Academic literature on the topic 'Project Communications Management'

Special issues of the requirements management process are discussed
 based on subject area specialties: from the most formalized (e.g., IT projects),
 to the least formalized areas (e.g., design projects). As is shown, the
 whole spectrum of apps, related to this subject, can be considered from an
 integrated perspective � that is, establishment of effective communication
 channel between Customer and Business Analyst (Designer). The features
 of communications related to the above-mentioned subject areas are considered
 as well as problems of creating such communication channels.

Project management is a mix of both science and art. It is a science because project managers need to estimate and manage time and cost. It is an art because they should ensure that all team members are in sync, while stakeholders are efficiently projecting the point across without communication gaps. It has been long recognised that developing nontechnical (i.e. ‘soft’) skills of project managers and team members plays a critical role in the success of any project regardless of industry. Such skills reflect the leadership skills of project managers, which typically fall under the knowledge areas of project resource management, project communications management and project stakeholder management. Even though there are many strategies for improving soft skills in a project team, the challenges in implementing these strategies are not often discussed. Recognition of the significance of these aspects is not novel, yet most project management studies are focused on the technical (i.e. ‘hard’) skills of project management. This teaching case aims to bridge this gap by inviting students to reflect on how soft skills can make a difference throughout the project lifecycle. The case is about a mobile telecommunication network upgrade project in New Zealand. Despite being completed on time, on budget and at the agreed scope, the project was never implemented due to the acquisition of the client by a larger telecommunications company, which had other strategic priorities. The focus of the teaching case is on leadership skills and communication management in projects.

The article aims to investigate the negative impact from organizational subcultural dynamics in digital transformation projects on number of conflicts and quality of communications and to elaborate proposals how to improve cross-subcultural communications within the projects. The methodology of the study includes participatory action research and case study. The network model of project culture helped to identify two cultural coalitions and their values. The model of the subcultural coalitions and their values helped to formulate the scope of communicational trainings and changed in the project communication system. The focus of the measures was on the preservation of the existing subcultures and on the improvement on the cross-subcultural communications. Comparing the number of conflicts within project before implementation of the measures based on the research and after it showed significant positive impact of these measures. The main findings show that in multidisciplinary and complex projects, such as digital transformation projects, subcultural dynamics can lead to formation of different coalition that do not share common values. This can be the source of the conflicts and low quality of communications. However, using the knowledge of coalitions’ structure and values the management of companies can enhance cross-subcultural interfaces without decreasing positive effect from subcultural diversity.

Purpose The authors explore several aspects of communications theory to identify their relevance to managing a project-based productivity improvement intervention. The literature on communication accommodation theory, groupthink and trust appear to have important implications for improvements. The purpose of this paper is to develop a research methodology used in conducting empirical data collection in the field to test the developed conceptual framework. The authors emphasize the importance of management theory to project-based interventions. The focus of this work is summarized by the research question: “what facets of communication impact on the success of a project-based improvement intervention?”. Design/methodology/approach Following a focused literature review, learnings from specific research were used to identify a series of propositions. The scope of the work was established to limit the range of issues under review. Next, a conceptual framework was designed that allowed a case study to be tested with regard to validity of the propositions. Further testing will be undertaken in a single company. Findings There is clear evidence showing the relevance of effective communication when executing an intervention to seek performance improvement. In particular, understanding the need of stakeholders’ is paramount that allows the design of a communications strategy. Each phase in a project-based intervention requires different styles of communication. There is also a need to have varying degrees of trust. Total unchallenged trust invariably leads to groupthink that hinders critical decision making. Research limitations/implications The work contributes to the understanding of the application of communication theory to project-based interventions – that invariably aim at performance improvement initiatives. While currently the work is in the early stages of research, it does nevertheless show some useful early findings. Clearly further work is needed in international projects in the context of multi-cultural teams and external stakeholders. Practical implications With many interventions failing to meet their planned objectives there is a need to isolate possible reasons and to rectify or mitigate the causes. Project management and change management training should include a comprehensive understanding of management theories. This research will contribute to this knowledge base. Social implications Project-based activities are used in most walks of life; the need for excellent management is therefore important. Invariably interventions involve considerable capital investment and their success advances productivity of nations. Understanding and integrating communication theories to their management, therefore, has significant social benefits. Originality/value The importance of communications is identified in the project management literature and adjunct disciplines. Professional associations and leading bodies in performance and project management, while emphasizing the need for excellent communication, have not adequately addressed underpinning theories. There is little research focusing on communication accommodation theory, groupthink and risk in the context of project management. The authors’ have not been able to identify any research on an integrated framework that combines these theories with managing a project-based performance improvement intervention.

Purpose More and more governmental organizations are switching to information systems to enhance their operations and reduce cost but the development of these systems involves a lot of challenges. This paper aims to find out the challenges that project managers have to face during the development of such systems and the practices they can adopt to address these challenges. Design/methodology/approach To identify the challenges, data have been gathered across six key project management areas. The six targeted key areas are project integration management, project scope management, project time management, project cost management, project human resource management and project communications management. The authors have coordinated with 11 managerial-level IT professionals using semi-structured interviews and have gone through their communication archives. Findings Findings prove that practices such as focusing on cost reduction, informal congregations, trainings and frequent communication between vendor and client help in addressing the challenges. Furthermore, learning from management experiences of the managers can assist managers in similar role to create a pattern of success while working with governmental projects. Originality/value The authors peek into the development life cycle of a public sector project named as prison information management system. The project has encountered numerous challenges and has been accomplished in significantly delayed time than designated.

If a project is to be successfully completed, both planning and execution must be properly implemented. Poor planning will not allow appropriate execution and control processes or achievement of the project's targets. The objective of the study reported in this paper is to evaluate the impact of the project manager on the quality of project planning processes within the nine knowledge areas defined by A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® Guide) and to determine ways of increasing the effectiveness of the manager's intervention. Participants in the study evaluated their use of the 21 processes that relate to planning, out of the 39 processes required for proper project management. The results of the study reveal risk management and communications as the processes with the lowest planning quality. Poor quality in these areas results when project managers lack the formal tools and techniques for dealing with communications and the functional managers are not equipped with the tools and techniques that will allow them to effectively contribute to the risk management process. Improving quality planning processes requires the development of new tools in areas such as communications, as well as organizational training programs designed for the functional managers.