HIT241 - COMMUNICATIONS MANAGEMENT Introduction The greatest threat to many projects is a failure to communicate. Our culture does not portray IT professionals as being good communicators. BUT, research shows that IT professionals must be able to communicate effectively to succeed in their positions. Strong verbal skills are a key factor in career advancement for IT professionals. CDU – School of Information Technology Communications Management - Slide 1 HIT241 - COMMUNICATIONS MANAGEMENT Processes & Definitions Communications planning: determining the information and communications needs of the stakeholders. Information distribution: making needed information available in a timely manner. Performance reporting: collecting and disseminating performance information. Administrative closure: generating, gathering, and disseminating information to formalize phase or project completion. CDU – School of Information Technology Communications Management - Slide 2 HIT241 - COMMUNICATIONS MANAGEMENT Communications Planning Every project should include a communications management plan to guide project communications. A Communications Management Plan should contain: A description of a collection and filing structure for gathering and storing various types of information A distribution structure describing what information goes to whom, when, and how A format for communicating key project information A project schedule for producing the information Access methods for obtaining the information A method for updating the communications management plans as the project progresses and develops A stakeholder communications analysis. CDU – School of Information Technology Communications Management - Slide 3 HIT241 - COMMUNICATIONS MANAGEMENT Sample Stakeholder Analysis for Project Communications Stakeholders Document Name Document Format Contact Person Due Customer Management Monthly Status Report Hard copy Gail Feldman, Tony Silva First of month Customer Business Staff Monthly Status Report Hard copy Julie Grant, First of month Customer Technical Staff Monthly Status Report E-mail Internal Management Monthly Status Report Hard copy Bob Thomson First of month Internal Business and Technical Staff Monthly Status Report Intranet Angie Liu First of month Training Subcontractor Training Plan Hard Copy Jonathan Kraus 11/1/1999 Software Subcontractor Software Implementation Plan E-mail Barbara Gates 6/1/2000 CDU – School of Information Technology Jeff Martin Evan Dodge, First of month Nancy Michaels Communications Management - Slide 4 HIT241 - COMMUNICATIONS MANAGEMENT Information Distribution Getting the right information to the right people at the right time and in a useful format is just as important as developing the information in the first place. Important considerations include: Using technology to enhance information distribution. Formal and informal methods for distributing information. CDU – School of Information Technology Communications Management - Slide 5 HIT241 - COMMUNICATIONS MANAGEMENT What Went Wrong? A well publicized example of misuse of e-mail comes from the 1998 Justice Department's high profile, antitrust suit against Microsoft. E-mail emerged as a star witness in the case. Many executives sent messages that should never have been put in writing. The court used e-mail as evidence, even though the senders of the notes said the information was being interpreted out of context. Some companies, such as Amazon.com, have established policies to encourage employees to watch their use of e-mail and delete it often. Their "Sweep and Clean" program instructed employees to purge e-mails that were no longer required for business or legal purposes. They even offered free café lattes to employees who complied immediately. Harmon, Amy, "E-mail comes back to haunt companies," November 29, 1998 CDU – School of Information Technology Communications Management - Slide 6 HIT241 - COMMUNICATIONS MANAGEMENT The Impact of the Number of People on Communications Channels CDU – School of Information Technology Communications Management - Slide 7 HIT241 - COMMUNICATIONS MANAGEMENT Performance Reporting Performance reporting keeps stakeholders informed about how resources are being used to achieve project objectives. Status reports describe where the project stands at a specific point in time. Progress reports describe what the project team has accomplished during a certain period of time. Project forecasting predicts future project status and progress based on past information and trends. Status review meetings often include performance reporting. CDU – School of Information Technology Communications Management - Slide 8 HIT241 - COMMUNICATIONS MANAGEMENT Administrative Closure A project or phase of a project requires closure. Administrative closure produces: Project archives. Formal acceptance. Lessons learned. CDU – School of Information Technology Communications Management - Slide 9 HIT241 - COMMUNICATIONS MANAGEMENT Suggestions for Improving Project Communications The following are important issues that project managers and team members must address if they are to deliver effective project communications: Resolve conflicts effectively. Develop better communication skills. Run effective meetings. Use templates for project communications. CDU – School of Information Technology Communications Management - Slide 10 HIT241 - COMMUNICATIONS MANAGEMENT Conflict Handling Modes There are five basic Conflict Handling Modes. In preference order these are: 1. Confrontation or problem-solving: directly face a conflict. 2. Compromise: use a give-and-take approach. 3. Smoothing: de-emphasize areas of differences and emphasize areas of agreement. 4. Forcing: the win-lose approach. 