Chapter 10: Project Communications Management

TRUE/FALSE

	1.	The information technology field is relatively stable and unchanging.

ANS:	F	PTS:	1	REF:	382

	2.	The gap between users and developers decreases as technology advances.

ANS:	F	PTS:	1	REF:	382

	3.	Most educational systems for information technology graduates promote strong technical skills over strong communication and social skills.

ANS:	T	PTS:	1	REF:	382

	4.	You can separate technical skills and soft skills when working on information technology projects.

ANS:	F	PTS:	1	REF:	383

	5.	The communications management plan will vary with the needs of the project.

ANS:	T	PTS:	1	REF:	386

	6.	The communications management plan should not address frequency of communication.

ANS:	F	PTS:	1	REF:	386-387

	7.	By analyzing stakeholder communications needs, you can avoid wasting time or money on creating or disseminating unnecessary information.

ANS:	T	PTS:	1	REF:	387

	8.	Consistent communication helps organizations improve project communications, especially for programs composed of multiple projects.

ANS:	T	PTS:	1	REF:	388

	9.	Many WBSs include a section for project communications to ensure that reporting key information is a project deliverable.

ANS:	T	PTS:	1	REF:	388

	10.	Getting project information to the right people at the right time and in a useful format is not as important as developing the information in the first place.

ANS:	F	PTS:	1	REF:	388

	11.	Instead of knowing the people working on their projects and developing a trusting relationship with them, many colleagues and managers should want to focus on getting information by reading technical documents.

ANS:	F	PTS:	1	REF:	390

	12.	It is not important to document any changes in technical specifications that might affect product performance.

ANS:	F	PTS:	1	REF:	391

	13.	People have a tendency to want to report bad information.

ANS:	F	PTS:	1	REF:	391

	14.	Adding more people to a project that is falling behind schedule often causes more setbacks because of the increased complexity of communications.

ANS:	T	PTS:	1	REF:	394

	15.	You can assume that a task originally scheduled to take two months of one person’s time can be done in one month by two people.

ANS:	F	PTS:	1	REF:	394

	16.	Rarely does the receiver interpret a message exactly as the sender intended.

ANS:	T	PTS:	1	REF:	394

	17.	Communicating badly exponentially increases the possibility of making fatal mistakes.

ANS:	T	PTS:	1	REF:	395

	18.	Status reports can take various formats depending on the stakeholders’ needs.

ANS:	T	PTS:	1	REF:	398

	19.	Many projects have each team member prepare a monthly or sometimes weekly progress report.

ANS:	T	PTS:	1	REF:	398

	20.	Team members often create consolidated progress reports based on the information received from team leaders.

ANS:	F	PTS:	1	REF:	398

	21.	Project managers should lead their teams in developing norms for dealing with various types of conflicts that might arise on their projects.

ANS:	T	PTS:	1	REF:	399

	22.	When using the confrontation mode, project managers directly face a conflict using a problem-solving approach that allows affected parties to work through their disagreements.

ANS:	T	PTS:	1	REF:	400

	23.	Project managers must realize that all conflict is bad.

ANS:	F	PTS:	1	REF:	400

	24.	Emotional conflict, which stems from personality clashes and misunderstandings, often depresses team performance.

ANS:	T	PTS:	1	REF:	400

	25.	It is common to find someone with a natural ability for both communication and technical skills.

ANS:	F	PTS:	1	REF:	400

	26.	Not understanding how to communicate effectively with other cultures and people of diverse backgrounds hurts projects and businesses.

ANS:	T	PTS:	1	REF:	401

	27.	It is not good practice to include time for informal meetings with customers to help develop relationships and provide staff to assist in relationship management.

