Transcript Chapter 10: Project Communications Management Copyright Course Technology 2009 Importance of Good Communications • The greatest threat to many projects is a failure to communicate • Our.

Chapter 10:
Project Communications
Management
Copyright Course Technology 2009
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Importance of Good
Communications
• The greatest threat to many projects
is a failure to communicate
• Our culture does not portray IT
professionals as being good
communicators
• Research shows that IT
professionals must be able to
communicate effectively to succeed
in their positions
• Strong verbal skills are a key factor
in career advancement
for IT
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professionals
Project Communications
Management Processes
• Communications planning: determining
the information and communications
needs of the stakeholders
• Information distribution: making
needed information available in a
timely manner
• Performance reporting: collecting and
disseminating performance information
• Administrative closure: generating,
gathering, and disseminating
information toCopyright
formalize
phase or
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project completion
Project Communications
Management
th
Processes—4 edition
•
•
•
•
Identify Stakeholders
Plan Communications
Distribute Information
Manage Stakeholder
Expectations
• Report Performance
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Plan Communications
• Every project should include
some type of communications
management plan, a document
that guides project
communications
• Creating a stakeholder analysis
for project communications also
aids in communications planning
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Communications
Management Plan
Contents
• A description of a collection and
filing structure for gathering and
storing various types of information
• A distribution structure describing
what information goes to whom,
when, and how
• A format for communicating key
project information
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Communications
Management Plan
Contents, continued
• A project schedule for producing the
information
• Access methods for obtaining the
information
• A method for updating the communications
management plans as the project
progresses and develops
• A stakeholder communications analysis
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Table 10-1. Sample Stake holder
Analysis for Project
Communications
Stakeholders
Document Name
Document
Format
Contact Person Due
Customer
Management
Monthly Status
Report
Hard copy
Gail Feldman,
Tony Silva
First of month
Customer
Business Staff
Monthly Status
Report
Hard copy
Julie Grant,
First of month
Customer
Technical Staff
Monthly Status
Report
E-mail
Internal
Management
Monthly Status
Report
Hard copy
Bob Thomson
First of month
Internal
Business and
Technical Staff
Monthly Status
Report
Intranet
Angie Liu
First of month
Training
Subcontractor
Training Plan
Hard Copy
Jonathan Kraus
11/1/1999
Software
Subcontractor
Software
E-mail
Barbara Gates
Implementation
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Plan
Jeff Martin
Evan Dodge,
First of month
Nancy Michaels
6/1/2000
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Distribute Information
• Getting the right information to
the right people at the right time
and in a useful format is just as
important as developing the
information in the first place
• Important considerations include
– using technology to enhance
information distribution
– formal and informal methods for
distributing
information
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What Went Wrong?
A well publicized example of misuse of e-mail comes
from the 1998 Justice Department's high profile,
antitrust suit against Microsoft. E-mail emerged as a
star witness in the case. Many executives sent
messages that should never have been put in writing.
The court used e-mail as evidence, even though the
senders of the notes said the information was being
interpreted out of context.
Some companies, such as Amazon.com, have
established policies to encourage employees to watch
their use of e-mail and delete it often. Their "Sweep and
Clean" program instructed employees to purge e-mails
that were no longer required for business or legal
purposes. They even offered free café lattes to
employees who complied immediately.
Harmon, Amy, "E-mail comes back to haunt companies,"
29, 1998
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Figure 10-1. The Impact of the
Number of People on
Communications Channels
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Report Performance
• Performance reporting keeps
stakeholders informed about how
resources are being used to achieve
project objectives
– Status reports describe where the project
stands at a specific point in time
– Progress reports describe what the project
team has accomplished during a certain
period of time
– Project forecasting predicts future project
status and progress based on past
information and trends
– Status review meetings often include
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performanceCopyright
reporting
Administrative Closure
• A project or phase of a project
requires closure
• Administrative closure produces
– project archives
– formal acceptance
– lessons learned
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Suggestions for Improving
Project Communications
• Resolve conflicts effectively
• Develop better communication
skills
• Run effective meetings
• Use templates for project
communications
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Conflict Handling Modes, in
Preference Order
• Confrontation or problem-solving:
directly face a conflict
• Compromise: use a give-and-take
approach
• Smoothing: de-emphasize areas of
differences and emphasize areas of
agreement
• Forcing: the win-lose approach
• Withdrawal: retreat or withdraw from
an actual or potential disagreement
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Table 10-3. Sample
Template for a Monthly
Progress Report
I.
