You will learn the elements of a simple communication plan and how to draft and manage one, why documentation helps create project team visibility and accountability, how to organize documents in one central place, and how to prepare for a job search by documenting experience and highlighting transferable skills.
Learning Objectives
- Draft a simple communication plan and explain how to manage it
- Examine the elements of a communication plan that are vital to project success.
- Explain the value of documentation in creating visibility and accountability for team members.
- Organize project documents in one centralized place.
- Prepare for a job search by documenting career-relevant experience and highlighting transferable skills. (Optional)
Creating an effective communication plan
Video: Introduction: Organizing communication and documentation
Bringing It All Together
Now we’re at the final section of the course, where you’ll integrate the skills you’ve learned:
- Key Planning Components: You’ve mastered scheduling, budgeting, and risk management.
Focus Shift: Communication
- Importance: Success hinges on effective communication throughout your project.
- What’s Coming: You’ll learn communication strategies and how to create a tailored project communication plan.
Let me know if you’d like any of the specific planning components (scheduling, etc.) summarized as well!
Welcome back. We’re in the
last section of this course on planning, and it’s finally time to tie together everything
you’ve been working on. So far, we’ve covered
the key components of the planning stage:
how to set a schedule, create and manage a budget, and how to identify
and manage risks. Up next, I’ll discuss the importance of project
communication plans. There are many ways
to effectively communicate during the
planning phase and beyond. Here, I’ll teach you some great communication
strategies, and I’ll show you how to create a successful
communication plan for any project. Let’s get started.
Video: Why communication is critical
Why Communication is Key
- Project success often depends on clear communication and understanding of roles and goals.
- Effective communication requires a proactive approach, not just reacting to problems.
- Poor communication can lead to missed opportunities or even project failure.
Real-World Example
- A designer’s workload issue wasn’t communicated, leading to missed meetings.
- The project manager’s early intervention helped identify the problem and assign a different designer, minimizing delays.
- This highlights the importance of open communication between team members, managers, and the project manager.
Traits of Good Communication
- Clear, honest, relevant, and appropriately frequent.
- Uses various tools (meetings, emails, etc.) and ensures accessibility for everyone.
Project Manager’s Role
- Set a positive example for communication.
- Facilitate consistent communication throughout the project, from goals to updates on delays.
Communication is very
important to every project. I’d even argue that it’s the most important tool in making sure your
project runs smoothly. Many times, what contributes to the success or failure
of a project team comes down to whether or
not everyone understands what’s happening and how their tasks contribute
to the project’s goals. As project manager,
you play a big part in making sure everyone knows what their roles and tasks are. You’re also the person
that team members come to when they’re just in
need of a quick answer. Being able to communicate
clearly and effectively is key. It’s important to remember that without effective
communication, the project is at risk of missing important opportunities or
even failing altogether. During a project I
recently worked on, my stakeholders allocated a few design specialists
to work with me. In the first week of the project, I noticed that one
specialist wasn’t attending any of the
project meetings. I decided to approach the
individual about their absence. When asked, they stated that they were well
over capacity with the current workload
and were unable to commit to the short deadlines
I had been assigning. There were a couple of breakdowns
in communication here. First, between a specialist
and their manager, and second, between a specialist and me, the project manager. Ideally, the specialist and their manager would
have communicated better with each other about the specialist’s ability
to take on the workload. If I had not communicated
with the specialist, their continued absence at meetings could have resulted
in lots of lost time, the project being delayed,
or not being able to deliver the project
in a satisfactory way. As it turned out, we only
ended up losing a week of work due to the lack
of communication. However, since I
followed up quickly, we were able to pivot and assign another specialist
to the project. We know communication
is very important, but what is
communication exactly? To put it simply, communication is the
flow of information. It includes everything
that’s shared, how it’s shared, and with whom. Good effective communication
is always clear, honest, relevant, and frequent,
but not too frequent. There is such a thing as
information overload. Effective communication makes it possible for your project to run on time and up to the expectations outlined
in the project plan. Take full advantage of tools like meetings, emails, phone calls, written documents, and
formal presentations, and make sure they are
accessible by everyone. It’s also important to
remember that communication is not a one-time event
or one-way route. It needs to happen throughout the entire life cycle
of the project, from the project team
and stakeholders, as well as from you. Be sure to clarify goals
and client expectations, follow up on action items, and communicate delays as
the project progresses. This will help you avoid
issues and setbacks. As the project manager, you’re responsible for creating a consistent flow of communication
throughout the project, setting the tone for
team communication and working to make sure
everyone’s on the same page, every step of the way, gives your project the
best chance to succeed. Okay. Hopefully, it’s clear
that communication is incredibly important
to manage a project. Coming up, I’ll show you how to make a communication
plan that will help you manage all
important communication. See you in a bit.
Reading: Tips for effective communication
Reading
In the previous videos, you learned that communication is key to any successful project. As a project manager, you are central to that communication, which is an ongoing process throughout the life cycle of a project. A good project manager must be effective in communicating with all stakeholders and team members through various mediums.
As the project manager, it is important to develop a communication plan for the duration of your project. Good communication helps your project run smoothly, leads to better outcomes, and supports a healthy team culture. You can use these four tips to foster effective communication within your team:
Recognize and understand individual differences
You can encourage open, inclusive communication by:
- Not making assumptions about your audience’s backgrounds, identities, or experiences.
- Being mindful of your own biases.
- Using appropriate, professional, and neutral language.
- Including, respecting, and being curious about diverse points of view.
As the project manager, you will undoubtedly work with a diverse group of team members and stakeholders on each project. You will need to understand each team member’s background, experiences, perspectives, and biases—as well as your own—to communicate effectively.
Brainstorm and craft the appropriate message
Communicate the right message by thinking about your intended audience. With whom are you communicating? In your communications, always be clear about your reasons for reaching out:
- What channels can your audience use to contact you or the team?
- Are you conveying information?
- Are you asking for input?
- Are you clarifying an issue?
- Are you resolving a problem?
Some team members may require detailed information, while others may only need an overview of the situation. No matter your audience, you should be sure to identify the purpose of the message, state the information or request clearly and concisely, and stay on topic.
Deliver your message
As you craft your message, think about which methods are available and appropriate for communicating with various members of your team, whether that is in person, in a video conference, over the phone, via email, or in a meeting. Choosing the right method is especially important if you have team members or stakeholders in different regions and time zones. Also, be sure to:
- Avoid including any sensitive or potentially private information.
- Assume everyone at the company will receive the communication.
Obtain feedback and incorporate that feedback going forward
Communication doesn’t end when you deliver your message, so be sure to follow up with your audience by:
- Checking to make sure your message was clear.
- Asking them for feedback.
- Encouraging open communication.
- Responding to questions quickly.
In this final step, you will obtain feedback from your audience to ensure that your message was received as you intended.
Key takeaways
You now have the steps to communicate effectively as a project manager! You have learned how to foster open, inclusive communication by recognizing and understanding individual differences among your team members. You know how to craft and deliver an appropriate message and the importance of obtaining and addressing feedback. Most importantly, make sure your communications are clear, honest, relevant, and frequent. Following these guidelines will set you up for successful communication throughout your projects.
Video: Starting a communication plan
Why Have a Communication Plan?
- Organization: Manages the inevitable flow of information on a project.
- Clarity: Keeps everyone informed and avoids wasted time on unnecessary communication.
- Adaptability: Plan scales with project complexity, but even simple projects benefit.
- Continuity: Ensures smooth transitions if team members change, and aids in future change management.
Key Elements of Your Plan
- What: Types of communication (status updates, issues, feedback, meetings, etc.)
- Who: The recipients of the communication (key stakeholders, the core team).
- When: Frequency of communication and key deadline reminders.
- How: Method of delivery (email, meetings, presentations, etc.)
- Why: Purpose of each communication (updates, risk identification, decision-making)
- Where: Location of stored resources for easy access
Key Points
- Tailor the plan to your specific project.
- Not everyone needs everything: Stakeholders get high-level summaries, the core team gets more frequent, detailed updates.
Beyond what needs to be communicated, a communication plan addresses which of the following questions? Select all that apply.
Where the information communicated is stored
A communication plan organizes and documents the process, types, and expectations of communication for the project. It also tracks where the key information that is communicated is stored. The size and complexity of the plan differs for each project, but it is always good to have
Who needs to communicate
A communication plan documents the process, types, and expectations of project communication. It also answers questions about who, what, when, why, and how communication happens and where key information communicated is stored.
When communication needs to happen
A communication plan helps to manage all the different kinds of communication that will happen during a project. It covers key questions about project communications, such as who communicates, what they communicate, why the communication happens, and more.
Why and how to communicate
A communication plan helps project managers keep aware of the numerous project communications and organize them effectively. To that end, the communication plan documents and organizes the process, types, and expectations of project communications.
So far, you’ve learned some common ways
of communicating during a project. Let’s take that a step further by learning
how to create a communication plan. That will help you manage all
the different kinds of communication that will happen during a project. Trust me, there’s going to
be a lot of communication, so you’ll need a plan to help you stay aware
of it all and to use as a tool for communicating effectively. A communication plan organizes and
documents the process, types, and expectations of
communication for the project. The size and complexity of your
communication plan will be different for every project, but it is always good to have one.
Especially with multiple stakeholders, different phrases and
change management are involved. It will really help you,
your project, and the stakeholders. Just like other plans
related to the project, your communication plan needs
to address these questions: what needs to be communicated,
who needs to communicate, when communication needs to happen,
why and how to communicate, and where the information
communicated is stored. Let’s break down each question with
a sample communication plan that I’ve created for our Plant Pals project. First off, your communication plan should
include what you’re communicating on, or in other words,
the type of communication. This could include things like status
updates, issues, feedback from users, daily check-ins, and
other types of project meetings. Then, you need to identify
who you communicate with. These are recipients of the information,
like key stakeholders and the core project team. For each type of communication,
record when to communicate. This includes the frequency,
which is how often you’ll communicate, and key dates like deadlines or
major meetings. One thing to keep in mind is that not
everyone needs to receive the same amount of information at the same time. Generally speaking, your key stakeholders
will get their information less often, like in a monthly, high-level summary,
email, or project review meeting, but your core project team could receive
more detailed info through daily email updates or quick virtual check-ins. Next, include how you’re communicating or
what delivery method you’ll use. This could be email, in-person, or virtual
meetings, or a formal presentation. Your plan also needs to include
the goal of communicating. This is your “why.” So ask yourself:
why are you communicating? Is it to give a progress update,
identify a risk, and address barriers? Or perhaps you need to
figure out next steps, detailed preparation plans, and
reflect on lessons learned. The goal of communication could be
a combination of any of these or some other reason altogether. In either case,
there must be a purpose for communicating, otherwise you risk wasting valuable time. Finally, include where communication
resources are located, along with any other notes. I’ll talk more about best practices for
storing information in the next video, but for now, try to remember that relevant
information should be easily accessible. So that you, your stakeholders, and
your team can quickly find the resources they need to make decisions, work on
tasks, get caught up, or provide updates. One more benefit to an effective
communication plan is that it allows for continuity of the project’s operations. If a new project manager comes on
to the project and sees the plan, they should be able to quickly access
past meeting notes and documentation, as well as current and
upcoming communications. The communication plan also helps
with effective change management, the process of delivering
your final project and getting it successfully implemented. When others have access to
the communication plan after you leave the project, they’ll be able to fix
any problems that might come up, make decisions, or
apply similar processes to a new project. Hopefully, by now you’re feeling more
familiar with the ways a communication plan can lead your project to success. Keep in mind this is just a basic plan,
and there are lots of other
ways to structure one. It all depends on what kind
of project you’re working on. Up next, I’ll take you through the details
of a communication plan and show you how to use it to manage project communications
effectively and efficiently.
Video: Developing a communication plan
Why Plan Your Communications?
- Enhanced Effectiveness: Pre-planning helps tailor communication methods to audiences, improving overall engagement.
- Proactive Engagement: Keeps everyone involved and informed throughout the project.
- Efficient Conversations: Helps stakeholders focus on what matters most to them.
Building a Communication Plan
- Start with “The Basics”
- Communication Types: Emails, meetings, newsletters, etc.
- Recipients: Consider roles, project interest levels, and information needs.
- Frequency: Varies based on audience and urgency (daily, weekly, monthly, etc.)
Tailoring the Plan
- Delivery Methods: Choose wisely to suit different recipient types:
- Executives: concise emails, status reports
- Core Team: detailed updates, perhaps in collaborative documents
- Communication Goals:
- “Why are we communicating this?”
- For stakeholders, focus on high-level progress
- For internal teams, emphasize task updates, blockers, next steps
- Ownership: Decide who sends or leads each type of communication.
Key Points
- Adapt Your Style: People absorb information differently – use visuals, meetings, surveys to find what works best for different groups involved.
- Feedback is Essential: Survey team members to understand their communication preferences and how your plan can evolve to be more successful.
