April 14, 2024

Create the Communication Matrix/Receiver Based demonstrated in the book? in Figure 7.1 in a Microsoft Excel format and save it to your hard or flash drive so you will have a template when you need on

Create the Communication Matrix/Receiver Based demonstrated in the book in Figure 7.1 in a Microsoft Excel format and save it to your hard or flash drive so you will have a template when you need one.

Upload your newly constructed version with "Your Name" in the Project Manager column. (Don't forget to include the legend.)

Add in people and contact info of people you may want to contact on a project. If you don't have enough people to populate, you can use instructors from the Cerritos College website.

7.1.pdf

CHAPTER 7

Project Communication Management

Projects require teamwork, and team members must communicate with each other in a variety of ways. The documents they produce must be collected, distributed, and stored in an appropriate manner to assure timely and accurate communication between team members. This process is often assisted by a variety of technologies and computer software products. Communication tech- nology can facilitate faster and better communication, or it can become a barrier if the technologies are not well understood and applied appropriately.

7.1 Project Communication Plan

Learning Objectives

1. Describe the importance of a project communication plan.

2. Identify the elements of a project communications plan.

The project communication plan defines the information that is important to project performance and identifies the methods and processes for creating the most efficient and effective communica- tion. Appropriate communications, as defined in the communication plan, is critical to both project success and the perception of project success (Diallo & Thuillier 2005).[1] The information needed on a project varies significantly depending on the project profile. Most projects will develop per- formance reports based on cost, schedule, quality, and risk. The amount of detail and the method of distribution will also vary depending on the complexity level of the project. The following ques- tions provide a good basis for developing a project communication plan.

• What information needs distributing?

• Who needs the information?

• When is it needed?

• Where should the information be stored?

• What format should be used?

• How information can be retrieved.

• Time zone, cultural implications, language, etc.

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Your communication plan should consider the following:

1. Stakeholder Analysis and Management Strategy that Defines Preferred Communications Methods

Based on the project stakeholder analysis, the communication management plan includes any special communication needs of stakeholders with high influence.

2. Communication Matrix

The communication matrix includes the information needed by the project team to effectively disseminate information to the appropriate project stakeholders. Below are two examples of project communication matrices.

FIGURE 7.1 Communication Matrix/Receiver Based

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FIGURE 7.2 Communication Matrix/Object Based

Escalation Paths

Communicating to the project leaders anomalies or problems that arise on the project is essential to making timely decisions and aggressively supporting project schedule and cost goals. Developing an escalation path or decision-making matrix helps the project team understand and manage the communication of issues and concerns to appropriate management of the project. Tables of this type provide an opportunity for discussion of the project priorities, decision-making guidelines, and the importance of quickly addressing issues or concerns that emerge on the project.

FIGURE 7.3 Communication Escalation

Constraints

Project communication constraints address any barriers to successful communication of the pro- ject.

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Potentials constraints to project communications could include language barriers, cultural differences, and communication technology issues. For example, on complex projects or global pro- jects with team members representing more than one language, it is important to address the language of important documents and procedures for translating documents and communications as needed on the project. On a project in South America, members of the project worked in a culture that highlighted good news and hid bad news or any information that indicated that the project was behind schedule. The project leadership addressed this constraint to communications by con- ducting more frequent review meetings.

Roles; Relative to Project Communications

Developing the communications roles of project team members on complex projects develops a higher degree of confidence in the communication process. This can be added to existing roles and responsibility charts or developed as a separate chart.

Team Directory

The development of a team directory aids in quick and accurate communications. Update the pro- ject directory on a frequent basis.

FIGURE 7.4 Team Directory

Escalation Paths

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Key Takeaways

• Appropriate project communications is important to both project success and the perception of project success.

• The project communication plan defined the information to be communicated and the meth- ods and processes for communicating on a project.

• The composition of the project communication plan depends on the project profile.

• The project communication plan typically includes:

• stakeholder analysis

• communication matrix

• escalation paths

• constraints

• roles

• team directory

Exercises

1. Two examples of communication matrixes are _______________ and ________________.

2. Based on a project with which you are familiar, what would you include in the project com- munication plan? Justify each component.

