BEYOND PMP:�COMMUNICATIONS & STAKEHOLDER MANAGEMENT

ABHINAY VERMA

Purpose of this document

Learning about project management doesn’t end when you pass the PMP exam. PMP teaches a methodology that every practitioner must follow. However, the PMP content is quite detailed and is geared for large projects and many small projects, typically in IT industry, do not follow all processes described in the PMBOK. As a result, many PMP certified project managers either forget what their learnt or start thinking that most of what they studied is not relevant for their roles. This slide deck is intended for all of us who wish to retain the most important and practice advice that PMP taught us irrespective of how big or small our projects are.

COMMUNICATIONS & STAKEHOLDER MANAGEMENT

Stakeholders Matter A project has many stakeholders. For a Project Manager, it is important to manage stakeholder expectations. Stakeholders play multiple roles – there are stakeholders who have financed the project, those who will give the requirements, those who are impacted by your project, those who will provide technical expertise and so on. As PM, it is important to manage their expectations from the project. Managing expectations doesn’t mean following them blindly or doing everything they demand. It means communicating with them effectively, defining what your project will or will not do and making sure everybody is on the same page about what is being delivered.

Stakeholders Matter We all have seen this image somewhere.

This wouldn’t have happened with proper stakeholder management and effective communication.

How to Go About Managing Stakeholders

Identify all stakeholders

Determine their requirements, their expectations and interests

Find out their level of influence

Communicate with them

Manage their expectations throughout the project

Identifying Stakeholders A Stakeholder Register is a good tool to list down each stakeholder. It helps record all of the details about each stakeholder that we saw in the previous slide.

Name Title Department/Business Unit

Contact Details

Requirements Expectations Influence Level (Low to High)

Planning Communications An effective Project Manager must determine how will she communicate with each and every stakeholders. Communications could occur internally or externally to the project team and a good communication plan should plan for all such communications.

Project Manager

(You)

Team Members

Sponsors, Customers

Other Project Managers, Functional Managers

Other Stakeholders

Using Different Types of Communication

Source: PMP Exam Prep by Rita Mulcahy

Communication Type Use for: Formal and Verbal Presentations, Workshops, Demos, Speeches, Management

Meetings

Formal and Written Project Charter, Project Management Plan, Memos, E-mails with senior management and other stakeholders, complex issues/scenarios

Informal and Written E-mail between project team members, Instant Messaging

Informal and Verbal Team Meetings, Conversations

Methods of Communication

Source: PMP Exam Prep by Rita Mulcahy

Different communication methods can be grouped into three broad categories:

Interactive Communication •  Reciprocal Communication mechanism involving two or more people •  One person provides information •  Others receive it and then respond to it •  Example: Meetings, Conference Calls, Conversations

Push Communication •  One-way flow of information •  Sender broadcasts information without expecting feedback •  Example: Status Reports, memos

Pull Communication •  One person puts information in a central location •  Recipients are response for retrieving the information •  Example: Shared drive or portal where large documents are uploaded

Communication Blockers The following are impediments to effective communication. Try to avoid them to the extent possible.

Noisy Surroundings

Jargons and Slangs

Negative Statements

Language and Culture

Hostility

High Context Conversation

Tips for Effective Meetings

Ø  Have a purpose for every meeting. Define an agenda.

Ø  Schedule meetings sufficiently in advance.

Ø  Invite only the necessary people.

Ø  Distribute the agenda in advance, preferably with the meeting invite.

Ø  Let participants know if they need to come prepared with some information.

Ø  Stick to the time and agenda. Pace the meeting to cover all agenda items within time.

Ø  If somebody digresses, please request them to set up another meeting or discuss offline.

Ø  Document and publish meeting minutes. Assign action items to those responsible for it.

These tips will be helpful to have effective meetings everywhere – whether related to a project or not.