Now that you know what
a communication plan is and the basic
categories that go in it, the next step is
filling in your plan. In this video, you’ll learn how to set up a communication plan that works best for all the different people
involved with your project and what kind of information
to include in your plan. Things like: who needs to be involved in the
project communication? What’s the best way
to communicate? Why are you communicating? How often should you communicate? There are few key benefits to planning your
communications up front. Creating a communication
plan helps improve the overall
effectiveness of communication, keeps people engaged and motivated throughout the project, and gets stakeholders involved
in effective conversations. Let’s try building a
sample communication plan so you can see how it helps with managing the different aspects of
project communication. We’ll continue with the Office
Green Plant Pals Project. Here’s an example of a basic communication
plan using a spreadsheet. Before anything else,
think about what types of communication you’ll be using
throughout your project. Feel free to refer back to your RACI chart and
stakeholder map, which are tools
that will help you figure out what type of communication might work best for each person, group, or role. In this example, let’s
say the stakeholders are busy senior executives who may not need day-to-day details. Instead of daily meetings, it’s better to send a
newsletter that summarizes key milestones and
project progress to date. Let’s type that in. The core team, on the other hand, may benefit from
a daily stand-up, which is a daily
meeting designed to bring everyone up to
date on key information. Here, each team member
briefly describes any completed work and any barriers that
stand in their way. This is common in Agile
project management, as it helps the team stay coordinated and move quickly throughout
the project. We will go ahead and enter
daily stand-ups in this row. But sometimes daily
meetings aren’t possible, given time zone restrictions
or other obligations. Don’t worry, there are other ways to keep communication flowing. For example, the
project team that created this program
had daily email status updates for
the whole team to report which action items were being worked on for the day. They also used a project
tracker for tasks and milestones to make sure
everyone is on the same page. Next up, think about who needs to receive information
about your project. These are the
communication recipients. It helps to look back to the stakeholder map
and RACI chart again. Ask yourself, who needs to be heavily involved
in the details? Who has high interest
in the project? Who needs only to be informed
of major milestones? I already mentioned that key stakeholders would be
receiving a monthly newsletter, so I’ll type that in now. Also, we know that the core team will be
participating in daily stand-ups, so I’ll add that in as well. Excellent. We’re
moving right along. Next up in recipients are the project subgroups
for marketing, procurement, and
product development. Let’s add separate
meetings in for each of those groups in addition
to the core team meetings. Since those subgroups are
not part of the core team, you might only want
to meet with them weekly instead of every day. Let’s add weekly check-in to each of these. Great. Another best
practice is to list contact information and time zones in your communication plan. That way, you know when
people are available for communicating. Let’s add that in. Feel free to hide this
column since it contains sensitive information
about people involved in your project. There are other ways to
list contact information privately and link it
for easy reference. I’ll teach you how to do
that in another video. If you’re having trouble deciding which type of
communication to use, one way to help you choose is by thinking about the frequency. As I mentioned earlier, a senior stakeholder probably
won’t be able to attend daily meetings, and they don’t need every piece of information. Instead, you can communicate
with a senior stakeholder on a weekly or monthly basis
and you can focus on high-level status updates
like overall progress, recent wins, or milestones
reached, and current metrics. In this case, let’s send out the project newsletter
once a month. If you’re unsure, it’s
always great to ask senior stakeholders which method of communication
works best for them. When you work with your
core team on a project, you need to get into more
of the day-to-day details. Check in regularly and ask
how everything is going. How they’re doing on tasks? Do they need your
help with anything? Add in a daily meeting for your core team and a weekly
meeting for the subgroups. Let’s make that happen. Great. Meeting more
frequently can help un-block issues and keep the
project on the right track. This leads us to key dates. Listing key dates and times are important for coordination. For example, if you’re
launching a product or new process or
giving a presentation, you should list the key dates. Keep in mind, not every type of communication needs a
specific key date listed. For example, with daily
or weekly communications, you might not need to specify
the actual date every week. You could just list every
Monday or something like that. Let’s add in key
dates to our plan. For the monthly newsletter, let’s send that on the first
Monday of every month. Let’s schedule the
daily stand-ups at noon and the weekly
check-ins are on Wednesdays at two, three, and four o’clock. Wonderful. Now let’s talk
about delivery methods, like email, in-person
and virtual meetings, a shared document
that gets updated regularly, or a progress
report that gets presented. Deciding the best way to
communicate is a skill. One thing I continuously need to adapt and
work to improve in my role as project manager is communicating
among different teams and levels of authority. A director or executive
may only have five minutes, so I need to be concise and know exactly
what I need from them. Likewise, I might be
used to communicating via instant message and video
chat with my core team. However, one of the subgroups
on the project might respond better to emails
and in-document comments. Let me add in these methods for our communication plan,
starting with email. Emails are a very common
way to get people in sync, but write too much and you
may lose your audience. After all, no one really wants
to read a two-page email. One way to get around this is by adding a note at the
top of your email. This will alert readers
that some details of a long email may not
be relevant to them. With this kind of email, lead with key points
and action items limited to two to
three sentences. Then include a longer
section at the bottom for those who want or
need additional details. The goal of communicating is getting your point
across effectively. Think carefully about
what you need to accomplish with each
type of communication. For high-level stakeholders
in particular, I’m constantly trying
to answer, so what? Why should they care
about my project? The same goes for my core team. What information is going
to help make sure they complete tasks on time
and stay motivated? Thinking about these
questions helps me focus on the most important
bits of information to share. Let’s fill this in in the communication plan. The goal of the
monthly newsletter for stakeholders is to give a
status update overview. Great. Goals for the
daily stand-ups with the core team would be to
report progress updates, blockers, and
determining next steps. Let’s add those in
as well. All set. Next, you need to
make sure you’re able to reach everyone you
need to communicate with. It helps if communication
is a team effort, especially on more
complex projects. You shouldn’t be the
only one communicating. You want to enable
other team members to be involved in communications, based on their expertise
in the project. I’ll add a column for
sender and owner to indicate who is responsible
for each communication. Then highlight the
sender or owner for each of these
communication types, starting with the project manager as the sender for the newsletter. Great. We are all done. Keep in mind, it’s always a
good idea to check in with everyone to make sure
communications meet their needs. Everyone absorbs
information differently; what works best for you doesn’t always work
best for others. Some people are more visual and want to see
charts and graphs. Some people might
prefer to listen to information through a
presentation or a meeting. Some people may
want to review and analyze information
on their own first, and then speak with someone
about what they’ve read. If you’re only presenting information in just
one or two ways, you risk engaging some
people but not others. Your goal as project
manager is to optimize and streamline
communications. A great way to optimize your communications for
everyone on the team is by sending a brief email or survey that asks three questions. What is working in how we communicate with you
about the project? What is not working or is not effective in
our communications? Where can we improve our
communications with you? This will give you plenty of useful information on how you can adapt the communication style to cater to each team member. Communication plans
contain a lot of important information
and there are so many different
ways to set one up, depending on the size of your team and the
needs of your project. Whichever system
you choose to use, the most important thing is to make sure your communication plan clearly identifies who needs to be involved in
project communication. What methods are being
used to communicate, why are you communicating, and how often you
are communicating? That wraps up our
discussion on how to effectively fill in a
communication plan. In the next video,
I’ll share with you some best practices
for documenting all the information you
and your team will be communicating throughout the
project. See you in a bit.
Reading: Best practices for building a communication plan
Reading
In the previous video, you learned how to develop a basic communication plan. You also learned how to document who needs to be involved in project communication, how to communicate with them, why you are communicating, and how often that communication should occur.
In this reading, we will reinforce the top tips to keep in mind when creating a communication plan to ensure that it is an effective tool for you and your project team.
Tips for creating your communication plan
Identify, identify, identify
Before you begin creating the plan, answer these questions to ensure that you have all of the relevant information:
- Project stakeholders: Have you created a RACI chart or stakeholder map of all your stakeholders? Who is your audience? Who will need to be informed at different points during the project life cycle?
- Communication frequency and method: When and how often should you check in with your stakeholders? What methods of communication do they prefer? How much detail does each stakeholder need?
- Goals: What is the goal of your communication? Do you need a response? Are you trying to encourage engagement or simply providing an update?
- Barriers: Are there any time zone limitations? Language barriers? Do some stakeholders require time to reply or respond (e.g., an executive)? Are there any privacy or internet access issues?
Document and develop
Choose a tool or template to document all of your communication needs, and begin developing your plan. Once you understand the basic elements (stakeholders, communication methods, goals, and barriers), it’s time to work out the details! Here are some tips:
- Add a column for notes. Project management is not one-size-fits-all, and there are a lot of pieces that need to be tracked. For instance, if you are reaching out to a senior leader or executive, do you need to copy anyone else on the email? If a stakeholder is out of office or unavailable on certain dates, do you have a backup plan? Add notes to set reminders and any additional relevant details.
- Use formatting to highlight any key details in the plan. Is there a launch announcement or an urgent decision needed for the project to move forward? Highlight these pivotal elements in a different font color or size to stress their importance.
- Ensure that the team can access your document. Share the plan with your team. Allowing your team to review the document ensures that they are aware of the plan and gives them a chance to offer feedback. Sharing the document also serves as an extra check to make sure you aren’t missing any crucial pieces.
- Test your plan. If you are sending a team-wide email or link, send a test email to yourself or a colleague. If you are planning a virtual presentation, be sure to test the visual, audio, and other technical aspects in advance. That way, you can minimize any technical problems.
Check in
Once your communication plan is out in the world, check in with your audience about the effectiveness of your plan. Scheduling routine check-ins will help you understand what is and is not working so you can improve your plan. You want to ensure that your communication plan gets the right information to the right stakeholders at the right time. Additionally, make sure to double check that key stakeholders have not changed over time.
Evaluate where you may be over- or under-sharing information or missing stakeholders. You can do this through:
- Anonymous survey forms
- Polls or open feedback sessions during team meetings
- One-on-one conversations and check-ins with key stakeholders
Keep these tips in mind as you build your next communication plan and you will be set for communication success!
Practice Quiz: Test your knowledge: Effective communication
Fill in the blank: Effective communication is clear, honest, relevant, and _____.
frequent
Gemini
The best word to fill in the blank is:
- urgent
While there are many aspects of effective communication, here’s why urgency fits the best and why others don’t:
- Clear, honest, relevant: These are foundational to good communication.
- One-sided: This implies a lack of listening, which is not effective.
- Frequent: Overly frequent communication can become a burden.
- Rare: Infrequent communication can leave stakeholders in the dark.
Urgency Implies:
- Timeliness: Communicating when information is needed for decisions or actions.
- Respecting Others’ Time: Not wasting time with overly wordy or irrelevant communication.
Let me know if you’d like more examples of how to make communication effective!
ChatGPT
Fill in the blank: Effective communication is clear, honest, relevant, and frequent.
Claude
The missing word that best completes the statement “Effective communication is clear, honest, relevant, and _” is:
frequent
Effective communication requires regular and frequent exchanges of information, ideas, and feedback between the parties involved. Frequent communication helps to ensure that messages are conveyed, understood, and addressed in a timely manner, preventing misunderstandings or miscommunications from arising or persisting.
Clear, honest, and relevant communication alone is not enough if it is not done frequently. Infrequent or sporadic communication can lead to gaps in understanding, outdated information, and missed opportunities for clarification or course correction.
By being frequent, effective communication fosters an ongoing dialogue, allows for timely updates and adjustments, and helps to maintain alignment and engagement among the parties involved.
Imagine that a restaurant is hosting a recruitment day to hire delivery drivers. The project manager creates a plan to organize stakeholder communication. The plan indicates the following:
The team lead updates the core hiring team every day for two weeks prior to the event to report next steps so they each know their daily responsibilities.
The core hiring team contacts the job candidates the Friday before the event to remind them of the time and location.
The project manager contacts the venue and caterers the Monday before the event to confirm reservations.
In the above scenario, what three key elements are missing from the communication plan?
Delivery methods
While the plan includes details like recipients, dates, and goals, it doesn’t specify how the team will communicate, such as by email, phone call, or in-person. Other key elements that are missing from the plan include the type of communication and resource links.
Resource links
Type of communication
Gemini
Absolutely! Here’s a revised explanation focused on why the three elements are most critical to this specific plan:
Key Missing Elements:
- Delivery Methods: The plan is incomplete without specifying how communication will occur. Consider:
- Team Lead Updates: Will these be emails, daily meetings, or updates in a shared project management tool? The method impacts how information is received and processed.
- Candidate Reminders: Are these emails, phone calls, or texts? The choice influences the message’s tone and the likelihood of it being seen.
- Vendor Confirmations: A formal email provides a written record, while a phone call may be faster for last-minute changes.
- Type of Communication: The plan must distinguish between these communication types:
- Updates: Progress reports to keep everyone informed.
- Reminders: Action-oriented to ensure candidates attend.
- Confirmations: Finalizing logistical details with external parties.
- Dependencies: The plan needs to address how delays impact the communication flow:
- If the job descriptions aren’t ready, how does this affect the team’s ability to contact candidates with accurate information?
- If the venue cancels, does that alter the timing of candidate reminders, or even the entire event?