ANS:	F	PTS:	1	REF:	401

	28.	Do not have a meeting if there is a better way of achieving the objective at hand.

ANS:	T	PTS:	1	REF:	402

	29.	E-mail is always an appropriate medium for all types of communications.

ANS:	F	PTS:	1	REF:	404

	30.	Project team members rarely need to see all project documentation.

ANS:	F	PTS:	1	REF:	410

MULTIPLE CHOICE

	1.	There are ____ main processes in project communications management.
a.	two	c.	four	
b.	three	d.	five	

ANS:	C	PTS:	1	REF:	383

	2.	____ involves determining the information and communications needs of the stakeholders.
a.	Reporting performance	c.	Managing stakeholder expectations	
b.	Distributing information	d.	Planning communications	

ANS:	D	PTS:	1	REF:	384

	3.	The output of the ____ process is a communications management plan.
a.	reporting performance	c.	managing stakeholder expectations	
b.	distributing information	d.	planning communications	

ANS:	D	PTS:	1	REF:	384

	4.	____ involves making needed information available to project stakeholders in a timely manner.
a.	Reporting performance	c.	Managing stakeholder expectations	
b.	Distributing information	d.	Planning communications	

ANS:	B	PTS:	1	REF:	384

	5.	____ involves collecting and disseminating performance information, including status reports, progress measurement, and forecasting.
a.	Reporting performance	c.	Managing stakeholder expectations	
b.	Distributing information	d.	Planning communications	

ANS:	A	PTS:	1	REF:	384

	6.	The communications management plan can be part of the team ____.
a.	WBS	c.	plan	
b.	contract	d.	guidelines	

ANS:	B	PTS:	1	REF:	386

	7.	Having ____ review and approve all stakeholder communications analysis will ensure that the information is correct and useful.
a.	stakeholders	c.	top management	
b.	project team members	d.	customers	

ANS:	A	PTS:	1	REF:	388

	8.	Information regarding the content of essential project communications comes from the ____.
a.	organizational chart	c.	work breakdown structure (WBS)	
b.	communications management plan	d.	expectations management matrix	

ANS:	C	PTS:	1	REF:	388

	9.	The ____ serves as a good starting point for information distribution.
a.	stakeholder communications analysis	c.	communications management plan	
b.	WBS	d.	status report	

ANS:	A	PTS:	1	REF:	388

	10.	Often, many non-technical professionals—from colleagues to managers—prefer to ____ about project information to try to find pertinent information.
a.	read detailed reports	c.	read Web pages	
b.	read e-mails	d.	have a two-way conversation	

ANS:	D	PTS:	1	REF:	390

	11.	____ are often more effective, particularly for sensitive information.
a.	Electronic communications	c.	Telephone conversations	
b.	Short face-to-face meetings	d.	Long face-to-face meetings	

ANS:	B	PTS:	1	REF:	390

	12.	Many people cite research that says in a face-to-face interaction, ____ percent of communication is through body language.
a.	10	c.	58	
b.	25	d.	85	

ANS:	C	PTS:	1	REF:	391

	13.	Since information technology projects often require a lot of coordination, it is a good idea to have ____ meetings.
a.	long, frequent	c.	short, frequent	
b.	short, infrequent	d.	long, infrequent	

ANS:	C	PTS:	1	REF:	391

	14.	According to the guidelines provided by Practical Communications, Inc., a(n) ____ is the only inappropriate method for expressing support/appreciation.
a.	phone call	c.	meeting	
b.	e-mail	d.	Web site	

ANS:	D	PTS:	1	REF:	392

	15.	According to the guidelines provided by Practical Communications, Inc., a(n) ____ is the only method that is “excellent” for encouraging creative thinking.
a.	phone call	c.	meeting	
b.	e-mail	d.	Web Site	

ANS:	B	PTS:	1	REF:	392

	16.	According to the guidelines provided by Practical Communications, Inc., a(n) ____ is the most appropriate method for giving complex instructions.
a.	phone call	c.	meeting	
b.	e-mail	d.	Web Site	

ANS:	C	PTS:	1	REF:	392

	17.	Many users prefer ____ to learn how to use a new system.
a.	phone conversations	c.	e-mail conversations	
b.	face-to-face meetings	d.	reading user guides	

