A project is not successful without a viable project communications management plan the project manager must initiate in the beginning stages of the project. Overall, the project manager must plan the management of project communications, then manage the communications plan, and finally have communication control over the types of communications surrounding the project. Experts say project managers spend most of their time communicating with team members and other project stakeholders to create an effective communication bridge for all stakeholders who may differ by culture, background, expertise, perspective, or interests. The project communication management plan must have the right approach to satisfy the needs and requirements of the stakeholder.
The first step to the right approach is to develop a stakeholder register to help communicate progress or issues with the project to all stakeholders. The stakeholder register can contain the stakeholder’s identity information, i.e., their name, position in the company and project, location, and all contact information. The stakeholder register can also contain the project’s major requirements, main expectations, influences, and life cycle phases; collectively called the project’s assessment information but is not necessary because all this information can be found in other project documents. A major area of the stakeholder register is the stakeholder classification the project manager uses to identify whether the project stakeholder is internal, external, a supporter, or a resistor of the project. Stakeholders are impacted by all decisions, activities, and outcomes of the project, and they need a clear communication plan to analyze relevant project information affecting their stakeholder interests, involvement, interdependencies, and influences. The stakeholder register should stay updated regularly, and the project manager should consult the stakeholder register because stakeholders can change throughout a project’s lifecycle.
The project manager is a very vital internal stakeholder in any project. The project manager should have access to all communication mediums utilized within the project because they are the conductor of the communication management plan and operate just like the commuter train's conductor. In building the communication management plan, the project manager displays who will receive information, what information needs to be communicated, how information is disseminated, how often, and finally, who on the project team will be responsible for delivering the information. An effective project manager understands clear and concise communication is crucial for positive project engagement and successfully completing the project while delivering the utmost value. The development of a communication management plan is imperative for that engagement.
The project manager is one of the highest levels of project communication and the gatekeeper to the project sponsor and high-level stakeholders, so team members should understand the project manager should have access to all communication tools and techniques they use in performing their project activities and tasks. Understand team members are vital internal stakeholders simply because nothing happens without their technical expertise and efforts on project activities and tasks. A shared project document medium is vital to effective project communication. Technology offers many choices today, and there is project management software that has those capabilities. If you are not using project management software, there are many individual platforms available for you to choose from. These platforms are effective depending on the usage and outputs. A developed communications management plan will give guidance in delivering their outputs.
Along with the project manager, the project sponsor is also a vital internal stakeholder. The project sponsor is the financial backbone of the project and should have just as much access to the project’s communication mediums as the Project Manager. The project sponsor of the project will possibly include the CEO or CFO of the company. Project contracts and all financial data are very necessary to release to the project sponsor, along with any project issues that can incur additional costs to the project. The project sponsor is a great resource, and the project manager should have a direct and clear communication medium with the project sponsor. The project manager should have an open communication project sponsor, just as with their team members or other stakeholders. The project sponsor can also be an actual team member themselves and have specific assigned activities and tasks. This is a possibility within the project depending on the company's structuring.
Regardless of the stakeholder, the communication management plan needs clear and concise communication mediums and methods to have a successfully completed project that delivers value. A project can produce many different types of outputs that need different platforms to distribute information to all stakeholders. Despite the communication method used within the project, the communication messages should be encoded into language that everyone understands. Anytime a message is sent, there are noise factors before receivers, such as inadequate infrastructure, cultural differences, or distance, receive it. The sender and receiver of any message must have a clear understanding of the expected result from the message itself. Without a clear message sent by the sender and received by the receiver, the communication itself can impact the flow of the project. The project manager must include the responsibilities of sending and receiving communication to reduce as much communication noise as possible to have better acknowledgment and feedback. The project manager should push the urgency of the need for information to the stakeholders, availability of technology, easy use of communication technologies, the project’s environment, and the sensitivity, plus confidentiality, of the information, which will affect the development of an effective communication strategy. Whether the project uses push, interactive, or pull communication, the project manager and the communication management plan are the keys to building an effective and efficient communication strategy and maintaining total responsibility for the correct timing, medium, and audience with the project.