Project Communications Management Terms

by Project Management Process Group

1. Project Communications Management

• Communication Channels. A path of communication that exists within the project. Channels = (number of people on the project × (number of people on the project less 1)) divided by 2. Expressed as Channels = n (n − 1) / 2.
• Communications Management Plan. A subset of the project management plan that provides a guide for completing the communications management activities in the project.
• Communication Methods. A tool for recognizing how a project manager actually shares the information with the stakeholders – classified in interactive communication, push communication, or pull communication.
• Communication Models. A tool for describing how a message is transmitted from the sender and how it is received by the receiver, through a selected medium.
• Communication Requirements Analysis. A tool for analyzing and determining the information valuable to the project stakeholders, so that they can make good decisions.
• Communication Technology. A tool that PMP examines and decides the particular form of technology to be used for project communication, such as written, face-to-face, or virtual communication.

2. Manage Communications

• Information Management Systems. A tool for managing, storing, and distributing project information in a standardized way, be it in hard copy form – more and more obsolete – or electronic form – e.g., email, websites, or project management software, the new standard for project communication.
• Nonverbal Communication. The gestures, facial expressions, and physical appearance of a person while communicating a message verbally.
• Performance Reporting. A specific type of communication that, after collecting and analyzing information on the project baselines and the actual results and comparing the variances, distributes the resulting reports on project status to stakeholders.
• Project Communications. The output from the Manage Communications process that includes the actual information created, stored, and distributed by the project – such as status reports, presentations, e-mails, lessons learned, and so forth.

3. Monitor Communications

• Communication Blockers. Things people do that inhibit good communication, such as withholding information, sending mixed messages, or ignoring cultural differences.
• Issue Log. A document that lists and describes any open item that needs to be addressed and its status.
• Work Performance Data. The raw data about how the project is progressing related to the schedule; e.g., implementation of change requests, preventive actions taken, percent of work actually completed, and so on.
• Work Performance Information. The processed work performance data, changed from raw data into reports that can be used to make project decisions; e.g., status of the deliverables, lessons learned, forecasted completion dates, and so on.

Click here for a detailed analysis of each project management process group and knowledge area.