Manage Project Team: Inputs

10 Note: Not all process interactions and data flow among the processes are shown. Figure 10-2. Project Communications Management Process Flow Diagram Communications skills are related to, but are not the same as, project management communications. The art of communications is a broad subject and involves a substantial body of knowledge including: • Sender-receiver models. Feedback loops and barriers to communication. • Choice of media. When to communicate in writing versus orally, when to write an informal memo versus a formal report, and when to communicate face-to-face versus by e-mail. The media chosen for communication activities will depend upon the situation. • Writing style. Active versus passive voice, sentence structure, and word choice. A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge PMBOK ® Guide Third Edition 2004 Project Management Institute, Four Campus Boulevard, Newtown Square, PA 19073-3299 USA 223 • Presentation techniques. Body language and design of visual aids. • Meeting management techniques. Preparing an agenda and dealing with conflict. A basic model of communication, shown in Figure 10-3, demonstrates how ideas or information is sent and received between two parties, defined as the sender and the receiver. The key components of the model include: • Encode. To translate thoughts or ideas into a language that is understood by others. • Message. The output of encoding. • Medium. The method used to convey the message. • Noise. Anything that interferes with the transmission and understanding of the message e.g., distance. • Decode. To translate the message back into meaningful thoughts or ideas. Inherent in the model shown in Figure 10-3 is an action to acknowledge a message. Acknowledgement means that the receiver signals receipt of the message, but not necessarily agreement with the message. Another action is the response to a message, which means that the receiver has decoded, understands, and is replying to the message. Figure 10-3. Communication – Basic Model The components in the communications model need to be taken into account when discussing project communications. There are many challenges in using these components to effectively communicate with project stakeholders. Consider a highly technical, multi-national project team. For one team member to successfully communicate a technical concept to another team member in a different country can involve encoding the message in the appropriate language, sending the message using a variety of technologies, and having the receiver decode the message. Any noise introduced along the way compromises the original meaning of the message. A breakdown in communications can negatively impact the project. A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge PMBOK ® Guide Third Edition 224 2004 Project Management Institute, Four Campus Boulevard, Newtown Square, PA 19073-3299 USA