Course Outline and Learning Objectives:
CLASS 2:
Thomas A. Fawthrop

Communications Management includes the process required to ensure timely and appropriate generation, dissemination, storage and ultimate disposition of project information.   It provides the critical link between people, ides, and information necessary for success.  Four subsystems:  (PMBOK:  Chapter10)

Communication Planning-determining the information and communication needs of the stakeholders, who needs what information,  as well as, when and how will it be given.

Information Distribution-Making the information available to project stakeholders in a timely manner.

Performance Reporting-Collecting and dissemination  information performance information including status reporting, progress measurement, and forecasting.

Administrative Closure-Generating, gathering and disseminating information to formalize phase or project completion.

Communication Planning-determining the information and communication needs of the stakeholders, who needs what information,  as well as, when and how will it be given.

On most projects, the majority of communication planning is done as part of the earliest phase of the project and the results reviewed throughout the project to ensure continued applicability.  Your analysis should include:

Communication requirements:   

Project Organization and Stakeholder Responsibility Relationships.
Disciplines, departments and specialties involve in the project.
Logistics of how many individuals will be involved and their locations.
External information needs.  (media)

Technologies and Methods:  the technologies and methods used to transfer information back and forth among project elements can vary significantly from briefing memos to extended meetings; from on line schedules and data bases.  Technology factors affect the project in several ways including immediacy of the project information, availability of the technology, staffing and training, and length of the project.  

Other requirements include constraints, assumptions, and stakeholder analysis.  Stakeholder analysis involves the various stakeholders information needs.  this involves development of a methodical and logical view of the stakeholders the meet the needs and requirements of  the project.  WARNING: Care should be taken to avoid wasting resources on unnecessary information.

Outputs from Communication Planning:  Document entitled the Communication Management Plan which provides:

•	Structure for the gathering, documentation, and storage of various types of information.  Processes and procedures should be covered at this time.
•	Distribution structure which details to whom information will flow and methods. The structure should be compatible with the roles and responsibilities outlined in the project organizational chart.
•	Product schedule showing when each type of communication will be produced. 
•	Methods for accessing information between scheduled updates.  
•	Finally, the method for updating and refining the communication management plan as the project develops and progresses.

SHOW:  Communication Plan

Information Distribution-Making the information available to project stakeholders in a timely manner.

Formal reports including reports and briefings.  Informal  memos and conversations.

Retrieval Systems involve the sharing of information by team members through various methods including filing systems, electronic text data base, project management software, and technical documentation i.e. Autocad.

Outputs include memos, directives, reports  you name it.

Performance Reporting-Collecting and dissemination  information performance information including status reporting, progress measurement, and forecasting.  the process includes:

•	Status Reporting-describing where the project now stands.
•	Progress Reporting-describing what the project team has accomplished.
•	Forecasting-predicting future project status and progress.

Performance reporting should generally provide information on scope, schedule, cost and quality.  Other information could include risk issues, communication management plan update, contract and procurement, team building phases, and integration management.
Reports may be prepared comprehensively or on an exception basis.

Tools and Techniques

Performance reviews are meetings held to access project status or progress using one or more of the following reporting techniques.

Variance Analysis compares actual project results to planned or expected results.  Cost and schedule variances are usually examined.  Other areas include scope, quality and risk.

Trend Analysis involves examining project results over time to determine performance.

Earned Value Analysis is the most commonly used method of performance measurement.  

SHOW:  PMBOK pg. 109.  This was discussed in 501, but just a quick reminder.

Outputs from Performance Reporting involve reports organized and summarizing the information gathered and present the results of any analysis.  Report formats vary.

 Administrative Closure-Generating, gathering and disseminating information to formalize phase or project completion.

It includes collection of project records, ensuring the they reflect final specifications, analysis of project success and effectiveness, and archiving such information for future use.  Administrative closure activities should be scheduled and integrated into the substantial completion aspect of each project.  Each phase should be closed ensure important information and useful information is not lost.

Outputs include:

•	Project Archives:  A complete set of indexed records prepared for archiving by professionals.  Two areas of major concern are historical data bases and financial records.
•	Final acceptance includes documentation that the client has accepted the product or project.  In phased projects, each phase should be documented.
•	Lessons Learned documents the variances, the reasons behind the corrective action chosen and other types of lessons learned so that they become part of the historical database for both this project and other projects of the organizations. 
 