Why These Are Most Critical
While communication risks and resource links are valuable considerations, they’re less critical for this specific recruitment day plan because:
- Communication risks: This seems like a low-risk event. Major risks (like a team member becoming unavailable) would be managed as they arise, rather than pre-emptively planned for.
- Resource links: The plan focuses primarily on internal communication and confirmations with vendors. Resource links are more relevant when sharing complex data or collaborating on documents.
Let me know if you’d like further clarification or examples of how this could look in a revised plan!
ChatGPT
In the provided communication plan, three key elements that are missing are:
- Communication Risks: Potential risks or obstacles to effective communication should be identified and addressed in the plan. This could include issues like technical difficulties, misunderstandings, or delays in receiving information.
- Dependencies: Dependencies refer to any relationships or connections between different communication activities. For example, the core hiring team contacting job candidates may depend on the team lead providing updated information first. Identifying dependencies helps ensure that communication activities are sequenced appropriately.
- Delivery Methods: The plan should specify the methods or channels through which communication will take place. This could include in-person meetings, phone calls, emails, or messaging platforms. Clear guidelines on which methods to use for different types of communication can improve efficiency and effectiveness.
Claude
In the given scenario of the restaurant’s recruitment day communication plan, the three key elements that are missing from the communication plan are:
- Delivery methods
- Type of communication
- Communication risks
Here’s an explanation for each missing element:
- Delivery methods: The plan does not specify how the communications will be delivered or the channels that will be used (e.g., email, phone calls, in-person meetings, etc.). Different delivery methods may be appropriate for different stakeholders or types of communication.
- Type of communication: The plan does not indicate whether the communications will be one-way (e.g., notifications or announcements) or two-way (e.g., discussions, feedback sessions, Q&A sessions). Different types of communication may be necessary for different stakeholders or purposes.
- Communication risks: The plan does not identify potential risks or contingencies related to communication, such as stakeholders not receiving or understanding the messages, communication channels failing, or delays in communication that could impact the event’s success.
While the plan covers the stakeholders involved, the frequency of communication, and the general content of the communication, it lacks details on the delivery methods, the specific types of communication (one-way or two-way), and potential risks or contingencies related to communication.
The elements that are not missing from the communication plan are:
- Dependencies: The plan does not explicitly mention dependencies, but the order of communication suggests that some activities depend on others (e.g., contacting the venue and caterers depends on finalizing the event details).
- Resource links: The plan does not seem to require any specific resource links, as it focuses on stakeholder communication rather than sharing resources.
By including delivery methods, types of communication, and communication risks, the communication plan would be more comprehensive and better equipped to ensure effective and seamless communication among all stakeholders involved in the recruitment day event.
Which of the following is a best practice you can use to help ensure that your communication plan is effective for your team? Select all that apply.
Test your plan
If you are sending a team-wide email or link, send a test email to yourself or a colleague. If you are planning a virtual presentation, be sure to test the visual, audio, and other technical aspects in advance. You should also add a column for notes, use formatting to highlight key details, and share your plan with your team.
Use formatting to highlight any key details.
You can highlight key elements in a different font color or size to stress their importance and include a notes column for any additional relevant details. It’s also important to ensure that your team has access to your plan and to test your plan ahead of time.
Add a column for notes.
You can add notes to your communication plan to include any additional relevant details and to set reminders. You can also use formatting to highlight key details, share your plan with your team, and test your plan ahead of time.
Gemini
Here’s the breakdown of why some are best practices and one is not:
Best Practices:
- Test your plan: This is crucial! Have someone outside the project review the plan for clarity and spot gaps. Run through a “dry run” of the communication process to identify potential issues.
- Use formatting to highlight any key details: Make crucial information (like dates, deadlines, responsible individuals) stand out with bold text, color-coding, or other visual cues. This ensures quick comprehension.
- Add a column for notes: This allows the team to track updates, changes, or questions regarding the plan. This fosters transparency and keeps everyone on the same page.
NOT a Best Practice:
- Share your plan with your manager but not your team. This is counterproductive! Your team is central to executing the plan. They need visibility and buy-in for optimal success.
In Summary:
Effective communication plans should be clear, adaptable, and shared with the entire team for best results!
ChatGPT
The best practices to ensure an effective communication plan for your team are:
- Test Your Plan: Testing the communication plan before implementing it can help identify any potential issues or gaps. This allows you to make adjustments and improvements before the plan is put into action.
- Use Formatting to Highlight Key Details: Using formatting such as bullet points, headings, and bold text can help emphasize important information in the plan. This makes it easier for team members to quickly identify key details and action items.
- Share Your Plan with Your Team: Sharing the communication plan with your team ensures that everyone is aware of the communication protocols and expectations. This promotes transparency and alignment, allowing team members to understand their roles and responsibilities in the communication process.
Adding a column for notes can also be helpful for capturing additional details or feedback during the execution of the plan. However, sharing the plan with your manager allows for transparency and ensures that leadership is aware of the communication strategy and can provide support if needed.
How can you recognize individual differences in your communications? Select all that apply.
Include and respect diverse points of view.
As a project manager, you should understand and show respect for each team member’s perspective. To ensure inclusive communication, you should also avoid making assumptions about your audience’s background, be conscious of your biases, and use professional language.
Be mindful of your own biases.
Everyone has some biases, and you should be aware of yours when communicating with your team members and stakeholders. You should also avoid making assumptions about your audience’s background, use professional language, and include diverse points of view when communicating.
Use appropriate, professional, and neutral language.
Using professional and neutral language will help to keep your communications inclusive. You should also avoid making assumptions about your audience’s background, be aware of your biases, and include different perspectives when communicating.
Gemini
Here’s the breakdown of how to recognize individual differences for better communication:
Ways to Recognize Individual Differences
- Be mindful of your own biases: Everyone has biases, conscious or unconscious. Recognizing yours helps you avoid making assumptions and actively challenge preconceived notions.
- Include and respect diverse points of view: Actively seek out input from people with different backgrounds and experiences. This broadens perspective and prevents communication from catering to only one viewpoint.
- Use appropriate, professional, and neutral language: Choose words and phrases that are inclusive and respectful towards everyone. Avoid language that could be perceived as discriminatory or offensive.
NOT a Good Way to Recognize Differences
- Craft your communications based on what you assume about your audience’s backgrounds, identities, or experiences: Assumptions are the root of stereotypes and miscommunication. Focus on understanding individuals or groups as you interact with them, not relying on preconceived notions.
Let me know if you’d like more examples of how to implement these concepts in real-life communication!
ChatGPT
To recognize individual differences in your communications, you should:
- Include and Respect Diverse Points of View: Acknowledge and value the perspectives and experiences of individuals from diverse backgrounds. Encourage open dialogue and actively listen to different viewpoints.
- Be Mindful of Your Own Biases: Recognize and challenge your own biases to ensure that your communications are inclusive and respectful. Consider how your personal experiences and beliefs may influence your interactions with others.
- Use Appropriate, Professional, and Neutral Language: Use language that is inclusive, respectful, and considerate of the diversity within your audience. Avoid assumptions or stereotypes, and strive to communicate in a manner that is professional and neutral.
Crafting communications based solely on assumptions about your audience’s backgrounds, identities, or experiences may lead to misunderstandings or reinforce stereotypes. It’s important to engage with individuals on an individual basis and be open to understanding their unique perspectives and preferences.
Identify: Communication goals and methods
Reading
Practice Quiz: Activity: Draft a communication plan
Reading
Activity Overview
In this activity, you will create a communication plan to help you manage all the different kinds of communication that happen during a project. Communication plans help you organize recipients, communication frequency, and the types of information you need to share.
Note: When you create a communication plan at the start of a project, don’t feel obligated to follow it exactly. Communications should be flexible enough to adapt if and when circumstances change.
Be sure to complete this activity before advancing to the next course item, which will provide you with a completed exemplar to compare to your own work. You will not be able to access the exemplar until you have completed this activity.
Scenario
Review the scenario below. Then complete the step-by-step instructions.
As part of the Plant Pals Operations and Training plan, your team will need to organize and host trainings for employees. You want to make sure that a majority of employees are properly trained to use the new software and equipment before sending the first round of Plant Pals test batches to customers. Because your employees will need to learn several different processes, training sessions will take place over a period of ten days. Your team has just over three weeks to prepare before the sessions begin.
As the Plant Pals project manager, you will work with your team to plan and execute the preparations for the training sessions. One of your tasks is to build a communication plan, which should include:
- What you need to communicate (the goal of the communication)
- Who needs to communicate
- When information-sharing needs to happen
- Why and how to communicate with everyone involved
As you begin planning the training sessions, you identify the key teams and stakeholders who will need to communicate about the event:
Core Team: Your core project team will lead the planning and task coordination. These tasks include communicating with stakeholders, preparing the schedule, reserving space and equipment, training the employees, and more.
The team members who are directly involved in organizing the trainings include:
- An Administrative Coordinator who is responsible for scheduling and communicating with external vendors and Office Green teams (e.g., Facilities)
- A Human Resources Specialist who manages hiring and develops training protocols (with the help of the Training Manager)
- A Training Manager who reports to the HR Specialist, runs the training program on the established protocols, and refines training processes
The other members of your core project team (the Financial Analyst, Fulfillment Director, Quality Assurance Tester, and Inventory Manager) will attend team meetings and are available to pitch in if you need them.
Additional stakeholders with whom your team needs to communicate include:
Software and Equipment Vendor: Members of your team will need to meet with the vendor to learn about the software and equipment so they can create an effective training plan for employees. The team members responsible for creating and running the training program should organize and attend this meeting. Your team should allow adequate time to learn about new processes and ask follow-up questions. This meeting must take place before the end of the vendor’s SoW.
Human Resources: The Human Resources department can help your team as they develop the training plan. They will also provide support during the training sessions. Your team will want to communicate with them regularly (but not daily) and on an as-needed basis. The HR Specialist on your team is the point of contact for the rest of HR.
Facilities: Facilities will reserve and manage the spaces and equipment needed for the training sessions. They will need to review the schedule and understand your needs for each session ahead of time. A member of your team needs to keep them updated and informed of any changes to requirements.
Print Shop: The vendor who will install the software and equipment is also creating training manuals for your team. One of your team members will need to coordinate with the print shop to make copies of the manuals for each training.
Office Green employees: You will also need to coordinate with the employees who need to be trained! A member of your team should tell them where they should arrive, where they should go, what they need to bring, and communicate other necessary details. The same team member will also need to conduct the sessions and solicit feedback from employees through a post-training survey.
Your Office Green Manager: Your manager wants to be kept informed of your team’s progress but doesn’t need to know every detail. They can also be a helpful resource for the planning process, if necessary. You already communicate with them regularly, so you can update them at one of your weekly meetings.
Senior Leadership: Your manager asks you to let senior leadership know about the outcome of the trainings (and to copy them when you do so). The Director of Operations and the Director of Product (the project sponsor) want to be kept informed but don’t have much time for meetings.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 1: Access the template
To use the template for this course item, click the link below and select “Use Template.”
Link to template: Communication plan
Step 2: Review the communication goals and recipients
The goal and recipient of each communication is already filled out in the template. Review this information and consider the people and teams you need to coordinate. Then try to think of some ways you can effectively communicate about each goal.
Note: The first line of the communication plan has already been filled in. You can reference this information as you complete the rest of the plan.
Step 3: Determine communication types
How should you communicate about each goal? What type of communication is best for each recipient? Select one of the following communication types from the drop-down under Type of Communication:
- Planning Meetings: Standard meetings with team members or stakeholders to plan event details
- Planning Check-In: Brief meetings with stakeholders and support staff to discuss action items or check on task progress
- Training: Sessions for employees to learn about jobs or specialized tasks
- Informational update: Key details, instructions, and resources for trainees
- Status Update: Timely project updates for senior stakeholders to get high-level information, give feedback, and answer questions
Note: You can use drop-down items more than once. For example, you might want to build multiple planning check-ins into your schedule.
Step 4: Determine the frequency
How often do you need to communicate with each recipient? Consider each stakeholder’s level of involvement in the project when deciding how often to communicate. Select one of the following frequencies from the drop-downs under Frequency:
- Daily
- Weekly
- One time
Note: You can treat these frequencies as approximate since you’ll be able make note of other communications (like day-of reminders) under the Key Dates column in Step 6.
Step 5: Add the sender or owner
Who from the team should share or communicate about this information? Select one of the following options from the drop-downs under Sender/Owner:
- Project Manager (you)
- Core Team: Administrative Coordinator
- Core Team: HR Specialist
- Core Team: Training Manager
- Core Team: HR Specialist & Training Manager
Step 6: Add the key dates
When should this communication happen? Are there important reminders or deadlines you should note? Consider how much time you have to plan the event and when it makes sense to communicate about each goal (e.g., early or late in the day or the week). Enter your selected times under Key Dates.
There are no right answers here, but try to be specific about times and dates—and make sure your stakeholders don’t need to be in two places at once!
Note: Your stakeholders’ schedules will vary, and it’s unlikely that they will all be able to make every scheduled meeting. Sometimes, you will need to decide whether you need to reschedule if a key team member can’t make it.