ANS:	B	PTS:	1	REF:	394

	18.	As the number of people involved in a project ____, the complexity of communications ____.
a.	increases, decreases	c.	increases, stays constant	
b.	decreases, increases	d.	increases, increases	

ANS:	D	PTS:	1	REF:	395

	19.	Two people have ____ communications channel(s).
a.	zero	c.	two	
b.	one	d.	three	

ANS:	B	PTS:	1	REF:	395

	20.	Four people have ____ communications channel(s).
a.	one	c.	six	
b.	four	d.	eight	

ANS:	C	PTS:	1	REF:	395

	21.	Many practitioners define project success as ____.
a.	meeting project scope goals	c.	satisfying the customer/sponsor	
b.	meeting time goals	d.	meeting cost goals	

ANS:	C	PTS:	1	REF:	396

	22.	Project sponsors can usually rank scope, time, and cost goals in order of importance in a(n) ____.
a.	expectations management matrix	c.	issue log	
b.	responsibility assignment matrix	d.	priority matrix	

ANS:	A	PTS:	1	REF:	397

	23.	____ describe where the project stands at a specific point in time.
a.	Progress reports	c.	Forecasts	
b.	Status reports	d.	Updates	

ANS:	B	PTS:	1	REF:	398

	24.	____ describe what the project team has accomplished during a certain period.
a.	Progress reports	c.	Forecasts	
b.	Status reports	d.	Updates	

ANS:	A	PTS:	1	REF:	398

	25.	____ predict future project status and progress based on past information and trends.
a.	Progress reports	c.	Forecasts	
b.	Status reports	d.	Updates	

ANS:	C	PTS:	1	REF:	398

	26.	____ are a good way to highlight information provided in important project documents, empower people to be accountable for their work, and have face-to-face discussions about important project issues.
a.	Information retreats	c.	Information review meetings	
b.	Status planning meetings	d.	Status review meetings	

ANS:	D	PTS:	1	REF:	399

	27.	____ issues cause the most conflicts over the project life cycle.
a.	Project priority	c.	Cost	
b.	Staffing	d.	Schedule	

ANS:	D	PTS:	1	REF:	399

	28.	The ____ mode is also called the problem-solving mode.
a.	confrontation	c.	smoothing	
b.	compromise	d.	forcing	

ANS:	A	PTS:	1	REF:	400

	29.	With the ____, project managers use a give-and-take approach to resolving conflicts.
a.	confrontation mode	c.	smoothing mode	
b.	compromise mode	d.	forcing mode	

ANS:	B	PTS:	1	REF:	400

	30.	When using the ____, the project manager deemphasizes or avoids areas of differences and emphasizes areas of agreement.
a.	confrontation mode	c.	smoothing mode	
b.	withdrawal mode	d.	forcing mode	

ANS:	C	PTS:	1	REF:	400

	31.	When using the ____, project managers exert their viewpoint at the potential expense of another viewpoint.
a.	confrontation mode	c.	smoothing mode	
b.	compromise mode	d.	forcing mode	

ANS:	D	PTS:	1	REF:	400

	32.	When using the ____, project managers retreat or withdraw from an actual or potential disagreement.
a.	confrontation mode	c.	smoothing mode	
b.	withdrawal mode	d.	forcing mode	

ANS:	B	PTS:	1	REF:	400

	33.	Research indicates that project managers favor using ____ for conflict resolution over the other four modes.
a.	compromise	c.	confrontation	
b.	smoothing	d.	forcing	

ANS:	C	PTS:	1	REF:	400

	34.	____ employees are also more likely to enroll voluntarily in classes on the latest technology than those on developing their soft skills.
a.	Individual	c.	Groups of	
b.	Service	d.	Team	

ANS:	A	PTS:	1	REF:	401

	35.	It takes ____ to help improve communication.
a.	timing	c.	leadership	
b.	highly skilled employees	d.	outside consultants	

ANS:	C	PTS:	1	REF:	401

	36.	According to the guideline governing ____, many meetings are most effective with the minimum number of participants possible.
a.	determining if a meeting can be avoided	
b.	determining who should attend the meeting	
c.	defining the purpose and intended outcome of the meeting	
d.	running the meeting professionally	