5. Withdrawal: retreat or withdraw from an actual or potential disagreement. CDU – School of Information Technology Communications Management - Slide 11 HIT241 - COMMUNICATIONS MANAGEMENT Develop better communication skills Projects rely heavily on leadership, teamwork, cooperation and mutual understanding. Empathy, a vital ingredient of communication, is influenced by the attitude and example of project managers and their ability in interpersonal communication. It takes leadership to help improve communication. Senior management must set and lead by example. Information technology professionals must have the opportunity to develop communication skills. They need to be able to gain experience in drafting reports, making presentations, and managing important business relationships. CDU – School of Information Technology Communications Management - Slide 12 HIT241 - COMMUNICATIONS MANAGEMENT Running effective meetings A well-run meeting is an important means for encouraging team building and reinforcing expectations, roles, relationships, and commitment to the project. However, a poorly run meeting can have a detrimental effect on a project. In particular, many people complain about the time they waste in unnecessary, or poorly planned and poorly executed meetings. CDU – School of Information Technology Communications Management - Slide 13 HIT241 - COMMUNICATIONS MANAGEMENT Guidelines for effective meetings Determine if a meeting can be avoided. Define the purpose and intended outcome of the meeting. Determine who should attend the meeting. Provide an agenda to participants before the meeting. Prepare handouts, visual aids, and make logistical arrangements ahead of time. Run the meeting professionally. Build relationships. CDU – School of Information Technology Communications Management - Slide 14 HIT241 - COMMUNICATIONS MANAGEMENT Templates for project communications To make the preparation of project communications easier, project managers need to provide examples and templates for common project communications - eg: project descriptions, project charters, monthly performance reports, oral status reports, etc. Good documentation from previous projects can be an excellent source of examples. Samples and templates of both written and oral reports are particularly helpful for persons who are preparing or presenting reports for the first time. CDU – School of Information Technology Communications Management - Slide 15 HIT241 - COMMUNICATIONS MANAGEMENT Sample Template for a Monthly Progress Report I. Accomplishments for Month of January (or appropriate month): Describe most important accomplishments. Relate to project's Gantt chart Describe other important accomplishments, one bullet for each. If any issues were resolved from the previous month, list them as accomplishments. II. Plans for February (or following month): Describe most important items to be accomplished in the next month. Again relate to the project's Gantt chart. Describe other important items to accomplish, one bullet for each III. Issues: Briefly list important issues that surfaced or are still important. Managers hate surprises and want to help the project succeed, so be sure to list issues. IV. Project Changes (Date and Description): List any approved or requested changes to the project. Include the date of the change and a brief description. CDU – School of Information Technology Communications Management - Slide 16 HIT241 - COMMUNICATIONS MANAGEMENT Sample Template for a Letter of Agreement for a Class Project I. Project Description: Describe the project's objective, scope, assumptions, cost information, and schedule information, as shown in Figure 9-2. Be sure to include important dates that the project's sponsor needs to be aware of II. Organizational Goals and Expectations: Have the main sponsor from the organization briefly state their goals and expectations for the project. III. Student Goals and Expectations: Students on the project team should briefly state their goals and expectations for the project. IV. Meeting Information. It is a good idea for the project's sponsor and all students on the project team to agree on at least one hour per week where all parties can meet to work on this project. The meeting place should be a convenient location without distractions. Virtual meetings may be an option for some people and projects. V. Contact Information and Communications Plan: List the sponsor's and students' names, phone numbers, e-mails, and important procedures for communications. It is a good idea to set up a web site for all project information. VI. Signatures: Have the main sponsor and students on the project team sign the letter of agreement. Designate which student is the project manager. This student should be the main contact for all project information. CDU – School of Information Technology Communications Management - Slide 17 HIT241 - COMMUNICATIONS MANAGEMENT Outline for a Final Project Report I. Cover page II. Table of contents and executive summary (for a long report) III. Need for the project IV. Project description and letter of agreement V. Overall outcome of the project and reasons for success or failure VI. Project management tools and techniques used and assessment of them VII. Project team recommendations and future considerations VIII. Final project Gantt chart IX. Attachments with all deliverables CDU – School of Information Technology Communications Management - Slide 18 HIT241 - COMMUNICATIONS MANAGEMENT Gantt Chart Template for a Class Project CDU – School of Information Technology Communications Management - Slide 19 HIT241 - COMMUNICATIONS MANAGEMENT Developing a Communications Infrastructure A communications infrastructure is a set of tools, techniques, and principles that provide a foundation for the effective transfer of information: Tools include e-mail, project management software, groupware, fax machines, telephones, teleconferencing systems, document management systems, and word processors. Techniques include reporting guidelines and templates, meeting ground rules and procedures, decision-making processes, problem-solving approaches, and conflict resolution and negotiation techniques. Principles include using open dialog and an agreed upon work ethic. CDU – School of Information Technology Communications Management - Slide 20 HIT241 - COMMUNICATIONS MANAGEMENT Using Software There are many software tools to aid in project communications. However, organisations will need to adjust existing communication systems to meet the special needs of a project. Microsoft Project 98 (onwards) include an increasing number of features to enhance communications within projects (for example publishing project data as a HTML file). CDU – School of Information Technology Communications Management - Slide 21 HIT241 - COMMUNICATIONS MANAGEMENT MS Project 98 Information Saved as HTML File CDU – School of Information Technology Communications Management - Slide 22 HIT241 - COMMUNICATIONS MANAGEMENT Conclusion - 1 It is becoming more difficult to be a successful project manager. Projects are becoming more complex and project team members more demanding. Traditional management approaches have been replaced with those that depend on mutually beneficial linkage and relationship. CDU – School of Information Technology Communications Management - Slide 23 HIT241 - COMMUNICATIONS MANAGEMENT Conclusion - 2 To develop these relationships, the project manager must be a skilled communicator Skilled at getting information. Skilled at expressing views without creating problems. Skilled at discussing behaviour issues. CDU – School of Information Technology Communications Management - Slide 24