3. List three possible communications constraints.

7.2 Types of Communication Technology

Learning Objectives

1. Identify characteristics and examples of synchronous communication.

2. Identify characteristics and examples of asynchronous communication.

3. Identify questions to answer when considering new communications technologies.

Completing a complex project successfully requires good communication among team members. If those team members work in the same building, they can arrange regular meetings, simply stop by each other’s office space to get a quick answer, or even discuss a project informally at other office functions. Many projects are performed by teams that interact primarily through electronic com- munication and are, therefore, called virtual teams.[2] To avoid miscommunication that can harm trust and to include team members in a project culture, the project team needs a plan for com- municating reliably and in a timely manner. This planning begins with understanding two major categories of communication.

Chapter 7 Project Communication Management 203

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FIGURE 7.5 Video conferencing by laptop.

Synchronous Communications

If all the parties to the communication are taking part in the exchange at the same time, the communication is synchronous. A telephone conference call is an example of synchronous com- munication. When the participants are not interacting at the same time, the communication is not synchronous, or asynchronous.

The following are examples of synchronous communications:

• Live meeting. Gathering of team members at the same location.

• Audio conference. A telephone call between two individuals or a conference call where several people participate.

• Computer-assisted conference. Audio conference with a connection between computers that can display a document or spreadsheet that can be edited by both parties.

• Video conference. Similar to an audio conference but with live images of the par- ticipants. Some laptop computers have built-in cameras to facilitate video conferencing, as shown in Figure 7.5.

• IM (instant messaging). Exchange of text or voice messages using pop-up win- dows on the participants’ computer screens, as shown in Figure 7.6.

FIGURE 7.6

Instant messaging pop-up window.

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FIGURE 7.7 Texting via cell phone.

personal digital assistant (PDA)

Device that holds a calendar, a contact list, a task list, and other support programs.

• Texting. Exchange of text messages that are 160 characters or fewer between mobile phones, pagers, or personal digital assistants (PDAs)—devices that hold a calendar, a contact list, a task list, and other support programs. See Figure 7.7.

Time Zones

The worldwide communication network makes it possible to assemble project teams from anywhere in the world. Most people work during daylight hours, which can make synchronous meetings difficult if the participants are in differ- ent time zones, where they start, end, and take meal breaks at different times. It can be an advantage in some circumstances. For example, if something must be done by the start of business tomorrow, team members in Asia can work on the problem during their normal work hours while team members in North America get some sleep.

FIGURE 7.8 World time zones.

As the earth turns, the sun appears to move across the sky from east to west. Local noon occurs when the sun is at its highest position in the sky. Cities and countries to the north or south of each other all observe local noon at the same time. For example, noon in New York occurs at the same time as it does in Bogotá, Colombia, in South America. Be aware that many well-educated people in the United States think of South America as directly south of North America. As you can see in Figure 7.8, most of South America is one or two time zones east of the United States.

To prevent confusion between a.m. and p.m., times are given using a twenty-four-hour clock. Noon is 12:00 and 1 p.m. is 13:00, and parts of an hour are divided by colons. For example, 13:25:21 is thirteen hours, twenty-five minutes, and twenty-one seconds.

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Greenwich Mean Time (GMT)

Time zone system historically based on the naval observatory at Greenwich, England.

Universal Time (UT)

Time zone system that is compatible with GMT but without the historical reference.

telefacsimile (fax) machine

Device that scans a document and converts it to electronic signals that can be transmitted by telephone to another fax machine, which can reproduce the original document.

facsimile

A duplicate (see telefacsimile).

Local Time

Local time is compared to the time zone that is centered at the historically significant naval obser- vatory at Greenwich, England. The time at that location is Greenwich Mean Time (GMT). More recent references use UT for Universal Time (UT) instead of GMT.

Conference Call between New York and Paris

A project manager in New York is five time zones west of the reference zone, so the time is given as UT –5 (or GMT –5). If it is noon in the reference zone, it is 7 a.m. (five hours earlier) in New York. The manager would like to contact a project team member in Paris, France. Paris is one time zone west of the reference zone (UT +1 or GMT +1). If it is noon (12:00) in the reference zone, it is 13:00 (1 p.m.) in Paris.

