PMP Certification: Project Communications Management Tips (based on PMBOK® Guide, 6th Edition)


Project Communications Management Tips

by Project Management Process Group

1. Project Communications Management


  • Communication Lines. On the PMP exam, synonyms for communication channels.
  • Effective Communication Vs. Efficient Communication. Communication activities are effective when they provide the information in the right format for the intended audience at the right time. Communication activities are efficient when they provide the appropriate information – and only that information – at the right time.
  • Focus of Communications Management. The whole Knowledge Area focuses on project manager and stakeholders – including the project team members, who need to know who gets what information and when.
  • Para Lingual Communication. On the PMP exam, a kind of nonverbal communication used to transmit a message above and beyond the spoken words. It includes vocal quality, loudness, tempo, facial expressions, and gestures.
pmp 2018 project communications management tips pmbok guide 6th edition tipsographic main

Project Communications Management Tips

by Project Management Process Group

1. Project Communications Management


  • Communication Lines. On the PMP exam, synonyms for communication channels.
  • Effective Communication Vs. Efficient Communication. Communication activities are effective when they provide the information in the right format for the intended audience at the right time. Communication activities are efficient when they provide the appropriate information – and only that information – at the right time.
  • Focus of Communications Management. The whole Knowledge Area focuses on project manager and stakeholders – including the project team members, who need to know who gets what information and when.
  • pmp exam 2018 kit free online course tipsographicPara Lingual Communication. On the PMP exam, a kind of nonverbal communication used to transmit a message above and beyond the spoken words. It includes vocal quality, loudness, tempo, facial expressions, and gestures.

2. Manage Communications


  • Active Listening. It occurs during verbal communication when a project manager or a stakeholder give feedbacks to the speaking counterpart.
  • Control Over Communication Artifacts. A project manager should be in control of the whole communications process, rather than of every communication artifact, i.e., presentations, reports, or texting.
  • Types of Communication. Four main types of communication for the PMP exam:
    • formal written – e.g., reports
    • informal written – e.g., texting
    • formal verbal – e.g., presentations
    • informal verbal – e.g., brainstorming.

3. Monitor Communications


  • Manage Communications Vs. Monitor Communications. The Manage Communications process enforces the communications plan. The Monitor Communications process investigates if the communications plan is right and it may foster changes to the plan.
  • Project Manager’s Time Spent Communicating. 90% of a project manager’s job is communication. Of this 90%, 50% of the time is spent on communicating with the project team members.
  • Project Plan and Documents Updates. There is no fixed list of what a project manager may change as a result of the Monitor Communications process. Be it, e.g., the stakeholder management plan, human resource management plan, or issue log, what gets changed depends on what needs to be adjusted.

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

SOURCES: Project Management Institute (2017). A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® Guide). 6th ed. Newtown Square: Project Management Institute.

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