Conclusion:

What Is Managerial Communication?

Since the subject matter of this book is managerial communication, we begin
by discussing these terms.

Managerial, of course, is the adjectival form of the verb to manage.  Managing is a process of working with and through other people to accomplish certain tasks, usually within organizations.  Let's look first at the kinds of tasks managers typically do. (We will then look at the meaning of "Communication.")

SOME KEY MANAGEMENT FUNCTIONS

The idea that the manager's job in	involves certain key functions was articulated
early in the twentieth century by a French 	mining executive and early management theorist, Henri Fayol.  He classified these functions as planning, organizing, commanding, coordinating, and controlling.  Remarkably, his list has endured through the years with only minor changes in wording by later writers.

1. Planning is a thinking process-a sort of internal communication within one's mind.  The manager looks ahead to what must be done to maintain and improve performance, to solve problems, and to develop personal competence.  To plan, a manager sets objectives in each area that is to be pursued this week, this month, this year.  Having set these objectives, the manager then thinks through such questions as: 

	What has to be done to reach these objectives? 
	How will these activities be carried out?
	Who will do them?
When will these activities take place?
Where will this work be done?
How much of what kind of resources will be needed?

2.	Organizing involves arranging the work sequence and assigning areas of responsibility and authority.  Having decided the objectives and activities of the work unit, the manager must:

•	Assign these responsibilities to unit staff.
•	Ensure that all responsibilities and supporting authorities are assigned, that none are "uncovered," and that there is no overlapping of responsibilities.

3.	Fayol's principles of commanding and coordinating are often summed up in the term leading, an area where the manager has several functions to enable the unit to achieve its objectives: (Command and control are essentially leading)

•	To indicate the direction in which subordinates must go.
•	To generate the energy (motivation) that subordinates must feel
•	To provide the needed resources.

4.	Controlling is the function ensuring that the manager and the workgroup are working toward the selected objectives.  It involves comparing actual results to expected or planned-for results so as to identify any deviation from plan.  Typically, any deviation from plan leads to a re-planning of activities so as to close the gap, although sometimes the objectives themselves are changed so as to be more realistic.'

Each of Fay’s functions involves people.  Herein lies the universal characteristic of the manager's job: It always includes working with other people.  Only when managers accomplish works through other people are they doing the job correctly.

How do we convey to the "other people" what needs to be done or how a task should be done? (I am glad you asked.) We do this through communication-through managerial communication.

Yet before we discuss communication, one other factor is involved in managerial communication: It takes place within or in association with organizations. To fully understand the nature of managerial communication, we should understand the things about the nature of organizations.

Communication is a Part of our Personality:

When we study communications, we are studying something that is very hard to examine objectively.  We are studying ourselves.

The ways that we attempt to communicate are expressions of personality.

A simple sender-to-something-to-a- receiver model may be adequate when we are talking about conveying simple directives or orders.  But most of the things we communicate in real organizations-ideas, impressions, and feelings-are a lot more complex.   The true communicator is interested in the “Thou” not “I.”  Until we sincerely develop a concern for understanding others, we cannot maximize our potential as communicators.

In reality, communication is the essence of the project manager’s job.  If we accept management as a process of accomplishing things through other people under the most economical conditions with the most profitable results, we must accept the notion that people we manage must be communicated with.

SHOW:  Encoding --Decoding Drawing.  Walk through it.  Communication is not sending messages.   Communications is receiver oriented.

See page 11.

Conclusion:  There are simply too many other variables, such as personal pride, values and sentiments, which affect the communication but are left unexplained.  Therefore, our success as communicator's is determined by our receivers.

Our personal communication styles:

There are two ways to improve verbal communication skills.  One (1) increase our vocabulary so that more precise raw data can be used.  Two (2) improve the match between language structure and reality.  An important point,  we need to continually recognize that we live in two worlds:  a world of our experiences and a world of our words.   

DRAW:  Picture showing World of Experience and Words.

POINT:  Words do not have meaning--People have meaning.  A sender can not really transfer meaning; rather the mind of the receiver creates meaning.

Non Verbal Communications:  Louder Than The way we Word:

Mark Knapp suggested that non verbal forms of codification can be usefully divide into the following categories:

•	Sign language-substitutions of gestures for words, numbers and punctuation signs.
•	Action language-all movements not used exclusively for signals  that is walking, drinking, eating.
•	Object language-all intentional and non intentional display of material things  that is art objects, clothing, machines, ect.

