Project Communication Summary by Sachin Mehra

PROJECT
COMMUNICATION
MANAGEMENT
SUMMARIZED
Sachin Mehra, PMP

© Sachin Mehra
All rights reserved. No parts of this publication may be

reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any
form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying,
recording, or otherwise, without the prior permission of the
author.
mail2smehra@gmail.com
http://www.linkedin.com/in/sachinmehra
To
My family, my forever love.

Contents at a Glance
Preface ....................................................................................ix
About the Author ....................................................................xi
Introduction ............................................................................ 1
Understanding communication .......................................... 3
Characteristics of communication ...................................... 5
Methods of communication ............................................... 5
Nonverbal Messages: .......................................................... 6
Para-verbal Messages: ........................................................ 6
Communication Model ....................................................... 7
Communication channels ................................................... 9
Barriers to Communications ............................................. 10
Project Communications Management ................................ 13
Communications Planning ................................................ 15
Communications Planning ................................................ 15
Inputs to communications planning ............................. 16
Tools and techniques for communications planning .... 16
Output of communications planning ............................ 17
Exam spotlight................................................................... 17
Content of communications management plan ........... 17
How a project manager can help in effective project
team communications .................................................. 18
Information Distribution ................................................... 19
Inputs to information distribution ................................ 19
Tools and techniques for information distribution....... 19
Output of information distribution ............................... 19
Exam spotlight................................................................... 20
Active listening .................................................................. 20
Performance Reporting..................................................... 21
Inputs to performance reporting .................................. 21
Tools and techniques for performance reporting......... 21
Output of performance reporting................................. 22
Exam spotlight................................................................... 22
Variance analysis ........................................................... 22
Project war room .......................................................... 23
Manage Stakeholders ....................................................... 25
Inputs to manage stakeholders .................................... 25
Tools and techniques for manage stakeholders ........... 25
Output of manage stakeholders ................................... 25
Exam spotlight................................................................... 26
Preface
The genesis of this book dates back to 2003. While working

for a small startup, I was asked to help the executives create
and execute the organizational growth plans. The executives
wanted me to research tools and methodologies that would
help them manage project efficiently.
Seeing the problems faced by project managers, I felt that

software project management must be the toughest job on
the earth. And managing the communication with various
stakeholders like client, end-users, team, etc was toughest of
all the activities.
Over the past 6 years, I have realized that the situation is not
quite that hopeless. By using sound project communication
management processes, project managers can successfully
execute projects.
I have used my experience and knowledge of software

project management to cull out and describe in this book the
key project communication management practices that can
be used to successfully execute project after project.
The beauty of these practices is that despite being highly

effective, they are not complex; rather, they are grounded in
common sense and are supported by simple measurements
and analyses.
The book is written primarily for existing project managers so
that they can improve their communication skills. This book
is equally helpful for wannabe project managers, by using the
methods described in this book they can systematically
improve the communication management of their projects.
PMP aspirants can also use this book to understand the art of
project communication management in simplest way.
Many people helped to make this book a reality. I would like

to express my gratitude to my present and past employers,
where I earned my knowledge and experience to make this
book possible. My sincere thanks to all the people who
shared their experiences with me and inspired me to write
this book. My special thanks to Anand Rajan for his guidance,
insight, and common sense to project management.
Any comments about this book, or any inaccuracies that

might be present (which are entirely my responsibility), can
be sent to me at mail2smehra@gmail.com.
Sachin Mehra
About the Author
Sachin Mehra is a veteran engineering manager who is a

certified Project Management Professional (PMP) and a
PGDBM (MBA equivalent). In over 12 years of software
development and management experience, Sachin has
worked for small start-up to established innovative
companies.
He has vast experience in Program/Project Management,

Consulting, Business Analysis, Service transition and
management, Onsite Coordination, Sales Support, Enterprise
architecture, Application Designing and Development,
Testing, Integration, and Implementation.
Post working hours, Sachin enjoys watching movies, reading,

writing, and spending time with his family.
Project Communication Management Summarized
Introduction
 Understanding communication
 Characteristics of communication
 Methods of communication
 Communication model
 Barriers to Communications
1
If you just communicate you can get by. But if you skilfully
communicate, you can work miracles.
- Jim Rohn
2
Understanding communication
Communications management employs the processes

required to ensure timely and appropriate generation,
collection, distribution, storage, retrieval and ultimate
disposition of project information.
—A Guide to the PMBOK®
Projects are executed by humans. And humans must interact.