ANS:	B	PTS:	1	REF:	403

	37.	According to the guideline governing ____, designate someone to take minutes and send the minutes out soon after the meeting.
a.	running the meeting professionally	
b.	providing an agenda to participants before the meeting	
c.	determining who should attend the meeting	
d.	building relationships	

ANS:	A	PTS:	1	REF:	403

	38.	The ____ line for any e-mail messages you write should clearly state the intention of the e-mail.
a.	to	c.	subject	
b.	from	d.	cc	

ANS:	C	PTS:	1	REF:	404

	39.	Some items discussed in a(n) ____ include reflections on whether project goals were met, whether the project was successful or not, the causes of variances on the project, the reasoning behind corrective actions chosen, the use of different project management tools and techniques, and personal words of wisdom based on team members’ experiences.
a.	final project report	c.	audit report	
b.	design document	d.	lessons-learned report	

ANS:	D	PTS:	1	REF:	409

	40.	____ are a complete set of organized project records that provide an accurate history of the project.
a.	Project archives	c.	Project databases	
b.	Project backups	d.	Project notes	

ANS:	A	PTS:	1	REF:	409

COMPLETION

	1.	Many experts agree that the greatest threat to the success of any project, especially information technology projects, is a failure to ____________________.

ANS:	communicate

PTS:	1	REF:	382

	2.	The outputs of the ____________________ process are performance reports, organizational process assets updates, and change requests.

ANS:	reporting performance

PTS:	1	REF:	384

	3.	________________________________________ involves managing communications to satisfy the needs and expectations of project stakeholders and to resolve issues.

ANS:	Managing stakeholder expectations

PTS:	1	REF:	384

	4.	A(n) ___________________________________ is a document that guides project communications.

ANS:	communications management plan

PTS:	1	REF:	386

	5.	The _________________________ analysis includes information such as the contact person for the information, when the information is due, and the preferred format for the information.

ANS:	stakeholder communications

PTS:	1	REF:	387

	6.	____________________ can facilitate the process of distributing information, when used properly.

ANS:	Technology

PTS:	1	REF:	389

	7.	Many experts believe that the difference between good project managers and excellent project managers is their ability to nurture relationships and use empathic ____________________ skills.

ANS:	listening

PTS:	1	REF:	390

	8.	It is important to put information in context, especially if it is ____________________ news.

ANS:	bad

PTS:	1	REF:	394

	9.	Project managers should try to ____________________ the size of teams or sub teams to avoid making communications too complex.

ANS:	limit

PTS:	1	REF:	395

	10.	Many information technology professionals work on ____________________ projects where they never meet their project sponsors, other team members, or other project stakeholders.

ANS:	virtual

PTS:	1	REF:	396

	11.	Many studies define project success as meeting project scope, time, and ____________________ goals.

ANS:	cost

PTS:	1	REF:	396

	12.	The ______________________________ includes a list of measures of success as well as priorities, expectations, and guidelines related to each measure.

ANS:	expectations management matrix

PTS:	1	REF:	397

	13.	The ____________________ statement clearly defines mandatory requirements and optional requirements.

ANS:	scope

PTS:	1	REF:	397

	14.	Understanding the stakeholders’ ____________________ can help in managing issues.

ANS:	expectations

PTS:	1	REF:	398

	15.	_________________________ keeps stakeholders informed about how resources are being used to achieve project objectives.

ANS:	Performance reporting

PTS:	1	REF:	398

	16.	Team leaders often create consolidated ____________________ based on the information received from team members.

ANS:	progress reports

PTS:	1	REF:	398

	17.	An important technique for performance reporting is the ____________________ review meeting.

ANS:	status

PTS:	1	REF:	399

	18.	When the stakes are high, ____________________ is never far away.

ANS:	conflict

PTS:	1	REF:	399

	19.	The ____________________ approach is the least desirable conflict-handling mode.

ANS:	withdrawal

PTS:	1	REF:	400

	20.	Project team members may become stagnant or develop ____________________—conformance to the values or ethical standards of a group—if there are no conflicting viewpoints on various aspects of a project.

