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Communication of project status to project stakeholders must
be performed continuously throughout the project’s lifecycle to ensure that
everyone has current information. A
communications plan should be part of an overall project plan and the types of exchanges
identified in that plan may consist of the following:
- Project Status Reports - Project Budget Reports - Quality Assurance Reports - Cost Variance Reports - Schedule Variance Reports - Resource Utilization/Projection Reports - Change Control Documents - Risk Assessments - Open Issues/Action Items Reports - Weekly Project Status Meeting Agenda and Minutes
The communications plan should also outline the following
key components:
- Recipients of each report - Method of delivery of reports to each recipient (email,
letter, etc) - Frequency of delivery of each report to those recipients
(daily, weekly, etc) - Individual responsible for preparing and distributing each
report
Practical reporting would primarily be considered scheduled
project status reports without significant issues. Interim reports may be considered
unscheduled, yet required due to a significant issue which requires immediate
attention. Project stakeholders dislike
surprises and in the event of extremely significant circumstances, that
information should be communicated immediately, particularly if it may have a
negative impact on the project.
A conceivable justification for an interim report would be
the identification of a faulty part that necessitates contacting a supplier for
replacement and the delay may affect the project timeline. Other possible scenarios could be having to
contact the Internet service provider due to a failed communications link to
corporate headquarters which is affecting project productivity or the necessity
to request additional funding due to new project requirements that recently
came to light (scope creep).
Project sponsors, clients, and other stakeholders usually do
not require an equal level of reporting detail as compared to project team
members, but they still need to be aware of progress and problems. The method
of communication also may depend on who the recipient is and the reason for the
communication. Communicating certain
information via email may be inappropriate and the project manager could
determine, based on criticality or sensitivity, that it would be best to present
it in person to the stakeholder. Managing
the communications requirement of a project requires a clear understanding that
without effective communication between all stakeholders, additional elements
of risk are introduced which could affect successful completion of the project
within its allocated budget and timeline.
Written by Claudio LoCicero, M.S.
Over his career he has held several technical and management
positions both in the United
States and overseas within the private and
government sectors.Claudio LoCicero
holds a Master of Science in Information Technology with an Information
Security Specialization.He also holds
numerous professional certifications such as the PMP, CISM, CISSP, ITILF, along
with several certifications from Cisco, Microsoft, and the NSA.
Disclaimer: All information on this site is provided for informational purposes only! By no means is any
information presented herein intended to substitute for the advice provided to you by any health care or other professional
or organization.
