Preparing for the Exam with PMBOK Guide—Fifth Edition (Part 9): Communication Management

Following 20 years at a large Canadian telecommunications firm, Bruce established the project management consulting firm Solutions Management Inc (SMI). Since 1999, he has provided contract project/program management services, been a source for project management support personnel and created/delivered courses to over 7,000 participants in Canada, the United States and England.

  Career Development   Communications Management   Using PMI Standards  

In each of my previous articles, I’ve shown the similarities to getting ready to write the CAPM-PMP exam with improving personal fitness levels. As we look at Chapter 10, Project Communications Management, the exercise will feel more like coasting down a long hill after having biked up the other side carrying heavy weights that we call previous processes.

Continuing the analogy, ask yourself what would happen if you closed your eyes and took your hands off the handlebar while coasting downhill. After you picked yourself out of the ditch, you would likely question why you let something so easy become complicated. The same thing could happen if communications isn’t taken seriously. It simply doesn’t make sense to risk losing easy marks by not doing proper preparations.

Let’s start with Plan Communications. The goal is to create an approach that will satisfy stakeholders’ information needs. The needs would be found in the stakeholder register, which you will find is produced in the newest PMI knowledge area, Project Stakeholder Management.

In the tools and techniques portion of the process, the PM determines the requirements needs using Communications Requirements Analysis (don’t you love the obvious tools!?). An article of this type doesn’t allow space to describe every element of each process; that’s where reading …

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