Communications Management

In the article “Lessons Learned from Managing the Design of the ‘Water Cube’ National Swimming Centre for the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games,” there were many stakeholders involved in this massive project. Lessons learned ranged from project design to effective communication. Managing communications for a large, complex project such as this requires careful planning and ongoing assessment of the effectiveness of the communication.

A Communication Management Plan is a written document that provides details on the communications requirements and expectations that are needed for a project from start to finish. Communications requirements should be developed jointly with project stakeholders and documented in the communications plan. The plan should also include communication methods and technology and any special considerations for communicating with a virtual, multi-cultural team.

Answer the following

• Why it is important to determine stakeholder communications requirements for a project?
• As a project manager, what steps would you take to determine how each stakeholder prefers to be involved in the organization’s projects?
• What questions would you ask to determine the most effective way to communicate with this stakeholder throughout each project phase?
• What accommodations would you need to make to adapt your communications to a complex project in a virtual environment?

References:

Zou, P. X. W., & Leslie-Carter, R. (2010). Lessons learned from managing the design of the ‘Water Cube’ National Swimming Centre for the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games. Architectural Engineering and Design Management, 6(3), 175–188.

Project Management Institute. (2017). A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® Guide). Sixth edition. Newtown Square, PA: Author.