Accomplishments for Month of February (or appropriate month):
 Describe most important accomplishments. Relate to project's Gantt chart
 Describe other important accomplishments, one bullet for each. If any issues were
resolved from the previous month, list them as accomplishments.
II.
Plans for March (or following month):
 Describe most important items to be accomplished in the next month. Again relate
to the project's Gantt chart.
 Describe other important items to accomplish, one bullet for each
III.
Issues: Briefly list important issues that surfaced or are still important. Managers
hate surprises and want to help the project succeed, so be sure to list issues.
IV.
Project Changes (Date and Description): List any approved or requested
changes to the project. Include the date of the change and a brief description.
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Table 10-5. Sample Template
for a Letter of Agreement for
a Class Project
I.
Project Description: Describe the project's objective, scope, assumptions, cost
information, and schedule information, as shown in Figure 9-2. Be sure to include
important dates that the project's sponsor needs to be aware of
II.
Organizational Goals and Expectations: Have the main sponsor from the
organization briefly state their goals and expectations for the project.
III.
Student Goals and Expectations: Students on the project team should briefly
state their goals and expectations for the project.
IV.
Meeting Information. It is a good idea for the project's sponsor and all students
on the project team to agree on at least one hour per week where all parties can meet
to work on this project. The meeting place should be a convenient location without
distractions. Virtual meetings may be an option for some people and projects.
V.
Contact Information and Communications Plan: List the sponsor's and
students' names, phone numbers, e-mails, and important procedures for
communications. It is a good idea to set up a web site for all project information.
VI.
Signatures: Have the main sponsor and students on the project team sign the
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letter of agreement. Designate
which student is the project manager. This student
should be the main contact for all project information.
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Figure 10-3. Gantt Chart Template for a
Class Project
Project 98 file
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Table 10-6. Guidance for
Student’s Lessons Learned
Report
Every two weeks or after a major event in your group
project, write a brief journal entry describing what happened
and how you felt about it. At the end of the term, write a 2-3
page paper describing your lessons learned based on your
group project. Answer the following questions:
•What were your roles and responsibilities on the team? How were
they decided?
•What did you like/dislike about the project?
•What did you learn about project management and yourself by
doing the project?
•What did you learn about teamwork and yourself by doing the
project?
•What would you have done differently? What will you remember to
do on the next project
you work
after this
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Developing a Communications
Infrastructure
• A communications infrastructure is a set of
tools, techniques, and principles that provide a
foundation for the effective transfer of
information
– Tools include e-mail, project management
software, groupware, fax machines,
telephones, teleconferencing systems,
document management systems, and word
processors
– Techniques include reporting guidelines and
templates, meeting ground rules and
procedures, decision-making processes,
problem-solving approaches, and conflict
resolution and negotiation techniques
– Principles include
using open dialog and an20
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agreed upon work ethic
Using Software to Assist
in Project
Communications
• There are many software tools to aid
in project communications
• The “What Went Right?” example on
pg. 264 describes several new webbased and wireless communications
tools
• Microsoft Project includes several
features to enhance communications
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Figure 10-4. MS Project Information Saved as
HTML File
Project 98 file
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Chapter 12:
Project Procurement
Management
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Importance of Project
Procurement
Management
• Procurement means acquiring goods
and/or services from an outside
source
• Other terms include purchasing and
outsourcing
• By the year 2003 the worldwide
information technology outsourcing
market had grown to over $100
billion
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Why Outsource?
