1. Project Communication Project Communication Management is the lighthouse in the storm of uncertainty Doug Forsell, PMP Director of Project Management

2. Project Communication PMI 7/21/2004Honolulu Chapter Meeting2  When everyone is running around the boat looking for the life rafts instead of bailing out the water, of course it’s going to sink!

3. Project Communication PMI 7/21/2004Honolulu Chapter Meeting3  To sail the ship out of troubled waters, the captain (Project Manager) must trust the compass (Project Schedule) and communicate. Everyone must execute their assigned Roles & Responsibilities to ensure success.

4. Project Communication PMI 7/21/2004Honolulu Chapter Meeting4  Understanding how to communicate is one of the easiest subjects to learn, yet it is the one thing that is the most difficult to ensure is understood.

5. Project Communication PMI 7/21/2004Honolulu Chapter Meeting5 PMI  Barriers to Communication –Human Behavior:  Of all things, people are the most resistant to change  Protect One’s Turf  Fear of not being able to understand  Job security

6. Project Communication PMI 7/21/2004Honolulu Chapter Meeting6  Blockades to Communication –Political  “No one tells my group how to operate!” –Authority  Project Manager not granted the freedom to communicate to all involved on the project –Specific Team Involvement  Non-responsive teams/member

7. Project Communication PMI 7/21/2004Honolulu Chapter Meeting7  Busters! –Change ~ implement in phases, introduce as much as possible without overburdening –Turf ~ We all work for the same team, don’t we? Ask to use them as a reference within the company –Understanding ~ Make it easy for them, leave no room for misinterpretation –Job Security ~ Makes you more valuable

8. Project Communication PMI 7/21/2004Honolulu Chapter Meeting8  Busters! –Political  Obtain upper-management support for the project  Work with an upper-management mentor who has a stake in the game (Tremendously helpful in a functional organization) –Authority  With upper-management backing a PM can “drive the project” to success –Team Involvement  Work with mid-management to show Win-Win and they will ensure their staff is responsive to communications

9. Project Communication PMI 7/21/2004Honolulu Chapter Meeting9  Now that you know how to bust the communications barriers. What is the best way to communicate?

10. Project Communication PMI 7/21/2004Honolulu Chapter Meeting10  Communication Mediums –Face to face  Most accurate  Non-verbal verification  Takes most time  Least efficient

11. Project Communication PMI 7/21/2004Honolulu Chapter Meeting11  Communication Mediums –E-mail  Massive distribution  Extremely efficient  Receipt verification - CYA  Comprehension not verified –Voice mail  Very efficient  Setup distribution lists  Can not be sure of the timeliness

12. Project Communication PMI 7/21/2004Honolulu Chapter Meeting12  Communication Mediums –Phone conversation  Can pick up on tone & inflection  Direct response  No record, usually need to follow up with email  Not efficient –Live Web Connection  Ensures everyone sees the same info at the same time  Verifies who is interacting  Cheaper than flying  All users must connect to the Inter/Intra net  Moderately efficient

13. Project Communication PMI 7/21/2004Honolulu Chapter Meeting13  Communication Mediums –Pager / Text Message  Extremely accessible  Quick response for urgent issues  Usually one-by-one, not efficient

14. Project Communication PMI 7/21/2004Honolulu Chapter Meeting14  Communication Mediums –Which is Best?  Situational… –The Project (Different Time Zones) –The Importance (Mission Critical Issue) –The Person (CIO)  Need to assess issue and use medium that fits  Keep the Communication Plan up to date

15. Project Communication PMI 7/21/2004Honolulu Chapter Meeting15  Project Communication Tools –Collaboration  Repository of Status Reports, Requirements, Project Plan, Issues, Risks, and Project Schedule  No distribution of documents, only notifications of updates, uploads, deletes  Provides automatic version control

16. Communicate the project success. When the team has accomplished the goals and objectives, announce it!

17. DougForsell@earthlink.net 808-258-4600