Step 7: Determine the delivery method
How will you or your team members share this information? Should you meet in person or over the phone? Should you send a personal email or is a group message more effective? Select your delivery methods from the drop-downs under Delivery Method:
- In person
- Phone call
- Email (from individual address)
- Email (from company address)
Note: The best delivery method for each communication depends on the needs and preferences of particular stakeholders. For this exercise, you can use your best judgment.
Step 8 (Optional): Add resources and notes
If you’d like, fill in the Resources and Notes columns. You can consult the scenario for any important details or come up with your own.
For example, the template includes a link to the meeting agenda and notes for daily team meetings. These documents aren’t specifically mentioned in the scenario, but they’re useful for any project meeting.
You don’t need to complete both of these fields for every communication item. Instead, try to think about what kinds of resources or information can help you reach your communication goals.
Fill in the blank: In the communication plan you created, you scheduled _____ to keep your manager informed and get feedback.
weekly updates
Your manager is interested in the trainings, but not directly involved, so weekly updates should be enough.
In your communication plan, how often does your team communicate with Human Resources while developing the training plan?
Weekly
Weekly check-ins are appropriate for communicating with Human Resources.
In your communication plan, who is the Sender/Owner responsible for communicating the training schedules, locations, and other details to trainees?
The Training Manager
The Training Manager is responsible for communicating practical information to trainees.
In your communication plan, who coordinates with the Print Shop about printing the training manuals?
The Administrative Coordinator
The Administrative Coordinator communicates with other teams, like the Print Shop and Facilities.
Reading: Activity Exemplar: Draft a communication plan
Reading
Completed Exemplar
To view the template for this course item, click the link below and select “Use Template.”
Link to exemplar: Communication plan
Assessment of Exemplar
Compare the exemplar to your completed deliverable. Review your work using each of the criteria in the exemplar. What did you do well? Where can you improve? Use your answers to these questions to guide you as you continue to progress through the course.
Note: Your communication plan may differ from this exemplar. That’s because communication types, frequency, and delivery methods can change depending on the situation, schedules, personal preference, etc. What should always be consistent is your attention to your stakeholders’ roles, needs, and communication styles. Learning about your team is crucial to creating an effective communication plan.
Let’s examine how the different parts of the scenario fit into the communication plan
Planning Meetings with the Core Team: Since the core team is directly involved in planning and executing the trainings, you want to meet with them daily and in person. The goal is to check in with each member about their progress, troubleshoot any issues, and make sure everyone stays on track. Your manager can also be a planning resource, so you make sure to schedule the team meetings later in the day than your weekly meeting with your manager. You make a note to check in with your manager with questions and link to the meeting agendas and notes.
Software & Equipment Vendor: Since your HR Specialist and Training Manager will plan and run the trainings, they will both need to meet with the vendor. They allow a half-day for this meeting, which will give them time to go over the training manual and ask follow-up questions. You link to the vendor’s Statement of Work and make a note to remind the HR Specialist and Training Manager to check in with relevant team members after the meeting.
Human Resources: Your HR Specialist owns communications with the HR department, and checks in with them weekly and in-person for project planning assistance. Since HR will also provide support during trainings, you’ll want to send them reminder emails as well. You note that more communications will likely be necessary on an as-needed basis.
Planning Check-ins with Facilities: Facilities needs to know the training schedule and requirements, but does not need daily updates. The Administrative Coordinator checks in with them weekly over the phone (but could also meet with them in person). You link to the forms you need to request rooms and equipment for the training sessions.
Planning Check-ins with the Print Shop: The Print Shop needs to know the details of the event, but you may not need to check in with them every day. The initial planning meeting is the most important, after which weekly check-ins (over the phone or in person) will suffice. Your Administrative Coordinator takes care of these communications. You link to the printing request forms you will use to order the training manuals.
Informational Updates for Office Green employees: You want to communicate with the trainees consistently so they remember when to arrive, where to go, and what to bring. Your Training Manager sends a group email from an official Office Green account each week and sends a reminder the day before each group’s training session. That’s a lot of messages to keep track of, so you make a note for the Training Manager to automate the reminder emails.
Training for Office Green employees: The Training Manager will also run the in-person trainings, which are scheduled each day for ten days, beginning at 10:00 AM. You make sure to link to the training schedule, so that it’s easily accessible.
Survey for Office Green employees: Once the training sessions are complete, the Training Manager will send the trainees a survey via email (with two follow-up reminders). You make a note to discuss the results at the next team meeting.
Status Update with your manager: Since your manager wants to be kept informed of your progress, you decide to update them at your weekly, in-person meeting. You make a note to come prepared with a brief update and specific questions for your manager.
Status Update with Senior Leaders: Since the Director of Operations and the Director of Product want to know how the trainings went, you send them an email update (and CC your manager) once they have concluded. You link to the resources you’ll need to create your report.
Documenting project planning resources
Video: The value of project documentation
Why Document?
- Centralized Knowledge: Creates a single source of truth for project plans, updates, and decisions for all team members.
- Streamlined Communication: Everyone knows where to find information, reducing delays and confusion.
- Visibility & Accountability: Clear ownership of tasks and deadlines keeps the project on track.
- Continuity: In case of changes in personnel (illness, leave, etc.), plans are easily transferred to a new project manager.
Key Points on Documentation
- Organization is Key: Store files in clear folders and use informative labeling for quick access.
- Permissions & Security: Grant access levels based on need-to-know principles. Especially important for sensitive data.
- Tailored Sharing: Provide summaries of key information instead of full documentation for broader stakeholders.
- “Need-to-Know” Principle: Avoid information overload and protect sensitive details, sharing them only with authorized individuals.
Examples
- Kitchen Remoдел: Old plans aid understanding of existing design choices.
- Electric Car Project: Leaking full plans risks ruining the launch and violates company policy. Raw user surveys should only be accessible to those authorized to view personally identifiable information (PII). Results can be presented without PII.
Key Takeaway: Documentation is a form of communication that ensures everyone stays informed and the project runs smoothly, even with unexpected changes.
What are the benefits of keeping project plan documents in one centralized place? Select all that apply.
Provide visibility and accountability
Keeping the project plan in one place makes documents accessible and creates accountability for tasks.
Ensure continuity if a new project manager joins the team
Keeping project plans in one place helps new project managers find what they need to keep the project moving.
Great to see you again. Now that you’re here, let’s talk about the importance of documentation and how it serves as a form of communication for others to reference
and contribute to. I’ll share an example with you. Once I worked on a
project that involved several teams from
quality assurance, testing, design, partner engineering,
and program managers. Each team was responsible for their own set of deliverables. To keep all teams
on the same page, it was important for everyone
to store their plans and reports in one
centralized place. This allowed any team member to quickly find the
documents they needed. Documentation storage and
sharing is very important. Having plans in one place
makes communication quicker, easier, and more streamlined because everyone knows where to find any information they need. Just as important is
making sure your files are stored with clear labels
or organized into folders. For example, on my team, we have certain reports
stored in one central place. This makes it easier for teams in different countries to find and share their research
with each other, which optimizes workflow
and reduces duplicate work. Documenting and organizing plans also provides visibility
and accountability. Your project plan is a
great example of this. Each task has an
owner and a due date. This creates visibility
for the members of the project team and
accountability for the task owner. It’s common for members
of the team and senior stakeholders to reference your project plan and
associated documents when they need a refresher
on timelines or milestones. Having up-to-date plans
will help ensure there’s no room for misinterpretation
or miscommunication. Once you’ve created a centralized location
for your documents, it’s time to think about managing permissions of your
files and folders. If someone isn’t a core
part of the project team, you might not want them to have full access to all of
the meeting notes. Instead, summarize the
relevant information into a status report
for those who need to stay informed
of final outcomes but don’t need all
background information. There’s another big benefit to setting up your project plans and centralizing them in
one place: continuity. As the project manager, there could be times when you need to suddenly
leave the project. Say you got sick, transferred to another project, or needed to take a
leave of absence. Another project manager
may need to step in, and if all the project information is scattered across
unorganized personal notes, it’s not very helpful. But if you documented all
the plans in one place, the new project manager can find everything they need and pick up right where you left off. It’s always useful to store guides, manuals, meeting notes, plans, and processes all in a centralized place
and clearly labeled. You’ll also want to
make sure the people in relevant roles are granted
access to those documents. So even if you’re not present, the project can carry on. As project manager, it’s
your job to ensure that project data can be accessed
in the future by others. Documenting your plans and making them available is part of a project management
best practice called knowledge management. If someone needs to
review this project for making decisions or
planning similar projects, they should be able to easily access the information they need. It also helps set the tone for future projects and
future project managers, which can be incredibly
helpful if you happen to be the one
jumping onto a new project. For example, if an
architect is working on a kitchen remodel and they want to make a decision
about the design, they can look at the old
project plans to understand why the decision was made to put the sink in a certain location. Or if a new architect comes in halfway
through the remodel, they might want to know why the other architect designed
the plumbing a certain way. By looking at the old plans, they can go back and get the
information and context they need to move forward with
more informed decisions. It’s also important to determine what kind of information to share
with whom and when. Focus on the key information related to what specific
individuals need to know. Think about this scenario: a project manager who is
working with all the VPs at their company decides to
send out daily updates. From a communication standpoint, what could be the
potential impact of the project manager’s decision? Well, since VPs get
lots of e-mails, they’re not likely
to read the updates. That ends up being a
waste of time for you. Also, when you send a lot
of unnecessary information, then it’s hard to tell
what’s really important. Figuring out the right
information to share is even more important when you’re working on projects that have
sensitive data. In those cases, you need to be very careful of how you share information about
your project with stakeholders who do not have permissions to view
sensitive data. For example, financial data or user survey results are often highly sensitive
and should never be made available to
unauthorized viewers. Here’s another scenario: let’s say your team is working on a high-profile launch
of a brand new product, say, an electric car. Most people don’t need to
know all of the thinking behind the project or see
all the draft versions, but they do need to know what the final design
will look like. The project is legally
sensitive, and you want to avoid leaks and
over-sharing classified data. If you share the entire
project folder with everyone who needs to
know only the end result, you risk doing just that: revealing highly sensitive
and classified data. If this information gets
leaked to the wrong people, project plans and company
data could be made public, ruining the big launch
of the electric car. You also risk violating
company policy and damaging your reputation as a trustworthy and
responsible project manager. Only share information
on a need-to-know basis. It’s your job to present the right information at the right time to
the right people. Let me show you an example. In this sample
communication plan, one of the resources is
user feedback surveys. This resource contains
raw data collected from surveys submitted by
Plant Pals test users, which means it has personally identifiable
information or PII. PII is anything that possibly
reveal someone’s identity, like a screen name,
password, phone number, e-mail address, first or last
name, anything like that. For that reason, only share that resource
with the members of the project team
who are approved to access this level of information. Then if anyone else tries
to open the document, they will be alerted
that they need to request permission
to access it. If you need to share
results of these surveys, those can be presented
in a graph, chart, or summarized in a report
without any PII included. Then you can share
that information with the broader team. Now you have a better
understanding of how important documentation
is to project management. Coming up next, we’ll
learn the best way to put your plan together and stay
organized. See you later.
Video: Organizing project documentation
Why Organization Matters
- Clear organization streamlines project work for everyone on the team.
- It minimizes misunderstandings and miscommunications.
Centralizing Project Information
- Shared File Drive: Use a shared drive (like Google Drive) to create a main project folder. You can even add sub-folders within this master folder for further organization.
- Centralized Planning Document: Create a single document (or spreadsheet) that acts as a hub. Link all important project resources directly to this document for easy access.
Spreadsheet Organization
- Multiple Sheets in One File: If your project utilizes several spreadsheets, group them within one main spreadsheet file using tabs.
- Overview/Dashboard Sheet: Include an overview or “dashboard” sheet within your spreadsheet file. This sheet provides:
- A brief project description
- Instructions on how to use the file
- Communication guidelines
- Links to other non-spreadsheet files
Key Takeaway: By using a combination of a shared file drive and a centralized planning document, you create a well-organized system for managing project information. This makes you a more efficient and effective project manager.
Hi again. So far in this course, you filled in or created some different project
planning resources, like the project plan, budget, RACI chart, risk management plan, and now a communications plan. We also discussed the
importance of organizing your communications and having easy and appropriate
access to project plans. Now, I’ll show you one
way you can organize all your project information
in one centralized place. You’ll be able to apply these
same general techniques to almost any type of project
management style or system. Organizing your project
plans makes everyone’s job easier and eliminates
opportunity for confusion. As a project manager, your goal is to have all of your project resources
documented and linked in a way to where you or anyone on the project can access
what they need quickly. A couple of handy ways
to get organized are using a shared file
drive, like Google Drive, and creating one resource like
a document or spreadsheet that links all of the files and resources that your project uses. Here’s an example of how to organize your files
in Google Drive, but it doesn’t
matter which shared system your project team uses, you can use the same process
for pretty much all of them. First, create a new folder and label it with the
name of your project. Use this folder to store
all your project files. You can even create
sub-folders and store them in the
main project folder. You can also stay
organized by creating a centralized planning document that links everything together. This can serve as a quick reference guide that you can use to find all your frequently
accessed files in one place. Here’s an Office Green example that’s already been started. One at a time, select a resource
name, then link it. Now you can access the file directly from the
centralized document. If your project uses multiple
spreadsheets and you want to avoid having to open
lots of separate files, you can group them within
one sheet like this. This sheet has tabs for all the other sheets that
contain project information. You can add a new
sheet at any time. It’s helpful to include an overview sheet and link
any non-spreadsheet files. This is also a good
place to provide a brief description
of the project, instructions for how to use the sheet, or communication
expectations. In this example, the overview sheet is
called the dashboard, which is the same thing. You can decide how to label
yours. There you have it. Now you’re organized
and ready to show everyone what an awesome
project manager you are.