• To reduce both fixed and
recurrent costs
• To allow the client organization
to focus on its core business
• To access skills and
technologies
• To provide flexibility
• To increase accountability
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Project Procurement
Management Processes
• Plan Procurements: determining
what to procure and when
• Conduct Procurements:
documenting product requirements
and identifying potential sources
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Project Procurement
Management Processes,
Continued
• Administer Procurements:
managing the relationship with the
vendor
• Close Procurements: completion
and settlement of the contract
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Procurement Management
Processes (3rd Edition) and
Key Outputs
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Plan Procurements
• Procurement planning involves
identifying which project needs
can be best met by using
products or services outside the
organization. It includes deciding
–
–
–
–
–
whether to procure
how to procure
what to procure
how much to procure
when to procure
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Collaborative
Procurement
• Several organizations, even
competitors, have found that it
makes sense to collaborate on
procurement for some projects
• Kodak
• Rental car companies
• Frito-Lay, and its competitors
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Procurement Planning
Tools and Techniques
• Make-or-buy analysis: determining
whether a particular product or
service should be made or performed
inside the organization or purchased
from someone else. Often involves
financial analysis
• Experts, both internal and external,
can provide valuable inputs in
procurement decisions
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Types of Contracts
• Fixed price or lump sum: involve a
fixed total price for a well-defined
product or service
• Cost reimbursable: involve payment
to the seller for direct and indirect
costs
• Unit price contracts: require the
buyer to pay the seller a
predetermined amount per unit of
service
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Cost Reimbursable
Contracts
• Cost plus incentive fee (CPIF): the
buyer pays the seller for allowable
performance costs plus a
predetermined fee and an incentive
bonus
• Cost plus fixed fee (CPFF): the buyer
pays the seller for allowable
performance costs plus a fixed fee
payment usually based on a
percentage of estimated costs
• Cost plus percentage of costs (CPPC):
the buyer pays the seller for allowable
performance costs plus a
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predetermined
percentage based on 33
Figure 12-2. Contract
Types Versus Risk
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Statement of Work
(SOW)
• A statement of work is a description
of the work required for the
procurement
• Many contracts, or other mutually
binding agreements, include SOWs
• A good SOW gives bidders a better
understanding of the buyer’s
expectations
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A Common Contractual
Relationship
• Time and Materials Contract
– Is essentially a cost
reimbursement contract, but
reimburses material costs as well
– May be agreed to through
transmittal of a letter
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Solicitation Planning
• Solicitation planning involves
preparing several documents:
– Request for Proposals: used to solicit
proposals from prospective sellers where
there are several ways to meet the buyers’
needs
– Requests for Quotes: used to solicit quotes
for well-defined procurements
– Invitations for bid or negotiation, and initial
contractor responses are also part of
solicitation planning
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Figure 12-4. Outline for a
Request for Proposal (RFP)
I.
Purpose of RFP
II.
Organization’s Background
III.
Basic Requirements
IV.
Hardware and Software Environment
V.
Description of RFP Process
VI.
Statement of Work and Schedule Information
VII.
Possible Appendices
A. Current System Overview
B. System Requirements
C. Volume and Size Data
D. Required Contents of Vendor’s Response to RFP
E. Sample Contract
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Solicitation
• Solicitation involves obtaining
proposals or bids from prospective
sellers
• Organizations can advertise to procure
goods and services in several ways
– approaching the preferred vendor
– approaching several potential vendors
– advertising to anyone interested
• A bidders’ conference can help clarify
the buyer’s expectations
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Source Selection
• Source selection involves
–
–
–
–
evaluating bidders’ proposals
choosing the best one
negotiating the contract
awarding the contract
• It is helpful to prepare formal
evaluation procedures for selecting
vendors
• Buyers often create a “short list”
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Figure 12-5. Sample
Proposal Evaluation Sheet
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Figure 12-6. Detailed Criteria
for Selecting Vendors
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Administer Procurements
• Contract administration ensures that
the seller’s performance meets
contractual requirements
• Contracts are legal relationships, so it
is important that legal and contracting
professionals be involved in writing
and administering contracts
• Many project managers ignore
contractual issues, which can result in
serious problems (see What Went
Wrong? on pg.
465)
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Suggestions on Change Control
for Contracts
• Changes to any part of the project
need to be reviewed, approved, and
documented by the same people in the
same way that the original plan was
approved
• Evaluation of any change should
include an impact analysis. How will
the change affect the scope, time,
cost, and quality of the goods or
services being provided?
• Changes must be documented in
writing. Project team members should
also document all important meetings
and telephone
phone
calls
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Contract Close-out
• Contract close-out includes
– product verification to determine if all
work was completed correctly and
satisfactorily
– administrative activities to update
records to reflect final results
– archiving information for future use
• Procurement audits identify lessons
learned in the procurement process
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Discussion Questions
• Discuss the scenario in the opening case. Have you
experienced similar situations? How did the parties
involved handle them?
• Provide examples of information technology goods and
services that were outsourced. Which were for
information technology projects and which were parts
of on-going operations? Was it advantageous for the
organization to use outsourcing?
• Some experts recommend working with preferred
vendors, even if their prices may be higher than other
vendors. Why do you think this is the case?
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