ANS:	groupthink

PTS:	1	REF:	400

	21.	Communication skills training usually includes ____________________ activities in which participants learn concepts such as building rapport.

ANS:	
role-playing
role playing

PTS:	1	REF:	401

	22.	All meetings should have a(n) ____________________ and intended outcome.

ANS:	purpose

PTS:	1	REF:	403

	23.	Some professionals refuse to attend meetings if they do not have a(n) ____________________ ahead of time.

ANS:	agenda

PTS:	1	REF:	403

	24.	____________________ e-mail that you do not need to save or respond to.

ANS:	Delete

PTS:	1	REF:	405

	25.	A(n) _________________________ is a reflective statement documenting important things a team has learned from working on a project.

ANS:	lessons-learned report

PTS:	1	REF:	409

ESSAY

	1.	What are five main processes in project communications management? Briefly describe each process.

ANS:	
Identifying stakeholders involves identifying everyone involved in or affected by the project and determining the best ways to manage relationships with them. The main outputs of this process are a stakeholder register and stakeholder management strategy.

Planning communications involves determining the information and communications needs of the stakeholders: who needs what information, when will they need it, and how will the information be given to them. The outputs of this process include a communications management plan and project document updates.

Distributing information involves making needed information available to project stakeholders in a timely manner. The main output of this process is organizational process assets updates. Recall from Chapter 4 that organizational process assets include formal and informal plans, policies, procedures, guidelines, information systems, financial systems, management systems, lessons learned, and historical information that help people understand, follow, and improve business processes in a specific organization. 

Managing stakeholder expectations involves managing communications to satisfy the needs and expectations of project stakeholders and to resolve issues. The outputs of this process are organizational process assets updates, change requests, project management plan updates, and project document updates. 

Reporting performance involves collecting and disseminating performance information, including status reports, progress measurements, and forecasts. The outputs of this process are performance reports, organizational process assets updates, and change requests.

PTS:	1	REF:	383-384

	2.	Describe the concepts of informal methods for distributing information. How do they compare to formal methods for distributing information?

ANS:	
It is not enough for project team members to submit status reports to their project managers and other stakeholders and assume that everyone who needs to know that information will read the reports. Some technical professionals might assume that submitting the appropriate status reports is sufficient because they are introverts and prefer communicating that way. Occasionally, that approach might work, but many people prefer informal communications. Recall that 75 percent of the general population are extroverts, so they enjoy talking to other people. Often, many non-technical professionals—from colleagues to managers—prefer to have a two-way conversation about project information, rather than reading detailed reports, e-mails, or Web pages to try to find pertinent information.

Instead of focusing on getting information by reading technical documents, many colleagues and managers want to know the people working on their projects and develop a trusting relationship with them. They use informal discussions about the project to develop these relationships. Therefore, project managers must be good at nurturing relationships through good communication. Many experts believe that the difference between good project managers and excellent project managers is their ability to nurture relationships and use empathic listening skills.

Effective distribution of information depends on project managers and project team members having good communication skills. Communicating includes many different dimensions such as writing, speaking, and listening, and project personnel need to use all of these dimensions in their daily routines. In addition, different people respond positively to different levels or types of communication. The project manager needs to be aware of and take advantage of this special communication need. The project sponsor will give better feedback about the project during these informal talks than he or she could give through some other form of communication. Informal conversations allow the project sponsor to exercise his or her role of leadership and provide insights and information that are critical to the success of the project and the organization as a whole. Short face-to-face meetings are often more effective than electronic communications, particularly for sensitive information.

PTS:	1	REF:	390

	3.	How do you determine the number of communications channels? How does the number of people involved in a project affect this value? How can project managers control this value?