There is no doubt that communicating frequently and often
is necessary throughout the life of any project. Good
communication skills of the team ensure success for projects.
Communication is the most important skill for a Project

Manager. Project Managers spend 90% of their time
communicating.
Tell me and I'll forget. Show me and I'll remember. Involve

me and I'll understand. - Author unknown
Note: The best way to communicate in the teams is to

involve team members in all activities. Project manager along
with team members is responsible for managing
communication on project.
3
Communication may be done using symbols, signs,

behaviour, speech, writing, or signals, as well as through
project charters, project plan, project scope statement and
status reports. The list of ways a Project Manager
communicates is longer and you will get familiarize with it as
you read this book, for now, this small list is an indication of
the significance of communication to a Project Manager.
Note: Lack of communication is one of the primary reasons

why projects fail.
Projects fail when expectations are not aligned with results.

Timely and effective communication can bridge this gap to
avoid surprises at the end. Expectations, goals, and priorities
of the project stakeholders should be well documented and
communicated to the stakeholders.
Proactive Project Managers know that communication is an

ongoing process throughout the life of the project. They set
proper expectations for all the stakeholders by determining
the information and communications needs of each
stakeholder.
4
Communication by definition is the process of conveying

information from a sender to a receiver with the use of a
medium in which the communicated information is
understood the same way by both sender and receiver.
Characteristics of communication
 Communication is a process – it is continuous,
ongoing, and dynamic
 Communication has information (message/content)
 Communication requires a sender and a receiver
 Communication requires a medium (symbols, signs,

behaviour, speech, writing, or signals)
 Communication requires shared understanding – all

parties understanding the same things the same way
 Communication is transactional and irreversible
Methods of communication
1. Formal written - Project Plan, Project charter,
Specifications, Reports, Metrics
2. Formal verbal - Presentation, speeches
5
3. Informal written - Memos, Email, Notes
4. Informal verbal - Meetings, Conversations
Note: Project Management Plan is the best type of

communication method to use when there are cultural
differences and distance between team members.
Nonverbal Messages:
1. Accounts for about 55% of what is perceived and
understood by others.
2. Are conveyed through our facial expressions as well as

our postures and gestures.
Para-verbal Messages:
1. Account for about 38% of what is perceived and
understood by others.
2. Include the tone, pitch, and pacing of our voice
It is not possible for Project Manager to control all the

communication in the project by stakeholders (management,
client, teams, etc), however he should try to control it to
minimize miscommunication. Project Manager must choose
6
the most effective method for communicating the

information.
Effective communication is a two-way process which involves

active listening and reflects the accountability of speaker and
listener. It utilizes feedback to confirm understanding which
makes it free of stress.
Communication Model
In communication, there is always a sender and a receiver
(maybe more than one in some cases). Both parties have
their own experiences, their perceptions, their ideas, etc,
hence they may experience, perceive, and interpret things
differently. The same event will always be perceived a little
different by each party.
A simple communication model in Figure 1 shows how the

information travels from sender to receiver.
Figure 1
7
1. Sender – Is an information source, who wants to initiate

communication.
2. Encode – Information is encoded into a message.

Sender should make sure that he truly provides
understandable information to another project team
member. This means that sender must attempt to take
the perspective and knowledge of the receiver into
consideration and create and present a message that
he or she is likely to interpret in the way intended.
3. Medium – Messages may be sent using traditional mail,

email, phone call, face-to-face or using gestures alone.
Medium is the communication method used to transmit
the message.
4. Decode – Message is decoded to understand the

information sent by sender. Sender uses his knowledge
and understanding of the subject matter to decode this
message, hence extra caution is required to interpret
the message in right context (sender’s context).
5. Receiver – The person to who the information is sent

to.
6. Feedback – Receiver sends a feedback to sender to

acknowledge that the information is received and
understood. Sender may have to act further to ensure
that the receiver understood the message by eliciting
8
feedback that helps sender to assess whether receiver

interpreted the message as intended.
Sender may use symbols, signs, behavior, speech, writing, or