This means that there is a six-hour difference between New York and Paris. If the project manager waits until after lunch to place the call (1 p.m. in New York), it might be too late in the day in Paris (7 p.m.) to reach someone.

Asynchronous Communications

Getting a team together at the same time can be a challenge—especially if they are spread out across time zones. Many types of communication do not require that the parties are present at the same time. This type of communication is not synchronous; it is asynchronous. There are several choices of asynchronous communications.

Mail and Package Delivery

Many companies prefer that final contracts are personally signed by an authorized representative of each party to the agreement. If several signatures are required, this can take weeks to get all the signatures if the contracts are transferred by the postal service. If this process is holding up the start of the project, you can use an overnight delivery service to minimize the time spent transfer- ring the documents.

Fax

A telefacsimile (fax) machine is a device that scans a document one narrow band at a time, con- verting it into tones that can be conveyed over traditional telephone lines to a receiving device that reproduces a facsimile—exact duplicate—of the document. A fax machine typically has a paper feeder that can be used for feeding multiple-page documents, a telephone key pad and handset, and a status display, as shown in Figure 7.9.

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Group 3 fax machine

Model of fax machine that uses digital scanning and data compression.

FIGURE 7.10 Multifunction printer, scanner, fax, and copier.

FIGURE 7.9 Fax machine.

Transmission rates of fax machines are typically limited by the use of traditional telephone lines. The data transmission uses the same method as a dial-up computer modem. A Group 3 fax machine has a maximum data rate of 14.4 kilobits per second (Kbps), but if the phone connection is poor, it will drop down to lower speeds automatically until it can establish a reliable connection between machines.

The Group 3 fax machine digitizes data in a form that is compatible with computers and the fax function is often integrated with other computer functions. A multifunction device, such as the one shown in Figure 7.10, can scan a document and save it as an image, send it as a fax, or print mul- tiple copies.

Fax machines have been around a long time and enjoy a high level of trust for transmitting documents accurately. In many countries, a fax of a signed contract is legal, but a computer- scanned image is not.

Electronic Mail

Electronic mail (e-mail) is widely used to coordinate projects and to communicate between team members. It has several valuable characteristics for project management:

• Copies can be sent to a list of team members.

• A preconference-call e-mail can list the agenda items of the conference call.

• A postconference e-mail can summarize the results of the discussion on each topic.

• Messages can be saved to document the process in case of a misunderstanding or miscommu- nication.

• Files can be attached and distributed.

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web log

Online personal journal.

Really Simple Syndication (RSS)

Communications technology that allows news to be sent to a computer screen.

FIGURE 7.11 Link to RSS Feed on a Web Page Link to RSS feed on a web page.

Project Log and Web Log (Blog)

A web log is typically called a blog. It is an online journal that can be private, shared by invitation, or made available to the world. Some project managers keep a journal in which they summarize the day’s challenges and triumphs and the decisions they made. They return to this journal at a later date to review their decision-making process after the results of those decisions are known to see if they can learn from their mistakes. Many decisions in project management are made with incom- plete knowledge, and reflecting on previous decisions to develop this decision-making skill is important to growth as a project manager.

Really Simple Syndication (RSS)

Some projects are directly affected by external factors such as political elections, economic trends, corporate mergers, technological or scientific breakthroughs, or weather. To keep informed about these factors, you can subscribe to online news sources. A method that facilitates this process is Really Simple Syndication (RSS). To use an RSS feed, team members download a free news reader on the Internet. Web pages with RSS news feeds have labeled links, as shown in Figure 7.11.

If the user clicks on the RSS feed, news from the website is automatically sent to the user’s news reader. The news reader can be set to filter the news for key words to limit the stories to those that are relevant to the project.

The following are examples of asynchronous communications:

• Mail and package delivery. Transfer of objects and contracts that need signatures.

• Fax. Document transmittal over telephone. Facsimiles are accepted for some documents.

• Electronic mail (e-mail). Text messages with attachments can be distributed and managed by computer programs.

• Web log (blog). An online journal may be used to record events, thoughts, and lessons learned.

