The following table shows concrete management actions to promote this human activity that is so vital to project success, but too often performed marginally.
Priority |
||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Area |
4Small project team; no significant organizational boundries or cultural differences; previous working relationships. |
3Medium size project team; some organizational diversity; unfamiliar working contacts; geographical separations. |
2Large project team; diverse organizations and cultures; differing contractual relationships. |
1Very large project teams, numerous organizations and interfaces; diverse cultures; numerous geographic locations. |
Communications Planning |
Identify and exercise channels for internal and external communications; identify key players and plan contacts, messages, and information flow; make PM accessible and communicative. |
Identify communications requirements, technologies, constraints and assumptions; draw communications flow diagram; use inclusive team structure to shorten communications paths. |
Use stakeholder analysis to identify communications paths; plan for multiple communications media; plan to shorten vital information paths by new relationships, attitudes, or techniques. |
Document plans for public relations, change management, working papers and deliverables, project advocacy, and internal project team communications. |
Information Distribution |
Identify key players and keep them informed; encourage and exercise information exchange within project team; identify information hand-off dependencies in advance. |
Communicate availability of work results; prepare methods for communications storage and distribution; conduct regular meetings to identify critical issues. |
Establish communications lists and interest areas; identify multiple media paths; solicit feedback on information adequacy; exploit technology to improve communications. |
Identify information requirements of all parties; ensure communication channels in place; track required message delivery; establish distribution lists by subject area. |
Program Reviews, Design Reviews, and Reporting |
Conduct periodic reviews of progress with sponsor and stakeholders; conduct requirements reviews and walk-thrus early; communicate status and design thoughout project. |
Conduct management and design reviews with key stakeholders; review plans, progress and changes; focus on early identification and management of risks. |
Conduct periodic management and design reviews; emphasize early definition of requirements, validation of cost/schedule plans, verification of staffing and technology plans. |
Schedule periodic cost, schedule, and issues reviews (frequently at first); plan for periodic reviews of design and at design milestones; facilitate reviews and working meetings in special interest areas. |
Project Documentation and Records |
Produce and package project working papers in project notebooks; plan early to produce complete customer support documentation; document project lessons learned. |
Use documentation to establish baseline and communications in the project team; design tasks with deliverables in mind; identify design data needed for support documentation; define document set needed at finish. |
Define requirements for project library, deliverables, support documentation, and historical record; budget and staff a data management function. |
Establish comprehensive definition of documentation requirements; distribute standard report formats; track data production and approvals; establish project data library structure. |
Go to Next Page
Return to Methodology Index