signals to transfer the information in the message. The
purpose is to ensure that both parties understand the
perspective.
Communication channels
Communication will always involve more than one person. In
the figure below, we can see the number of communication
channels required to communicate with 5 team members in
a team of 6.
9
Figure 2
The formula to calculate the total number of communication

channels is: (n2- n)/2 or n (n-1)/2
n = total number of team members
Lets calculate the total number of communication channels

for the figure above,
n=6
6 (6 – 1)/2
6 (5)/2
30/2
Hence, there shall be 15 communication channels on this

project of 6 people.
Barriers to Communications
1. Physical – noise, distance, time, environment, physical
medium
2. Cultural - ethnic, religious, and social differences
3. Perceptional - viewing what is said from your own

mindset
10
4. Words - we assign a meaning to a word often because

of culture, experience, etc reasons which results in
improper encoding of message
5. Experiential - lack of similar experience
6. Emotional - personal feelings at the moment or doing

other things besides listening
7. Linguistic - different languages or vocabulary
8. Non-verbal - non-word messages
9. Gestures - misunderstood gestures are a major barrier
10. Variations in language - accent, dialect
Note: The most likely outcome of communication blocker

and miscommunication are conflicts.
Any of the above barriers to communications can create

interferences or disturbances and impact the effectiveness of
the communication. Project Manager should look for such
barriers and try to minimize (or better still, eliminate) the
source/cause.
11
Good communication does not mean that you have to speak

in perfectly formed sentences and paragraphs. It isn't about
slickness. Simple and clear go a long way.
- John Kotter
12
Project Communications Management
 Communications Planning
 Information Distribution
 Performance Reporting
 Manage Stakeholders
13
14
Communications Planning
In order to successfully manage a project, the Project
Manager must have in place all processes required to ensure
timely and appropriate generation, collection, dissemination,
storage and ultimate disposition of project information.
Communication management plan, which is created by the

Project Manager, is an output of communication planning
process. It determines the type and format of information
and communication needs of all the stakeholders. It also
defines the frequency/time, creator and recipients of the
information.
As per A Guide to the PMBOK®, communications planning

process determines the information and communications
needs of the stakeholders; for example, who needs what
information, when they will need it, how it will be given to
them, and by whom. While all projects share the need to
communicate project information, the informational needs
and methods of distribution vary widely. Identifying the
informational needs of the stakeholders and determining a
suitable means of meeting those needs is an important factor
for project success.
Note: Organizational structure has the greatest effect on the

project's communication requirements.
15
Something that you planned for today might become

obsolete in the future. It is good to review the
communication plan periodically with the stakeholders.
Inputs to communications planning

1. Enterprise Environmental Factors
2. Organizational Process Assets
3. Project Scope Statement
4. Constraints and assumptions from the Project

Management Plan
Tools and techniques for communications

planning
1. Communications requirements analysis
2. Communications technology
16
Output of communications planning

1. Communications management plan (part of project
management plan)
Exam spotlight
Content of communications management plan

1. What information will be collected?
2. How the information will be collected
3. How and to whom the information will be distributed
4. When the information will be communicated
5. How to obtain information between regular

communications
6. How the Communications Plan will be updated

through the project
17
How a project manager can help in effective

project team communications
1. Be an effective communicator
2. Be a communications expeditor
3. Avoid communications blockers
4. Use a tight matrix
5. Have a project war room
6. Make meetings effective
18
Information Distribution
Everything you do, you do for a reason, and communicating
should be no different. We need to share the project
information with the stakeholders in a timely manner to be
able to utilize the information. Information distribution is the
execution of communication management plan plus handling
ad-hoc information needs.
Inputs to information distribution

management plan)
Tools and techniques for information distribution

1. Communications skills
2. Information gathering and retrieval system
3. Information distribution methods
4. Lessons learned process
Output of information distribution

1. Organizational process assets (updates)
2. Requested changes
19
Exam spotlight
Active listening
Listening in which the recipient is attentive and asks for
clarification of ambiguous messages. The idea is to be able to
get the messages correctly.
20
Performance Reporting
The project may be doing great or maybe it is already
screwed-up, the only way to find out is by looking at the
baseline data of scope, efforts, cost, quality, etc and then
matching it with the actual to find out the progress made.
Stakeholders look for such information, hence it is project
managers duty to do performance reporting as per the
information needs documented in the communication plan.
Inputs to performance reporting

