.1 Communications Management Plan

.1 Communications Skills

Communications skills are part of general management skills and are used to exchange information. General management skills related to communications include ensuring that the right persons get the right information at the right time, as defined in the communications management plan. General management skills also include the art of managing stakeholder requirements.

As part of the communications process, the sender is responsible for making the information clear and complete so that the receiver can receive it correctly, and for confirming that it is properly understood. The receiver is responsible for making sure that the information is received in its entirety and understood correctly. Communicating has many dimensions:

• Written and oral, listening, and speaking

• Internal (within the project) and external (customer, the media, the public)

• Formal (reports, briefings) and informal (memos, ad hoc conversations)

• Vertical (up and down the organization) and horizontal (with peers).

.2 Information Gathering and Retrieval Systems

Information can be gathered and retrieved through a variety of media including manual filing systems, electronic databases, project management software, and systems that allow access to technical documentation, such as engineering drawings, design specifications, and test plans.

.3 Information Distribution Methods

Information Distribution is information collection, sharing, and distribution to project stakeholders in a timely manner across the project life cycle. Project information can be distributed using a variety of methods, including:

.4 Lessons Learned Process

A lessons learned session focuses on identifying project successes and project failures, and includes recommendations to improve future performance on projects. During the project life cycle, the project team and key stakeholders identify lessons learned concerning the technical, managerial, and process aspects of the project. The lessons learned are compiled, formalized, and stored through the project's duration.

The focus of lessons learned meetings can vary. In some cases, the focus is on strong technical or product development processes, while in other cases, the focus is on the processes that aided or hindered performance of the work. Teams can gather information more frequently if they feel that the increased quantity of data merits the additional investment of time and money. Lessons learned provide future project teams with the information that can increase effectiveness and efficiency of project management. In addition, phase-end lessons learned sessions provide a good team-building exercise. Project managers have a professional obligation to conduct lessons learned sessions for all projects with key internal and external stakeholders, particularly if the project yielded less than desirable results. Some specific results from lessons learned include:

• Update of the lessons learned knowledge base

• Input to knowledge management system

• Updated corporate policies, procedures, and processes

• Improved business skills

• Overall product and service improvements

• Updates to the risk management plan.

.1 Organizational Process Assets (Updates)

.2 Requested Changes