Practice Quiz: Activity: Organize documents in a project plan
Reading
Activity Overview
Congratulations! You’ve come a long way and worked hard to complete all of the individual project planning documents, also known as project artifacts, in this course. In this activity, you will gather those documents and compile and organize them in one central place—your project plan. Having your documents in one place makes communication quicker, easier, and more streamlined, so everyone can find the information they need.
Be sure to complete this activity before moving on. The next course item will provide you with a completed exemplar to compare to your own work. You will not be able to access the exemplar until you have completed this activity.
Scenario
Review the scenario below. Then complete the step-by-step instructions.
As the project manager for Office Green’s Plant Pals Operations and Training plan launch, you want to keep all your planning documents organized in a central location. That way, you can easily share information and track the status of the project’s many moving pieces. Your project folders and labels should be clearly organized to provide visibility, continuity, and accountability.
A project plan is not only useful for streamlining team communications, it can also help you with retrospectives and planning for future projects.
Step-by-step Instructions
Step 1: Access the template
To use the template for this course item, click the link below and select “Use Template.”
Step 2: Add project details
There are four tabs at the bottom of the template: Dashboard, Project Schedule, Budget, and Communication Plan. First, go to the Dashboard tab. You’ll use this tab to provide a brief overview of the project and link to key project documents.
In the topmost section of the Dashboard, fill in the following information as indicated in the template:
- Project name
- Project description
- Project owner (You can use your name, make up a name, or simply write “Project Manager.”)
- Project status (mark the status as Draft for now)
Note: Leave the descriptions of the Key Docs blank for now. You will fill them in once you complete the rest of the document.
Step 3: Gather project documents
Next, gather your main project documents from the activities in this course:
- Activity: Estimate a project plan in a Gantt chart
- Activity: Develop a project budget
- Activity: Draft a communication plan
- Activity: Complete a Statement of Work (SoW)
- Activity: Create a risk management plan
Optional: Gather your finished documents from the following activities in the previous course, Project Initiation: Starting a Successful Project:
- Project charter
- RACI charts
Step 4: Add the documents to their respective tabs
Copy your completed Gantt chart, budget, and communication plan to the following tabs of your project plan:
- The Gantt chart spreadsheet should become the Project Schedule tab.
- The budget spreadsheet should become the Budget tab.
- The communication plan spreadsheet should become the Communication Plan tab.
If you are using Google Sheets, we recommend using the Copy to > Existing spreadsheet function:
- Open both your project plan and your source sheet (the spreadsheet you want to copy—e.g., your Gantt chart).
- Copy your project plan URL.
- Go to your source sheet and find the tab at the bottom (e.g., for your Gantt chart, this is the tab labeled “Gantt chart”).
- Click the down arrow on the tab and select Copy to > Existing spreadsheet.
- Paste the project plan URL into the bottom of the box that appears.
- Choose Select to copy the source sheet into your project plan.
- The copied sheet will appear as a new tab at the bottom of your project plan. You can then delete the blank tab (“Project schedule,” “Budget,” or “Communication plan”) and rename the newly copied tab.
For Microsoft Excel or other spreadsheet software, you can drag a spreadsheet tab from one spreadsheet to another:
- Arrange your spreadsheets so that both your project plan and your source spreadsheet (e.g., your Gantt chart) are side-by-side. (You may need to resize them first.)
- Click the tab at the bottom of your source spreadsheet and drag it to the tab bar of your project plan.
- The copied sheet will appear as a new tab at the bottom of your project plan. You can then delete the blank tab (Project schedule, Budget, or Communication plan) and rename the newly copied tab.
You can also copy all the cells of the source spreadsheet and then paste the content into the relevant tab in your project plan.
Step 5: Optional: Add hyperlinks to the Dashboard tab
Next, you can add hyperlinks to your project plan tabs and other documents to the Key Docs section of the Dashboard tab. Creating links to the main documents in your project plan lets your team access them quickly and easily.
Note: If your project documents are not in the cloud or online, you won’t be able to link to them, and are not expected to do this step.
If you’re using Google Drive, follow these steps to hyperlink your Project Schedule, Budget, and Communication Plan tabs to the Dashboard:
- Under Key Docs in the Dashboard tab, select the cell with the name of the document you want to link (e.g. “Schedule”).
- Go to Insert and select Link (or select the Insert link icon from the toolbar).
- Choose Sheets and named ranges and select the name of the tab you want to hyperlink.
To add hyperlinks to your Statement of Work, risk management plan, project charter, and RACI charts:
- Copy the URL for the document you want to link.
- Select the cell that matches the document you want to link (e.g., “Project charter”).
- Select Insert link and paste the URL.
- Select Apply to link the document.
If you want to create a shared folder so you can link to all your files, create a central folder on Google Drive, or any other file sharing program (e.g., Microsoft, Dropbox or Mac). Then, add the documents to the shared folder and generate a hyperlink to the Key Docs section of the Dashboard.
Step 6: Add descriptions
In the Dashboard tab, write a short description of each document under Description. (Do this even if you haven’t created hyperlinks to your project documents. Your descriptions should be brief, but specific, so your stakeholders know exactly what each document contains.
Note: Be sure to adjust the sharing settings for your project documents and folders. To learn how to change sharing settings in Google Drive, visit this resource.
Step 7: Save your project plan
Save your completed project plan to your computer or Google Drive. You’ll need it again in the next course, Project Execution: Running the Project.
Pro Tip: Save the template
Finally, be sure to save a blank copy of the project plan template you used to complete this activity. You can use it for further practice or in your own personal or professional projects. These templates will be useful as you put together a portfolio of project management artifacts. You can use them to talk through your thought processes as you demonstrate your experience to potential employers.
What to Include in Your Response
Be sure to address the following elements in your completed project plan:
- Project details at the top of your Dashboard tab
- Links for all documents listed in the Dashboard
- Tabs for the completed Gantt chart (Project Schedule), Budget, Communication Plan, and if applicable, RACI chart
- A link to a shareable folder containing all of your project resources
Reading: Activity Exemplar: Organize documents in a project plan
Reading
Completed Exemplar
To view the exemplar for this course item, click the link below and select “Use Template.”
Assessment of Exemplar
Compare the exemplar to your completed project plan. Review your work using each of the criteria in the exemplar. What did you do well? Where can you improve? Use your answers to these questions to guide you as you continue to progress through the course.
Project details in the Dashboard tab: The Dashboard includes a project title, project description, project owner(s), and status. These details help you, your team, and your stakeholders keep track of the project. The Key Docs may optionally include hyperlinks to each project resource. Organizing documents in this way can make it easier to search for important information. It also helps your team keep track of project deadlines, tasks, and key project goals.
Document description: The Dashboard includes brief, but specific, descriptions of each document. These descriptions provide context and help team members navigate the project plan.
Document tabs: The project plan includes tabs for all the main project documents. These tabs give your team easy access to important project files.
(Optional) Shared folder: The Dashboard tab may link to a shareable folder that contains all the project documents. This folder acts as a central resource for your team and important stakeholders.
Accessibility: Team members and stakeholders can access linked documents as Viewers or Commenters.
Remember, your project plan is a living document. You will update it regularly through the course of a project. You will add more documents and tabs as needed. You will also review your project plan regularly to make sure it is well-structured and organized for your team.
Congratulations on completing your project plan. You’ve demonstrated critical project management skills by creating effective project documents and organizing them in a centralized plan. Your work in this course will help you demonstrate your new skills to potential employers.
Video: Chris: Organizing artifacts for a job interview
What are Artifacts?
- Artifacts are any documents or materials that tangibly represent your work on a project.
- Examples:
- Executive summaries
- Roles and responsibilities sheets
- Project plans
- Vendor communication materials
Why Artifacts Matter
- Project Management:
- Organization for yourself and your team
- Clear communication with stakeholders
- Tracking progress and measuring success
- Career Development
- Showcasing your specific contributions in job interviews
- Demonstrating your end-to-end project management skills
- Providing tangible evidence of your work (holding the “playbook”)
Key Takeaway: Creating and maintaining artifacts is essential for both successful project execution and demonstrating your value as a project manager to potential employers.
[MUSIC] Hi, I’m Chris. I’m a diversity program
manager here at Google. So I lead diversity programming and
strategy for one of our business units here at Google. I focus in on diversity programming for
our most underrepresented Googlers like our Black plus our Latinx and
our Native populations here at Google. In a manager world where every single
day I’m thinking about who needs to be involved in the projects that I work on, who will care to invest in the programs
that I want to roll out, right? Because I need to get buy in for
certain programs to get green lit. Right, so I’m always thinking about
how I’m organizing my materials. I’m always thinking about packaging and
telling a story behind all of it so I can continue to do
the great work that I do. An artifact is anything that you
physically put together that describes or showcases the work that you’re doing. So that could be a document that
is, say, an executive brief or just an overview of the work
that you’re doing or it could be something as tactical as
a roles and responsibilities sheet, right? So breaking down
who on your team is handling what and to whom you need to present, it’s really important to keep that
organized because it’s not just for my own use, but it’s also for
anyone who I engage, right? So a stakeholder or someone who
needs to sign off on a project or it might be my teammates on something. I often bring in either volunteers or full-time help to help build
the programs that I run. Lastly, say we have an outside vendor, they need to understand where they
fit into to the larger picture but also what they tactically need to
do to make the program successful. So keeping artifacts allows you to
have the best possible outcome and all program management elements. And regardless of that piece, you also
want to be able to showcase your work at the end, so that when it comes
time to possibly get more budget for a program or to take the program’s next
level, you have a good base line to really understand from where you
started and how far you’ve come. When you have all those artifacts,
it’s really important to be able to speak to how those artifacts
allowed you to be successful. The artifacts are really what
tangibly show someone during a job interview that you were the one that
did the work to make the program or the project successful, right? So if you just talk about a project or
a program at a high level, in a job interview, the interviewer
might want to know more detail, and the artifacts allow you to show that
detail. Allow you to show not only what happened with the project and how far it
came, but also your contributions to it. And it physically shows your ability to
conduct the entire process from start to finish. You’re the quarterback, right, and
the quarterback also holds the playbook. And if you don’t have the playbook, who
on the team is going to know what to do other than you? You run the show. And so effectively, you want to make sure
that you’re able to showcase, in any setting, whether it be while you’re
currently working on the project or later or during an interview. All that you did to make the program or
project successful.
Optional: Preparing for a job search
Video: Documenting experience in a resume
What Makes a Strong Resume
- Core Elements:
- Contact Information (name, email, etc.)
- Professional Experience (job titles, companies, dates, accomplishments)
- Education (degrees, certifications, relevant coursework)
- Relevant Skills (especially project management focused)
- Optional but Helpful:
- Objective/Profile Summary: Brief statement highlighting your experience and goals (good for career changers)
- Hobbies: Choose those that showcase transferable skills (leadership, problem-solving, etc.)
Tailoring Your Resume
- Highlight project management skills: communication, organization, adaptability, decision-making.
- Weave your skills into your experience descriptions, not just in a skill list.
- Show your passion and unique perspective through hobbies and volunteer work.
- Google Values: Emphasize openness to learning, collaboration, and resilience.
Beyond the Resume
- LinkedIn: Maintain an updated profile as recruiters use it actively.
- Networking: Building relationships can be more powerful than just submitting a resume.
Key Takeaway: Your resume tells a story about your skills and potential. Use it strategically to highlight your alignment with project management roles and showcase the qualities that make you a valuable candidate.