• Really Simple Syndication (RSS). News feeds that push relevant content to a reader to keep the manager informed of new events that could affect the project.

Assessing New Communication Technologies

New technologies for communicating electronically appear with increasing frequency. Using a new technology that is unfamiliar to the team increases the technology complexity, which can cause delays and increase costs. To decide if a new technology should be included in a communications plan, seek answers to the following questions:

• Does the new communication technology provide a competitive advantage for the project by reducing cost, saving time, or preventing mistakes?

• Does the project team have the expertise to learn the new technology quickly?

• Does the company offer support such as help desk and equipment service for new communi- cation technology?

• What is the cost of training and implementation in terms of time as well as money?

Key Takeaways

• Synchronous communications take place when all the parties are present at the same time. Examples are telephone calls and video conferencing.

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• Asynchronous communications take place when the parties are not present at the same time. Examples are e-mail, fax, package delivery, blogs, and RSS feeds.

• Determine if a new technology can save time, reduce cost, or prevent mistakes and if the increased complexity can be handled by the team and support staff for an affordable cost in time and money.

Exercises

1. Communications methods that do not require both parties to participate at the same time are called _______________.

2. A telephone call is an example of __________ communication.

3. An exchange of e-mail messages is an example of _______________ communication.

4. A __________ is an online journal used to share an individual’s thoughts and experiences.

5. A video conference is an example of _____________ communications.

6. What are two examples of synchronous communications technologies that you have used?

7. What are two examples of asynchronous communications technologies that you have used?

8. What is a virtual team?

9. Where is the reference time zone and why is it sometimes referred to as both GMT and UT?

10. Why are fax machines still used for legal documents?

Internalize your learning experience by preparing to discuss the following.

If you were managing a functional team that included people from three other countries, which synchronous communications technologies would you include in your communications plan and for what purposes? Which asynchronous technologies would you use and for what purposes? What new technologies would you consider?

7.3 Selecting Software

Learning Objectives

1. Identify the types of software that are appropriate for projects of low complexity.

2. Identify the types of software that are appropriate for projects of medium complexity.

3. Identify the types of software that are appropriate for projects of high complexity.

4. Describe strategies for sharing documents that can be edited by a team.

Part of a communications plan is determining the type of computer software that will be used to create documents, spreadsheets, diagrams, and reports. The choice of software is related to the com- plexity of the project.

Simple Projects

Basic projects can be managed using some of the features available in general purpose software that is available in most offices.

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Word Processing

Even the most basic project will generate numerous documents using word processing software. A communications plan can specify standards for these documents that makes it easier to create, edit, combine, store, and retrieve the documents. Document standards include the following:

• Specifying the file format

• Using templates for commonly used forms

File Format

Word processing software programs display a document on a computer’s screen and allow the user to enter and edit text. When the file is saved to a storage device, the text and all the various format- ting such as font and font size are converted to a code for efficient storage. The code varies from one word processing program to another and even between releases of the same program.

The most common word processing program, by a wide margin, is Microsoft Word (MS Word). Several releases of MS Word run on the Windows operating system and on the Macintosh operating system. Versions of MS Word released prior to 2007 save files in a proprietary format. The format is indicated by a period and a three-letter extension—.doc—that is automatically attached to the file when it is saved. Beginning with MS Word 2007 for Windows and MS Word 2008 for Macintosh, files are saved using a different format that is indicated by a period and a four-letter exten- sion—.docx—that identify the newer format.

Almost all word processing programs have the ability to save files in the .doc file format, and it is a common standard for word processing files. Newer versions of word processing programs, including MS Word 2007 and MS Word for Mac 2008, can save files in the older .doc format. There are new features in MS Word 2007—such as the ability to format citations in a variety of styles, including APA, MLA, and Chicago—that are lost when the file is saved in the .doc format. Older versions of MS Word can be adapted to read the newer .docx file formats by downloading and installing a compatibility program that is available at no cost from Microsoft’s website. Display of document file extensions is hidden by default in the Windows operating system. They

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Create the Communication Matrix/Receiver Based demonstrated in the book? in Figure 7.1 in a Microsoft Excel format and save it to your hard or flash drive so you will have a template when you need on

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