1. Work performance information
2. Performance measurements
3. Forecasted completion
4. Quality control measurements
5. Project management plan
6. Approved change request
7. Deliverables
Tools and techniques for performance reporting

1. Information presentation tool
21
2. Performance information gathering and compilation
3. Status review meetings
4. Time reporting system
5. Cost reporting system
Output of performance reporting

1. Performance reports
2. Forecasts
3. Requested changes
4. Recommended corrective action
Exam spotlight
Variance analysis
Comparing actual project results to planned or expected
results in terms of cost, schedule, scope, quality, and risk.
22
Project war room

A single location for the team to get together for any
purpose. It provides a repository for project artifacts,
records, and up-to-date schedules and status reports. It
gives an identity to the project team.
23
24
Manage Stakeholders
A stakeholder is anyone whose interests may be positively or
negatively impacted by the project. Stakeholder
management is the process of controlling communications to
adjust as per the needs of the stakeholders.
Inputs to manage stakeholders

management plan)
2. Organizational process assets
Tools and techniques for manage stakeholders

1. Communications methods
2. Issue logs
Output of manage stakeholders

1. Resolved issues
2. Approved change request
3. Approved corrective action
25
5. Project management plan (updates)
Exam spotlight
 Most important characteristic for a project manager

is ability to work well with others.
 Major cause of conflict with functional managers is

schedules.
 Most difficult conflict to deal with is personality

conflicts.
 Face-to-face meetings are the most effective means

for communicating and resolving issues.
26
27
28

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PROJECT

Sachin Mehra, PMP

All rights reserved. No parts of this publication may be

My family, my forever love.

The genesis of this book dates back to 2003. While working

Seeing the problems faced by project managers, I felt that

I have used my experience and knowledge of software

The beauty of these practices is that despite being highly

Many people helped to make this book a reality. I would like

Any comments about this book, or any inaccuracies that

Sachin Mehra is a veteran engineering manager who is a

He has vast experience in Program/Project Management,

Post working hours, Sachin enjoys watching movies, reading,

Communications management employs the processes

—A Guide to the PMBOK®

Projects are executed by humans. And humans must interact.

Communication is the most important skill for a Project

Tell me and I'll forget. Show me and I'll remember. Involve

Note: The best way to communicate in the teams is to

Communication may be done using symbols, signs,

Note: Lack of communication is one of the primary reasons

Projects fail when expectations are not aligned with results.

Proactive Project Managers know that communication is an

Communication by definition is the process of conveying

 Communication has information (message/content)

 Communication requires a sender and a receiver

 Communication requires a medium (symbols, signs,

 Communication requires shared understanding – all

 Communication is transactional and irreversible

2. Formal verbal - Presentation, speeches

3. Informal written - Memos, Email, Notes

4. Informal verbal - Meetings, Conversations

Note: Project Management Plan is the best type of

2. Are conveyed through our facial expressions as well as

2. Include the tone, pitch, and pacing of our voice

It is not possible for Project Manager to control all the

the most effective method for communicating the

Effective communication is a two-way process which involves

A simple communication model in Figure 1 shows how the

1. Sender – Is an information source, who wants to initiate

2. Encode – Information is encoded into a message.

3. Medium – Messages may be sent using traditional mail,

4. Decode – Message is decoded to understand the

5. Receiver – The person to who the information is sent

6. Feedback – Receiver sends a feedback to sender to

feedback that helps sender to assess whether receiver

Sender may use symbols, signs, behavior, speech, writing, or

The formula to calculate the total number of communication

n = total number of team members

Lets calculate the total number of communication channels

Hence, there shall be 15 communication channels on this

2. Cultural - ethnic, religious, and social differences

3. Perceptional - viewing what is said from your own

4. Words - we assign a meaning to a word often because

5. Experiential - lack of similar experience

6. Emotional - personal feelings at the moment or doing

7. Linguistic - different languages or vocabulary

8. Non-verbal - non-word messages

9. Gestures - misunderstood gestures are a major barrier

10. Variations in language - accent, dialect

Note: The most likely outcome of communication blocker

Any of the above barriers to communications can create

Good communication does not mean that you have to speak