Job searching, whether it’s your first time or your tenth, is a common but
unique experience. Whether you’re looking for
an entry-level position, considering a career
switch, or re-entering the workforce after a
hiatus, you need a resume. Your resume will be a key document throughout
your job search. It’s how recruiters can get an initial sense
of who you are as a potential employee and so
it’s really important to pay attention to the
information on it. Most resumes share many of
the same core elements. These are your
contact information, previous work and educational
experience, and skills. Documenting your experience
in a resume gives you the opportunity to stand out
to a potential employer. Not only do you get to list your past and
current experiences, but you get to highlight your
accomplishments as well. Let’s break down the
elements of a strong resume. Most resumes start with
contact information. At the top of your document, you’ll include your
name, email address, and other relevant
contact information you would wish to include, like a phone number or address. Many resumes also include a brief 1-3 sentence
summary of your experience. This summary is referred to as an objective, or sometimes,
as a profile summary. For example, an objective
might sound something like, “A passionate and customer-center
focused individual with three years of
experience launching new products and
managing processes.” It’s generally considered
optional to add an objective or profile
summary to your resume. Some recruiters like them while others don’t think
they’re necessary. An objective or profile summary
can be helpful however, if you’re looking to
change careers and want to highlight transferable
experience to a recruiter. Next step is the central
element of most resumes, your current and
previous experience, whether work or
education related. When listing your work
experience you’ll include your current or previous
employers and job titles, and for each job, you’ll also include
start and end dates and 2-3 bullet points explaining your job responsibilities
and accomplishments. Your educational
experience isn’t just high school or college, they can include online degrees, certificates and other professional
development you’ve completed. Finally, you may choose
to include skills, especially those
that are relevant to the project management
roles you’re applying to. As we’ve discussed earlier, some core skills that
project managers possess include: enabling
decision-making, communicating, flexibility and strong
organizational skills. I’d add that it also
includes skills like: ability to manage
tasks effectively, work well with others, follow through on tasks, and hold teammates accountable. It could also include
industry knowledge, like experience
with digital tools or work management software. You can highlight these skills
and more on your resume, either listed out in a
dedicated skills section or incorporated into
your section on current and previous experience. Another great skill that
some people forget to add are additional
languages spoken. If you have a high level of
fluency in another language, it’s definitely
worth mentioning. Another way to show our skills is to mention hobbies
on your resume, like volunteer work or experience working
in your community. Sometimes listing
hobbies that speak to your interests and background
can say a lot about you, and that can be helpful
to a hiring manager. In addition to highlighting
what you’re passionate about, many hobbies also require skills that a project
manager can use on the job. For instance, some hobbies
I see on a resume: coaching a youth sports team
or teaching an art class, may tell me you’re able to solve problems and connect
with people. Things like that really
stand out to me because they show that you’re someone who has interests beyond their career. Including a broad variety
of items on your resume can help show that
you’re excited about learning new things
outside of work. Personally, I think this makes for an incredibly
interesting candidates, and these are the kinds
of qualities we look for when hiring program
managers at Google. We’re always looking for
people who can bring new perspectives and life
experiences to our teams. Google’s culture is
diverse and inclusive, and we look for people
who are open to learn new things and are
great collaborators. This is especially true in project and
program management. We look for candidates
who are open to trying new things because sometimes your first attempt at
something may not go as planned and you’ll need to
try a different tactic. We look for people who can effectively collaborate
with other teams outside their own project teams to help everyone
reach their goals. As you can see, a strong resume can really help you tell a powerful
story about yourself. Providing a full
picture of who you are, what your strengths are, and what you’re
passionate about. Before I wrap up, it’s important to
note that a resume isn’t the only way to
document your abilities, you can also use online
communities like LinkedIn as an additional tool to increase your opportunities. The same details on
your resume should be stressed in your
LinkedIn profile. Additionally, recruiters
and hiring managers use LinkedIn to
scout for talent, view a candidate’s
professional journey and gain insights to skills, networks, professional
associates, things that may not have been included in the typical resume. A recent survey showed that
90 percent of recruiters use LinkedIn to search for
qualified job applicants. Once you document
your experience, you can begin to search for and apply to jobs at companies. You want to get
it right on paper before you have the
next conversation. You’ll have the opportunity
to continue building this skill in the associated
readings and activities. Take advantage of these
resources and polish or create that new resume.
I’ll see you soon.
Reading: Tailoring a resume for project management
Practice Quiz: Activity: Get started on your project management resume
Reading
Activity Overview
In this activity, you will start writing a professional resume that will position you for future project management roles. Getting a job in project management begins with a solid resume that highlights your skills and accomplishments. When complete, you should have a 1-2 page resume you can use in your job search. As you move through the program and learn more about project management, be sure to update this resume to include your new skills and experiences.
Be sure to complete this activity before moving on. The next course item will provide you with a completed exemplar to compare to your own work. You will not be able to access the exemplar until you have completed this activity.
Step-By-Step Instructions
Step 1: Access the template
Link to template: Project Management Resume
Step 2: Find a job description that interests you
For this activity, you will need to refer to the Tailoring your resume for project management reading. Keep it open as you fill out the sections of your resume.
Before creating your resume, think about the kind of position you want. Project management skills are used in nearly every industry, so spend some time thinking about where you want to apply your skills.
Next, find a job description that interests you. Review it carefully and highlight some of the qualities the employer is searching for. For example, “detail-oriented,” “collaborative,” “strategic,” and “creative” are all qualities that could appear in job descriptions. Be sure to use some of these keywords in your resume so the company understands how you can meet their needs.
Review the Tailor the content section of the reading for more information on how to connect your experience to the job description.
Step 3: Create your project management resume
Now that you’re familiar with the job description, it’s time to start writing your resume. Refer to the reading for detailed instructions on how to fill out the following sections of the template:
- Contact information
- Professional summary
- Core competencies
- Professional experience
- Education and certifications
Step 4: Proofread and format your resume
Finally, proofread your resume for spelling and grammatical errors. You can adjust the template as needed, but make sure it’s easy to read. Websites like resumeworded.com or enhancv.com can help you find a template style that works for you.
What to Include in Your Response
Be sure to address the following elements in your completed resume:
- Contact information, a professional summary, core competencies, professional experience, and education and certifications
- Keywords from the job description
- Bullets that link your past experience to the job description using the P.A.R.I.S. formula
- Correct grammar and punctuation
Reading: Activity Exemplar: Get started on your project management resume
Reading
Completed Exemplar
To view the exemplar for this course item, click the link below and select “Use Template.”
Link to exemplar: Project Management Resume
Assessment of Exemplar
Compare the exemplar to your completed resume. Review your work using each of the criteria in the exemplar. What did you do well? Where can you improve? Use your answers to these questions to guide you as you continue to progress through the course.
Let’s review each of the resume elements:
Contact information: The resume includes your name, location, phone number, and links to your email address, professional social media account, and website (if you have one).
Professional summary: A short summary of one to three sentences that clearly states why you are the best candidate for the position. It should highlight the most important things you want the reader to know about you.
Core competencies: A bulleted list of the most relevant skills related to the position you’re applying to. For example, Sophie helped run events at a bookstore and communicated that as “event planning and oversight.”
Professional experience: A list of at least three of your past positions in reverse chronological order and descriptions of your responsibilities and accomplishments. They should be tailored to the job description and highlight concrete results using the P.A.R.I.S. framework. For example, Sophie coordinated events at the bookstore and wrote, “Coordinated weekly readings and other events, including author communication, marketing and social media, stock ordering, event setup and breakdown; events increased average revenue by ~27% on event days.”
Education and certifications: Any degrees you hold and the Google Project Management Certificate.
Format and clarity: The formatting is clear and consistent and the resume is easy to read.
Practice Quiz: Activity: Create or update your professional social media profile
Reading
Activity Overview
In this activity, you will create or update a professional social media profile (LinkedIn) to prepare you for your job search. Prospective employers will check out your online presence, so your professional profile is as important as your resume. This profile should highlight the same project management experience and skills as your resume, with a few key differences. As you move through the program and learn more about project management, you should update this profile to include your new skills and experience
Be sure to complete this activity before moving on. The next course item will provide you with a completed exemplar to compare to your own work. You will not be able to access the exemplar until you have completed this activity.
Step-By-Step Instructions
Part 1 – LinkedIn Essentials
Step 1: Create a LinkedIn account
If you don’t already have one, sign up for a LinkedIn account. Be sure to use an email address that’s appropriate for professional communication.
Step 2: Upload a photo
Your photo can be a company headshot or a personal snapshot. Just make sure it’s not too informal or inappropriate. This photo will be your introduction to recruiters, and you want to make a good impression. When taking or selecting a photo, aim for the following criteria:
- Your face should fill the frame and be well-lit.
- You should dress as you would for work.
- Your expression should be relaxed and approachable—in other words, someone recruiters want to get to know.
Step 3: Write your headline
Your headline is the most prominent part of your profile, aside from your name. You can use your current job title here, but many people get creative with their headlines. You can use it to highlight your skills or describe your professional passions. Explore the profiles of other project management professionals to find inspiration.
Step 4: Write your “About” summary
The “About” section is similar to the professional summary of a resume, but it differs in two important ways:
- It can be (slightly) more general. Instead of tailoring your profile to a single job, search multiple job descriptions for keywords and patterns to include. Recruiters from many companies and industries will review your profile, so you don’t want to limit yourself.
- It can expand on your skills or tell a story. Your “About” can be a little longer than your professional summary. Use it to highlight your passions and skills—don’t be afraid to talk about yourself!
Step 5: Add your experience
Enter your work experience, including title, company, dates worked, and relevant accomplishments for each role. These should be similar to your resume bullets and use the P.A.R.I.S. framework (problems that needed to be solved, actions taken, results of those actions, the impact on the project, and any supporting evidence). As with the “About” section, you should adapt your bullets to accommodate multiple job descriptions.
Step 6: Enter your education
Include any degrees you hold, along with the institutions (your graduation date is optional). You can also add classes in relevant subjects and any capstone projects you completed. Listing activities or clubs you participated in can let recruiters know what’s important to you.
Step 7: Add your skills
Don’t forget to include any skills that highlight your strengths, talents, and proficiency in specific tools. These can be both technical and interpersonal skills.
Step 8: Add your credentials and certifications
Add any relevant credentials or certifications you may hold—including this one, which you can enter as “Google Project Management Certificate, expected [Month], [Year].” (Note: select a date format commonly used in your location.)
Part 2 – Optional Elements
Now that you’ve completed your basic profile, consider including these optional elements:
Step 1: Link to your portfolio
You may think portfolios are only for writers or designers, but project managers can also showcase their work through portfolios. A good portfolio outlines the projects you’ve managed, artifacts you’ve created (if they are not confidential), your approach to problem-solving, and the positive outcomes of your work. If you have a portfolio, consider linking to it here.
Step 2: Add your volunteer work
Don’t underestimate the value of volunteer experience! It’s often a great way to get experience and demonstrate your project management capabilities. List any relevant volunteering you may have done and explain how you used your project management skills for good.
Step 3: List your awards and honors
If you’ve received any professional awards or honors for your work, add them to your profile.
Step 4: Add your professional organization affiliations
Professional organizations can be great networking tools, so be sure to list your current affiliations.
Step 5: Add the languages you can speak and write
If you can speak or write more than one language, don’t forget to include them. Language skills can be valuable to future employers.
Step 6: Ask for recommendations and testimonials
Ask colleagues to write testimonials that promote your skills, talents, and accomplishments. A personal recommendation can go a long way!
Step 7: Upload a background photo
In addition to your headshot, you also have the option to upload a background photo. A background photo is a great way to tell recruiters a bit more about yourself.
Step 8: Upload a video
If you’re good with a camera, a short video introduction is another option to engage people who visit your profile.
What to Include in Your Response
Be sure to address the following points in your completed profile:
- A photo, headline, summary, experience, education, skills, and certifications
- Elements that express your skills, values, and personality
- Bullets that link your past experience to the job description using the P.A.R.I.S. formula
- Keywords from relevant job descriptions
- Optional elements like a portfolio link, volunteer experience, or awards
Reading: Activity Exemplar: Create or update your professional social media profile
Reading
Completed Exemplar
To view the exemplar for this course item, click the link below and select “Use Template.”
Link to exemplar: Professional profile
Assessment of Exemplar
Compare the exemplar to your completed profile. Review your work using each of the criteria in the exemplar. What did you do well? Where can you improve? Use your answers to these questions to guide you as you continue to progress through the course. Let’s review each of the profile elements:
Photo: Your profile photo should be professional, well-lit, and approachable.
Headline: Use your headline to highlight your skills or describe your professional passions. In our exemplar, Sophie uses, “Program Management Wizard.” How creative you can get varies by industry, so be sure to do your research!
About/summary: Similar to a resume summary, this section should showcase your passions and skills. In our exemplar, Sophie writes, “I enjoy finding creative solutions” to highlight their out-of-the-box thinking.
Experience: A list of past positions, responsibilities, and accomplishments that tell recruiters what you can do. At the bookstore, Sophie “coordinated weekly readings and events, including author communication, marketing and social media, stock ordering, event setup and breakdown; events increased our visibility in the community, and increased store revenue 27% per event day.” Experiences like these often translate to project management, so don’t forget to include them.
Education: Any degrees you hold, including institutions and graduation dates, if you choose.
Skills: A list of skills that demonstrate your strengths, talents, and proficiency in specific tools. Sophie lists skills like innovation and problem-solving, along with WordPress and SQL.
Credentials and certifications: Remember to include your Google Project Management Certificate!
Reading: OKRs for personal and professional development
Reading
As you prepare for a new career in project management, it’s also a great time to set some personal OKRs (objectives and key results) to track your progress towards achieving your own personal goals.