ANS:	
An important aspect of information distribution is the number of people involved in a project. As the number of people involved increases, the complexity of communications increases because there are more communications channels or pathways through which people can communicate. There is a simple formula for determining the number of communications channels as the number of people involved in a project increases. You can calculate the number of communications channels as follows:

	number of communications channels = n(n-1)/2

where n is the number of people involved.

For example, two people have one communications channel: (2(2–1))/2 = 1. Three people have three channels: (3(3–1))/2 = 3. Four people have six channels, five people have ten, and so on. For example, two people have one communications channel: (2(2–1))/2 = 1. Three people have three channels: (3(3–1))/2 = 3. Four people have six channels, five people have ten, and so on.

As the number of people communicating increases above three, the number of communications channels increases rapidly. Project managers should try to limit the size of teams or sub teams to avoid making communications too complex.

PTS:	1	REF:	395

	4.	What is performance reporting? What are some methods used for performance reporting?

ANS:	
Performance reporting keeps stakeholders informed about how resources are being used to achieve project objectives. Work performance information and measurements, forecasted completion dates, quality control measurements, the project management plan, approved change requests, and deliverables are all important inputs to performance reporting. Two key outputs of performance reporting are performance reports and forecasts. Performance reports are normally provided as status reports or progress reports. Many people use the two terms interchangeably, but some people distinguish between them as follows:

Status reports describe where the project stands at a specific point in time. Recall the importance of the triple constraint. Status reports address where the project stands in terms of meeting scope, time, and cost goals. How much money has been spent to date? How long did it take to do certain tasks? Is work being accomplished as planned? Status reports can take various formats depending on the stakeholders’ needs.

Progress reports describe what the project team has accomplished during a certain period. Many projects have each team member prepare a monthly or sometimes weekly progress report. Team leaders often create consolidated progress reports based on the information received from team members.

Forecasts predict future project status and progress based on past information and trends. How long will it take to finish the project based on how things are going? How much more money will be needed to complete the project? Project managers can also use earned value management to answer these questions by estimating the budget at completion and projected completion date based on how the project is progressing.

Another important technique for performance reporting is the status review meeting. Status review meetings are a good way to highlight information provided in important project documents, empower people to be accountable for their work, and have face-to-face discussions about important project issues. Many program and project managers hold periodic status review meetings to exchange important project information and motivate people to make progress on their parts of the project. Likewise, many top managers hold monthly or quarterly status review meetings where program and project managers must report overall status information.

PTS:	1	REF:	398-399

	5.	List and briefly describe Blake and Mouton’s five basic modes for handling conflicts. Which mode(s) are most commonly used by project managers?

ANS:	
1. Confrontation: When using the confrontation mode, project managers directly face a conflict using a problem-solving approach that allows affected parties to work through their disagreements. This approach is also called the problem-solving mode.

2. Compromise: With the compromise mode, project managers use a give-and-take approach to resolving conflicts. They bargain and search for solutions that bring some degree of satisfaction to all the parties in a dispute.

3. Smoothing: When using the smoothing mode, the project manager de-emphasizes or avoids areas of differences and emphasizes areas of agreement.

4. Forcing: The forcing mode can be viewed as the win-lose approach to conflict resolution. Project managers exert their viewpoint at the potential expense of another viewpoint. Managers who are very competitive or autocratic in their management style might favor this approach.

5. Withdrawal: When using the withdrawal mode, project managers retreat or withdraw from an actual or potential disagreement. This approach is the least desirable conflict-handling mode.

More recent studies recognize a sixth conflict-handling mode:
6. Collaborating: Using the collaborating mode, decision makers incorporate different
viewpoints and insights to develop consensus and commitment.

Research indicates that project managers favor using confrontation for conflict resolution over the other four modes. The term confrontation may be misleading. This mode really focuses on addressing conflicts using a problem-solving approach. Using Stephen Covey’s paradigms of interdependence, this mode focuses on a win-win approach. All parties work together to find the best way to solve the conflict. The next most favored approach to conflict resolution is compromise. Successful project managers are less likely to use smoothing, forcing, or withdrawal than they are to use confrontation or compromise.

PTS:	1	REF:	400