10.2 Manage Communications

Send the right information to the right people at the agreed times.

Executing / Communications · ← PMBOK reference · See it on the map

Why it matters

A communications plan that is never actually executed is just a document; this is where stakeholders actually get what they were promised.

What done looks like

Planned communications are going out on schedule and are being received.

First time tip

Keep a simple log of what was sent, to whom, and when. It settles disputes later about who was or was not told something.

What you need (Inputs)

• Communications Management Plan
• Stakeholder Engagement Plan
• Change Log
• Issue Log
  How Scrum/Kanban projects satisfy this — counted from: impediments (driftless/models/agile.py:Impediment) — an impediment IS an issue raised against the team's progress; healthy once none are open or in progress
• Quality Report
• Work Performance Reports
  How Scrum/Kanban projects satisfy this — counted from: sprint review evidence (driftless/models/delivery.py:Sprint) — a sprint closed with review notes is the periodic report the sprint's own cadence produces, fresh while the latest is inside the reporting window

How you do it (Tools & Techniques)

• Communication Technology
• Communication Methods
• Communication Skills
• Project Management Information System
• Project Reporting
• Interpersonal and Team Skills
• Meetings

What you get (Outputs)

• Project Communications

Worked example

With the plan agreed, the shutoff dates go out as postcards a week ahead and a text the night before, the council gets its summary in the meeting packet, and the school is emailed the detour dates the day they are confirmed. The project manager keeps a one-line log of every send, so when a resident later says nobody told them, the postcard date is there to check.

Common pitfalls

• Sending the notice late and assuming nobody noticed, when a week's warning was the whole point of it.
• Skipping the log, so a complaint about not being told comes down to one person's word against another's.
• Switching channels mid-project without saying so, leaving the people still watching the old one with nothing.

How driftless helps

• Communication Technology can be run here.
• Communication Methods can be run here.
• Meetings can be run here.