OKR Review
OKR stands for objectives and key results. They combine a goal and a metric to determine a measurable outcome.
| Objective | Key Results |
|---|---|
| Defines what needs to be achieved | The measurable outcomes that objectively define when the objective has been met |
| Describes a desired outcome |
Benefits of setting personal OKRs
Many of us set New Year’s resolutions each year, only to find that by February, we are not much closer to accomplishing those goals than we were on January 1st. Setting personal OKRs is a strategy that can help you define clear, measurable goals for yourself and create an action plan for achieving them. Just like with company- or project-level OKRs, setting personal OKRs can turn vague and ambiguous goals into quantifiable and measurable metrics. Whether it’s a personal fitness goal, a desire to spend more time with your family, or a goal to complete this certificate program, setting personal OKRs for these goals can make it easier to track their progress and determine when you’ve achieved them.
Write your own OKRs
Follow the steps outlined below to help you craft your own personal OKRs. You can use this OKR template, or if you don’t have a Google account, you can download the template directly from the attachment below.
Define your “why”
Before you start on your objectives—your “what”—consider your “why.” This is your mission. Why are you setting goals? For example, if you have a goal to complete this course, why is that important to you? Write that down and use it to inspire and focus your objectives.
Determine your “what”
Brainstorm possible objectives
Now that you have a clear sense of why these goals are important to you, you can start drafting your objectives. Think about the things you most want or need to accomplish in the next 30–90 days.
To help you generate a list of possible objectives, consider the following:
- What are the most important things I need to get done?
- What do I need to take action on?
- What do I need to start doing or changing?
- What do I want to improve or work on in my life or career?
Based on your responses to these questions, brainstorm a list of 3–5 possible objectives that relate to your mission.
Refine your objectives
Review your list of possible objectives and revise them to make sure they meet the following criteria:
- Aspirational: Is the objective inspiring and motivational? Does it ask you to challenge yourself and accomplish something you haven’t before?
- Aligned with organizational goals: In this case, YOU are the organization, so your objectives should align with the mission you defined earlier. Does the objective help you in achieving your overall goals?
- Action-oriented: Does the objective indicate making a change or taking action?
- Concrete: Is the objective clearly stated? Would someone else understand what the objective is hoping to accomplish?
- Significant: Will achieving the objective make a significant impact toward your personal or professional development?
| Mission: Be an ideal candidate for promotion or hire. |
|---|
| Objective: Deliver engaging presentations |
| Objective: Increase my work pace |
| Objective: Learn new skills and practices beyond the job description |
Develop the “how”
Next, it’s time to add key results, which describe how you’ll achieve your objective. They also define what it means to successfully meet your objective.
Draft and refine your key results
Working with one objective at a time, brainstorm a list of 2–5 key results. To help you generate your list, consider the following:
- How would you define success for this objective?
- What metrics would prove that you’ve successfully achieved the objective?
Once you have a few key results, review and revise them so they meet the following criteria:
- Results-oriented—not a task: Do the key results state the overall outcome, rather than individual steps to get there?
- Measurable and verifiable: Do the key results include specific, objective metrics?
- Specific and time-bound: Have you clearly defined what needs to happen and by when?
- Aggressive yet realistic: Do the stated results stretch you but still account for potential challenges or unexpected events that could arise?
| Key Results: |
|---|
| Attend a public speaking workshop by the end of the 1st quarter. |
| Watch at least one TEDTalk per week. |
| Deliver one presentation every two months and collect feedback. |
| Key Results: |
|---|
| Block out 90 minutes each day to work on top-priority tasks. |
| Delegate items to other team members to focus my time on higher priority tasks. |
| Take on one additional project this quarter while maintaining the same number of work hours. |
| Key Results: |
|---|
| Earn one more relevant additional certifications before the end of the 1st quarter. |
| Attend three networking events and schedule two coffee or lunch meetings per month with potential mentors. |
| Improve industry knowledge by attending 1 new workshop, conference, or presentation each month. |
Creating OKRs can be an empowering way to take ownership of your goals and find meaning in your personal and professional life. Start by defining your mission, or the overall reason for creating goals and why they’re important. Then determine your objectives, or what you want to achieve. Then, develop key results that will make it clear how and when you’ve made progress and achieved success.
For more on writing and refining your OKRs, check out these resources:
Course review: Project planning: Putting it all together
Video: Dan: The importance of project documentation
The Importance of Centralized Documentation
- Dan, a program manager at Google Research, emphasizes the need for a “master document” to combat the overwhelming proliferation of smaller documents in a project.
- This master document serves as a central hub, linking to all essential project elements (charter, budget, scope, approvals, etc.). It streamlines access and reduces information overload.
Adaptability and the Living Document
- There’s no single perfect approach to project management documentation. Needs vary across projects (e.g., some require risk management plans, others don’t).
- The key principle is keeping everything organized, with the master document as the starting point.
- Dan stresses that project documents should not be static. They must be “living,” constantly reviewed, updated, and refined.
Benefits of Detailed Documentation
- Thorough documentation upfront minimizes the need for extensive revisions later on. It improves the chance of getting things right from the beginning.
I’m Dan, and I’m a program
manager at Google Research. As a program manager
at Research, I work to make sure that all of the teams I work with
are on the same page. Whether that’s product teams who are implementing
the research or research teams who need to understand how to define their research agenda
for future projects. A lot of what I do is effective
communication and trying to create detailed documentation so that everyone can
connect the dots. One thing that I’ve observed
as a program manager is a proliferation of documents, or what I like to call,
“death by a thousand documents.” So it becomes really important to have one master document where you centralize all
the sub-documents or smaller docs that you might
need to execute a project, and then you can just go
to the master document and find what you need, even if
that lives somewhere else. I can go into my master tracker and I can find the
program charter, I can find the budget, I can find the agreed upon scope, any document that has
approval matrices, which is a list of
all the approvals I need, things like that. If I can link out to everything
from just one place, I know that I’ll
always be able to start there and find what I need. There’s not a one-size-fits-all approach to project
or program management. You might need a
risk management plan for one project but not another, and there might be
some other type of documentation you need. Really, keeping everything
organized and starting from one place is the most
helpful tip I can give. The broader trend in program management or
project management documentation is that you don’t just take one
pass at a document, you don’t finish
your project plan or your project
charter in one go, you have to constantly
return to it, revise it, and continue. It’s living and
breathing document. The more detailed you can
be in your documentation, the fewer iterations
you’re going to need to go through later on because they’re more likely to get things right
the first time.
Quiz: Module 5 Challenge
The project manager has identified the key stakeholders, barriers, and communication methods in a project. What is the final piece they must determine before creating the communication plan?
Goals
Gemini
The final piece the project manager needs to determine is Goals. Here’s why:
- Goals Define Purpose: Clear and measurable goals provide the foundation for what needs to be communicated and to whom.
- Stakeholder Alignment: Understanding project goals helps identify who needs what level of information, ensuring relevant communication.
- Barriers and Communication: Specific goals help the PM anticipate potential barriers and tailor communication to address them effectively.
While the other options are important, they don’t directly shape the communication plan the way goals do:
- Project tasks: Are part of the execution plan which comes after the communication plan is designed.
- Budget: Is a project constraint, but doesn’t dictate the communication strategy itself.
- Timesheets: Are a project management tool, not a core driver of the communication plan.
ChatGPT
The final piece that the project manager must determine before creating the communication plan is the project goals. These goals provide the overarching objectives and outcomes that the project aims to achieve. Understanding the project goals is essential for tailoring the communication plan to ensure that stakeholders are informed about progress, challenges, and achievements in alignment with these objectives.
Which of the following is true of effective communication in project management? Select all that apply.
- It helps projects run on time and meet expectations.
- It is clear, relevant, and frequent.
- It continues throughout the entire project
Gemini
Here’s the breakdown of why the correct answers are important for effective communication in project management:
- It helps projects run on time and meet expectations. Clear and timely communication keeps everyone aligned on goals, progress, and potential roadblocks. This helps avoid surprises and allows for proactive adjustments to ensure a project stays on track.
- It is clear, relevant, and frequent. Communication should be concise, tailored to the audience, and happen regularly to keep everyone updated. This prevents misunderstandings and promotes collaboration.
- It continues throughout the entire project. Communication isn’t just for the start or when problems arise. Consistent communication throughout the project maintains momentum, trust, and adaptability.
Why the other option is incorrect:
- It does not require follow-ups. While effective communication aims to be clear and minimize the need for excessive follow-ups, some follow-up is typically necessary to ensure information was received, interpreted correctly, and actions are being taken.
Let me know if you’d like a deeper dive into any of these aspects!
ChatGPT
The following statements are true of effective communication in project management:
- It helps projects run on time and meet expectations.
- It is clear, relevant, and frequent.
- It continues throughout the entire project.
Effective communication in project management ensures that information is conveyed clearly, consistently, and in a timely manner, helping to keep the project on track, meet objectives, and address any issues that arise. Additionally, communication should persist throughout the entire project lifecycle to ensure stakeholders remain informed and engaged. However, it may still require follow-ups to ensure that messages are understood and acted upon appropriately. Therefore, the statement “It does not require follow-ups” is not true.
You create a communication plan to send an email to key stakeholders weekly at a specified time. Into which part of the communication plan do you put the specified time, 11:00 a.m.?
Frequency
Gemini
The most appropriate place to put the specified time (11:00 a.m.) in your communication plan is under Frequency. Here’s why:
- Frequency defines how often the communication occurs. By including the specific time, you clarify that it’s not just a weekly email, but a weekly email sent at a precise time for consistency and scheduling purposes.
Here’s a breakdown of why the other options aren’t as suitable:
- Delivery Method: Focuses on the channel (email in this case).
- Key dates: Used for significant milestones, not regular communication intervals.
- Time Zone: Important if stakeholders are in different locations, but less relevant if everyone’s in the same time zone or the time of day isn’t a key factor.
ChatGPT
The specified time, 11:00 a.m., would typically be included in the “Frequency” section of the communication plan. This section outlines how often communication will occur, including specific days and times if applicable. Therefore, the specified time would indicate the time at which the email would be sent weekly to the key stakeholders.
Claude
The specified time of 11:00 a.m. would fall under the “Key dates” part of the communication plan.
In a communication plan, the “Key dates” section typically outlines the specific dates and times when the communication (in this case, the email) will be sent or delivered. This could include details such as:
- Day of the week (e.g., every Friday)
- Time of day (e.g., 11:00 a.m.)
- Any specific dates for one-time or irregular communications
The “Frequency” part of the plan would cover the regularity or interval of the communication, such as weekly, monthly, or quarterly.
The “Delivery method” would specify the channel or medium through which the communication will be sent, such as email, newsletter, video conference, or in-person meeting.
The “Time Zone” part would indicate the time zone reference for the scheduled communication times, especially if the stakeholders are located across different time zones.
Since the question specifically mentions the time “11:00 a.m.,” this detail would be appropriately included under the “Key dates” section of the communication plan.
As a project manager, you decide to hold video conferences with your core project team and stakeholders as part of your communication plan. What additional details should the communication plan include? Select all that apply.
Key dates
Resource locations
Gemini
Here’s the breakdown of the additional details that should be included in your communication plan for video conferences:
- Duration: Specifying how long meetings will be helps attendees manage their time and ensures you cover the necessary agenda items.
- Location: Even though it’s a video conference, you need to specify the virtual meeting platform (Zoom, Teams, etc.) and provide any necessary links or joining instructions.
These details are essential for successful and efficient video conferencing communication within your project.
Here’s why the other options aren’t as crucial:
- Key Dates: This is broader than the specific video conference meeting schedule. While you may reference key dates during the meeting, they wouldn’t be a core part of the communication plan for the video conference itself.
- Resource Locations: While potentially valuable in certain situations, it’s not directly related to the specifics of setting up and attending the video conference.
ChatGPT
As part of holding video conferences with your core project team and stakeholders, the communication plan should include the following additional details:
- Duration: This indicates the expected length of the video conferences, helping participants plan their schedules accordingly.
- Location: This specifies where the video conferences will take place, whether it’s a physical location or a virtual platform.
- Key dates: These are important dates related to the video conferences, such as the scheduled meeting times or any deadlines associated with the meetings.
Resource locations wouldn’t typically apply in this scenario, as video conferences are typically conducted virtually rather than at physical locations. Therefore, it’s not necessary to include resource locations in the communication plan for video conferences.
Claude
As a project manager, when holding video conferences with your core project team and stakeholders as part of your communication plan, the additional details that should be included in the communication plan are:
- Duration
- Key dates
- Resource locations
Duration: The communication plan should specify the expected duration or length of the video conferences. This helps participants plan their schedules accordingly and ensures that the meetings do not run over the allotted time.
Key dates: As mentioned earlier, the communication plan should include the specific dates and times when the video conferences will be held. This information is crucial for ensuring that all participants are aware of and can attend the scheduled meetings.
Resource locations: Since video conferences involve remote participants, the communication plan should provide details on the resources or platforms to be used for the meetings. This could include information such as:
- Video conferencing software or application (e.g., Zoom, Microsoft Teams, Google Meet)
- Meeting URLs or access codes
- Instructions for joining the video conference (e.g., dial-in numbers, passcodes)
- Any required hardware or software for participants
Location: While video conferences involve remote participants, the communication plan may not necessarily need to include a physical location detail, unless there are specific participants joining from a designated location or conference room. In most cases, the resource locations should sufficiently cover the information needed for participants to join the video conferences.
