Control Communications

00:01 Hello, and welcome to this module will focus on the control communications process in the PMBOK guide.

00:10 The difficulty and exam importance are rated as medium.

00:15 Memorization is rated as low, there's not really any new concepts here that are hard to memorize.

00:24 The particular domain tasks that control communications helps us to understand include the following the monitoring and controlling task one which says measure project performance using appropriate tools and techniques in order to identify and quantify any variances and corrective actions.

00:46 Monitoring controlling task five review the issue log and update if necessary, and determined corrective actions by using appropriate tools and techniques in order to minimize the impact on the project.

00:59 So we'll see the issue log become one of the inputs into this process and monitoring and controlling task.

01:05 Six, which says capture, analyze and manage lessons learned using lessons learned management techniques in order to enable continuous improvement.

01:16 And as we already know, lessons learned are considered to be one of the most important aspects of project management, and gathering them and storing them where they can be retrieved easily in the future is very important.

01:31 So the key themes.

01:33 Of this process.

01:35 Are that we're going to be a monitoring and controlling process, checking that our project communications are working as planned and if not making adjustments as necessary.

01:49 Let's start with the inputs that may be useful to us.

01:53 First up is the project management plan, specifically the Communications Management Plan and the Communications Register.

02:02 There may be some other aspects of the project management plan, too, that we want to have available to us in order to determine how project communications are affecting them. Things like our Requirements Management Plan and our Schedule Management Plan, our cost management plan all need effective communications to work properly.

02:25 Obviously, we'll want the actual project communications that we've sent out to people so we can see what's been sent out, who it's been sent to. What content it included.

02:37 And then we can see if it was effective communications.

02:42 We will want the issues log as well, because the issues log, as well as being a place where we can capture issues, is a brilliant way to communicate with stakeholders.

02:55 What it does is it tells people you care about their issue.

02:58 It communicates that to them.

03:01 If it will give you an example of the issues, log shortly.

03:05 We may also want some work performance data, some metrics, some numbers, some measurements about how effective our project communications have been. And this can be data about stakeholder understanding of our project performance or stakeholder engagement with our project performance, depending on the communications.

03:27 We may also want to use, if appropriate, some organizational processes, such as our project management methodology and the parts of it relating to controlling communications.

03:41 The issues log.

03:44 It's an important input into this process because it's where you can record any issues that stakeholders have.

03:50 And there you can see if they can be resolved.

03:55 But beyond actually being a place to record issues, as I've already said, it's a fantastic communications tools to let stakeholders know that you value their issues. Now, the issues log with its list of issues that doesn't need to have all of those issues resolved, some issues can never be resolved at the end of the project and just stay as issues.

04:17 But some issues may get escalated.

04:21 They may get escalated to our watch list and they may get escalated to our risk register.

04:27 So keep an eye on the issues log.

04:31 The particular tools and techniques that we may find useful include our information management systems, expert judgment and remember, you're an expert in managing communications, so are your project team members and other people with relevant expertise.

04:49 And you'll probably choose to solicit this information and input from experts in the form of meetings meetings focused upon how effective your project communications have been.

05:03 But let's take a close look at information management systems, your information management system is any way in which you choose to record, store, retrieve, present and distribute project information. This is where you hold all of your work performance reports where you hold all of your lessons learned.

05:26 Usually it's going to be on an electronic server somewhere.

05:29 Years ago, it used to be in filing cabinets and filing rooms.

05:33 It's all digital now, though, so your information management system will be your file structure on a particular directory on a particular server.

05:42 Just make sure that everybody knows where it is and how to access it.

05:46 This is particularly important for the creation of lessons learned now.

05:50 Lessons learned are supposed to be gathered throughout the entire life of the project, not just at the end during closing processes as where you gather them and finish them off.

06:02 But as part of your communications activities, you should gather lessons learned. Put them into a usable format and store them in a place where future project managers can access them.

06:13 Because don't forget, the default position in the exam is that when you start a project, you go to lessons learned from previous projects and you read them to figure out what they did well and what they didn't do so well.

06:27 So you can repeat the good things and avoid the not so good things.

06:34 The particular outputs that you may produce from this process include.

06:39 Turning that work, performance data into useful work performance information with some analysis of it, so you can understand how effective your project communications have been.

06:51 If you do find a significant variance between what you plan to do with product Communications and what's actually occurring of project communications, you may raise a change request.

07:04 Now, don't forget, this request goes on to be an input into the perform integrated change control process, where it gets assessed and decisions made and communicated. Don't forget the communication about those change requests would be part of effective communications management as well.

07:22 Some of the outputs we may consider as well include updates to our project management plan, updates to other project documents like lessons learned and we may choose to as part of our commitment to continuous improvement update relevant and appropriate organizational process assets.

07:44 So in summary, the control communications process has been about comparing our planned communications work against what's actually going on with its communications work, figuring it out if it's as effective as we want it to be. And if not making adjustments and sometimes change requests to make sure that at all times we have effective project communications. This has been an introduction and overview of the control communications process in the PMBOK guide.