Philip V. Lewis in his book on organizational communications,  classified non verbal communications as:

1.	Body Language or Kinetic Behavior-gestures, facial expressions, and body movement.
2.	Paralanguage-voice qualities, laughing, yawning.
3.	Proxemics-human use and perception of physical space.
4.	Olfaction-Sense of smell
5.	Skin sensitivity-stroking, hitting, greeting, and farewells.
6.	Artifacts- perfume, clothes, lipstick, eyeglasses, wigs, general attractiveness: height, weight, hair color, skin color, etc.

Finally, environment can communicate and create impressions of status differences or openness. 

Conclusion:  Almost all people make judgments about one’s trustworthiness, like ability, competency and dynamism on the basis of voice.  The sobering reality is that what we say is almost always overridden by what we do.  My point, non verbal communications conveys as much or more meaning than does verbal communications.

Organizational Climate:

The climate of the organization is more critical that are communication skills or techniques in creating an effective communication.  Climate is tough term to define.

Communication climate or environment can be viewed as a psychological condition established by the individuals understanding of and commitment to organizational values and the individuals interpersonal relationships with other communication members.  At the root of the culture are agreed upon values.

How does this effect you as a project manager?  You have people assigned to you and your success is based on those people working as an organization for you.  You have to find out two things.  One:  What are the individual goals of each of your team members, and second how do these coincide with the goals of the organization.  BE OPEN.

One-on-One Communications

It is said that one on communication is the least efficient form of communications.  Yet it is the most effective.  The purpose of this discussion is to  recognize the crucial role of one on one communication in the project management process, identify the need satisfaction that can result from meaningful, individual conversations, and recognize good telephone usage techniques in the project life cycle and general business.

People talk to each other to establish and maintain relationships, which in turn serve certain needs.  Specifically:

To gain a better understanding of reality.
To develop and clarify our self image.
To satisfy a normal hunger for affiliation with others.
To gain support for our personal growth.

1.	Reality and self image clarification:  We get a better picture of how things are by bouncing our perceptions off others.  The other reality is clarification of self concept.  Each evaluation comment can magnify or discount our self image.
2.	Affiliation:  All of us have some degree of need for social belonging.
Personal Growth:  Clarifying reality, strengthening self image and satisfying affiliation all contribute to our development as persons.  Interaction with employees is a key management tool, the payoff goes beyond mere pleasant interpersonal relations; it can show up in the maximization of human resources.

When the session is over, the project manager should summarize briefly and be sure that the individual understands the conversation.

REMEMBER:  Thanks (are) a really neglected form of compensation.  Townsend

KEY:  When explaining instructions use simple, specific terms.  Start with something the employee already knows and move to the new or more complex.  Show how the two are related.  Give reasons for what’s to be done so the task won’t be seen as busywork.  Demonstrate or dramatize where this could enhance understanding.  and follow up to evaluate the completed job.  Give the team member a sense of success and give your self and opportunity to reinforce positive behavior.

Telephone Usage:  The advantage of the telephone has the media of speed and relatively low cost.  It permit one on one communication when participants are geographically separated.  “It’s the next best things to being there.”

There are over __ Million business telephones in the US today.  The total number calls made a day is _____ M.  Which represent ____ for every man, woman and child.

Each telephone call creates interaction where people are operating blind--without the visual feedback which help us assign meaning to language and events.  to compensate for this lack of visual stimuli, we draw many conclusions from what we hear alone.  What we hear are very subtle cues such as tone of voice, word choice, pauses, and mumbles.  Two of the most irritating telephone errors are the failure to respond to statements made by the other party and cutting off the conversation.  Use your voice as a source of informational clues.  Talk into the mouthpiece.

Summary:  Attention should be given to communication climate.  One on one communications can provide psychological benefits, and well as improve functional elements with the project team.  Non verbal communication is everywhere and is more often than not read.  Finally, carefully be purposeful, planned and structure with one on one communications.

Written Communications and Email:  Forthcoming.

EXAMINATION:  What is communications management?  Briefly define and explain the four elements of a communication delivery system.

Draw communications diagram and briefly explain.  What is the most important element?

Discuss one type of intra-project communications and describe.  Use a work experience.