers. A. One-on-one conversations allow an enormous exchange of information. B. Managers spend an astounding amount of time on the telephone. The amount of time per telephone call is decreasing, but the number of calls per day is increasing. C. Video teleconferencing makes direct conversations to people around the world a simple matter. These exchanges can be informal, conversational, and not much different than if the parties were in the same room. D. Managers give many presentations to small groups of three-toeight people in both a formal and informal manner. E. Most managers are often required to speak to larger audiences of several dozen, or perhaps, even several hundred. These presentations are often more formal but still involve one manager talking to others, framing, shaping, and passing information to an audience. Management Communication in Transition VII. Writing plays an important role in the life of any organization. A. Managers use writing as a career sifter; if you do not demonstrate your ability to put ideas on paper in a clear, unambiguous fashion, you will most likely not last. B. Managers at all levels of most organizations draft, review, edit, and dispatch their own correspondence, reports, and proposals. C. When a document leaves your desk, it takes on a life of its own. Documents become the property of the organization they are sent to and therefore they are free to do as they see fit with your writing. D. Managers create meaning through communication, thus communication is invention. Management Communication in Transition VIII. Information is socially constructed. A. Information is created, shared and interpreted by people. B. Information never speaks for itself; it almost always requires some sort of interpretation, explanation or context. C. The context of a message is always of paramount importance to the listener, viewer, or reader in reaching a reasonable conclusion about what she sees or hears. D. If the messages you send as a manager are to have the impact you hope they will, they must come from a source the receiver knows, respects, and understands.