By including these additional details in the communication plan, project managers can ensure that all participants have the necessary information to attend and participate effectively in the video conferences.
Why should you share your communication plan document with your team? Select all that apply.
- Let them offer feedback
- Ensure you aren’t missing crucial information
- Make them aware of the plan
Gemini
Here’s the breakdown of why you should share the communication plan with your team:
- Make them aware of the plan: This ensures everyone knows how, when, and what information will be communicated throughout the project, promoting transparency and accountability.
- Let them offer feedback: Team members may provide valuable insights, catch potential communication gaps, and suggest adjustments based on their specific roles and needs.
- Ensure you aren’t missing crucial information: The team might identify additional stakeholders, communication channels, or potential barriers you might have overlooked.
Why the other option isn’t the main focus:
- Let them make changes to the plan: While input is valuable, ultimately the project manager is responsible for finalizing the communication plan. It’s more about collaboration than turning over control.
Key Takeaway: Sharing the communication plan fosters collaboration, transparency, and buy-in from your team, leading to more effective and successful project execution.
ChatGPT
Sharing the communication plan document with your team is important for several reasons:
- Let them offer feedback: By sharing the communication plan with your team, you invite them to provide input and suggestions, which can improve the effectiveness of the plan.
- Ensure you aren’t missing crucial information: Your team members may have insights or perspectives that you haven’t considered, so sharing the plan allows them to identify any gaps or missing information.
- Make them aware of the plan: Sharing the communication plan ensures that your team members are aware of how communication will be managed throughout the project, including key details such as communication methods, frequency, and stakeholders involved.
Allowing team members to make changes to the plan directly might not be advisable as it could lead to inconsistencies or conflicts in the communication strategy. Therefore, it’s generally better for team members to offer feedback that the project manager can then consider and incorporate into the plan as appropriate.
What are the key benefits of a communication plan? Select all that apply.
- Improves overall effectiveness of communication
- Keeps people engaged and motivated throughout the project
- Involves stakeholders in effective conversations
Gemini
Here’s the breakdown of why the correct answers are key benefits of a communication plan:
- Improves overall effectiveness of communication: A well-structured communication plan ensures the right information is delivered to the right people at the right time, using the most appropriate channels. This promotes clarity and efficiency.
- Keeps people engaged and motivated throughout the project: Regular and transparent communication about progress, challenges, and upcoming milestones helps maintain team morale and a sense of purpose.
- Involves stakeholders in effective conversations: The communication plan outlines who needs to be involved in different types of conversations, fostering collaboration and participation in decision-making processes.
While a communication plan might touch on technical project terms, its primary focus is on the flow of information, not providing in-depth technical definitions.
Let me know if you’d like more explanation on any of these benefits!
ChatGPT
The key benefits of a communication plan include:
- Improves overall effectiveness of communication: A well-defined communication plan ensures that information is conveyed clearly, consistently, and in a timely manner, thereby enhancing overall communication effectiveness.
- Keeps people engaged and motivated throughout the project: Clear and consistent communication helps to keep stakeholders engaged and informed about project progress, goals, and expectations, which can contribute to maintaining motivation and commitment.
- Involves stakeholders in effective conversations: By outlining communication strategies and involving stakeholders in the conversation, a communication plan ensures that relevant parties are engaged and their input is considered, fostering effective collaboration and decision-making.
Providing guidance on technical project terms is not typically a primary purpose of a communication plan. It’s more focused on the strategy and process of communication rather than technical terminology. Therefore, “Provides guidance on technical project terms” is not a key benefit of a communication plan.
What is the typical communication plan for key stakeholders in a project?
Monthly emails with a status update overview
Gemini
The most typical communication plan for key stakeholders would be:
- Monthly emails with a status update overview: This provides high-level updates on progress, milestones, and potential issues without overwhelming stakeholders with excessive detail.
Here’s why the other options aren’t as typical for key stakeholders:
- Backlog discussion sessions to review tasks: These are more common with internal project teams for detailed task management, not as frequent with key stakeholders.
- Launch prep schedule every six weeks: While potentially relevant near the end of the project, this isn’t a consistent communication cadence for key stakeholders throughout the project’s lifespan.
- Daily check-ins scheduled with task updates: This level of detail is usually too granular for key stakeholders. They’re focused on the bigger picture, not the minutiae of daily progress.
Important Note: Communication plans will vary depending on the specific project, the stakeholders’ level of involvement, and their information needs.
ChatGPT
The typical communication plan for key stakeholders in a project often involves regular updates and status reports to keep stakeholders informed about project progress, challenges, and achievements. Among the options provided, “Monthly emails with a status update overview” best fits this typical communication plan for key stakeholders. This approach ensures stakeholders receive regular updates on the project’s status without overwhelming them with excessive communication.
How can a project manager use a RACI chart and stakeholder map when creating a project communication plan?
To assess the frequency of the communication method to each team member
To determine what type of communication is best for the team members
Gemini
Here’s how a project manager can leverage a RACI chart and a stakeholder map for their communication plan:
RACI Chart:
- Identifies Key Roles: The RACI chart outlines who is Responsible, Accountable, Consulted, and Informed for different aspects of the project. This helps determine:
- Who needs to receive proactive updates
- Who needs to be consulted before key decisions
- Who should be kept updated for general awareness
Stakeholder Map:
- Understanding Influence and Interest: The stakeholder map plots stakeholders based on their level of influence on the project and their interest in it. This information helps the project manager:
- Tailor communication style based on the stakeholder’s influence (e.g., more in-depth discussions with high-influence stakeholders)
- Anticipate potential support or resistance from different stakeholders, influencing the content of the information communicated
Together, these tools don’t directly address:
- Best communication type or frequency for team members: That requires additional analysis of the individual’s role and preferences.
- Who responds fastest to emails: This is more about individual work habits than something the RACI or stakeholder map reveals.
- Predicting all issues: While they may reveal areas of potential friction, anticipating every single issue is unrealistic.
ChatGPT
A project manager can use a RACI chart (Responsible, Accountable, Consulted, Informed) and stakeholder map when creating a project communication plan in the following ways:
To determine what type of communication is best for the team members: By identifying who is responsible for various tasks and who needs to be consulted or informed, the project manager can tailor the communication methods to suit the needs and preferences of each team member.
To assess the frequency of the communication method to each team member: Understanding the roles and responsibilities of each team member as indicated in the RACI chart helps the project manager determine how frequently and at what level of detail communication needs to occur with each individual.
To determine the issues that could come up during the plan: The stakeholder map helps the project manager identify all relevant stakeholders and their potential interests, concerns, and influence levels. This information can then be used to anticipate potential issues or challenges in communication and proactively address them in the communication plan.
Assessing which stakeholder would be able to respond fastest to emails is not a primary use of either the RACI chart or the stakeholder map. These tools are more focused on defining roles, responsibilities, and communication needs rather than the speed of response to emails.
Claude
A project manager can use a RACI (Responsible, Accountable, Consulted, Informed) chart and a stakeholder map when creating a project communication plan in the following ways:
- To determine what type of communication is best for the team members:
The RACI chart outlines the roles and responsibilities of different team members in the project. Based on their level of involvement (Responsible, Accountable, Consulted, or Informed), the project manager can determine the appropriate type of communication for each team member. For example, those responsible or accountable for a task may require more detailed and frequent communication, while those who need to be informed may receive periodic updates. - To assess the frequency of the communication method to each team member:
The RACI chart and stakeholder map can help the project manager understand the level of engagement and importance of each team member or stakeholder. This information can guide the frequency of communication with different individuals or groups. Those with higher levels of responsibility or influence may require more frequent communication than those with lesser involvement.
By combining the RACI chart with the stakeholder map, the project manager can tailor the communication plan to ensure that the right information is communicated to the right people, at the right time, and through the appropriate channels.
The RACI chart and stakeholder map do not directly help in assessing which stakeholder would respond fastest to emails or in determining potential issues that could arise during the communication plan. However, they provide valuable insights into the communication needs and priorities of different team members and stakeholders, allowing the project manager to create an effective and targeted communication plan.
Fill in the blank: Documenting and organizing plans provides visibility for project team members and _____ for task owners.
accountability
Gemini
The best word to fill in the blank is accountability. Here’s why:
- Visibility: Clear documentation of plans promotes transparency and ensures everyone understands their roles and expectations.
- Accountability: Knowing that plans are documented and accessible creates a sense of ownership and responsibility for task completion, as team members can be held accountable for their progress.
While the other options might have some relationship to project work, they don’t fit as well in this specific context:
- Authority: Documentation and organization help define roles but don’t directly confer authority.
- Supervision: This implies a more hierarchical oversight, while accountability emphasizes individual responsibility.
- Feedback: Documentation can facilitate feedback loops, but it’s not the primary purpose.
ChatGPT
Documenting and organizing plans provides visibility for project team members and accountability for task owners.
What document acts as a quick reference guide to help team members find files they frequently access in one place?
A centralized planning document
Gemini
The correct answer is A centralized planning document. Here’s why:
- Quick Reference: It’s designed to be easily accessible and provide key project information at a glance, including links to frequently used files and resources.
- Organized Accessibility: It brings essential project elements together, reducing time spent searching for them.
The other options, while valuable, don’t serve the same purpose:
- Project Charter: Provides a high-level overview of the project scope, purpose, and key stakeholders.
- Risk Management Plan: Focuses on identifying, assessing, and mitigating potential project risks.
- Project Proposal: A persuasive document aimed at securing approval and resources for a project.
ChatGPT
A centralized planning document, typically referred to as a “Project Repository” or “Document Repository,” serves as a quick reference guide to help team members find files they frequently access in one place. This repository organizes important project documents, such as plans, reports, templates, and other resources, making them easily accessible to team members when needed.
Which of the following should project managers identify before creating a communication plan? Select all that apply.
- Communication methods
- Project stakeholders
- Communication goals
Gemini
Here’s the breakdown of what a project manager needs to identify before creating a communication plan:
- Communication methods: Determining the appropriate channels (email, meetings, reports, etc.) is crucial for effective communication based on the type of information and recipient.
- Project stakeholders: Identifying who needs to be informed, consulted, and kept in the loop is essential for tailoring the communication plan accordingly.
- Communication goals: Understanding the specific objectives of the communication (e.g., status updates, decision-making, building consensus) guides the structure and content of the plan.
While important, here’s why ‘Project Risks’ isn’t as directly tied to the initial communication plan creation:
- Project risks: While a risk management plan will inform certain aspects of communication (e.g., communicating about potential delays or issues), it’s not the primary driver when designing the overarching communication strategy.
ChatGPT
Before creating a communication plan, project managers should identify the following:
- Communication methods: Understanding the various communication channels available and selecting the most appropriate ones for different stakeholders and situations is crucial for effective communication.
- Project stakeholders: Identifying all stakeholders involved in the project ensures that communication efforts are targeted and inclusive.
- Communication goals: Establishing clear communication goals helps define the purpose and objectives of the communication plan, guiding the selection of appropriate strategies and tactics.
Project risks are important to identify and address in project planning but may not necessarily be directly linked to the creation of a communication plan. Therefore, while identifying project risks is an essential aspect of project management, it is not typically a prerequisite for creating a communication plan.
As a project manager, how can you maintain open communication after you have sent your team a message? Select all that apply.
- Check in to make sure the information was clear.
- Respond to any questions quickly.
Gemini
Here’s the breakdown of how to maintain open communication after sending a message to your team:
- Check in to make sure the information was clear: Proactively ask if there are any questions or if further clarification is needed. This demonstrates that you value understanding and engagement.
- Respond to any questions quickly: Timely responses show that you are available and foster a sense of trust and responsiveness.
Here’s why the other options aren’t always the best approach:
- Resend the message if no one responds: This can feel repetitive and potentially annoying. It’s better to first check understanding or rephrase the communication.
- Convey the message through various methods: While sometimes necessary for very important information, it can be overkill for every message. Start with the primary communication channel and adjust if needed.
Key Takeaway: Open communication is a two-way street. It’s not just about sending information, but also ensuring it’s received, understood, and facilitating dialogue.
ChatGPT
As a project manager, you can maintain open communication after sending a message by:
- Checking in to make sure the information was clear: Following up with team members to ensure they understood the message and addressing any confusion or questions they may have.
- Conveying the message through various methods: Using multiple communication channels such as email, meetings, instant messaging, or project management tools to ensure the message reaches everyone and accommodates different preferences.
- Responding to any questions quickly: Being responsive to any questions or concerns raised by team members in a timely manner, demonstrating accessibility and commitment to open communication.
Resending the message if no one responds may not always be necessary and could potentially be seen as spamming or unnecessary if the message was received but not yet responded to. It’s generally better to follow up directly with individuals or use alternative communication methods to ensure the message is received and understood.
Which of the following categories are part of a communication plan?
Communication type, Recipients, Key dates,
Gemini
All of the listed categories are typically part of a communication plan:
- Communication type: The methods used to convey information (e.g., meetings, reports, emails, updates).
- Recipients: The target audience for each type of communication (e.g., stakeholders, core team members, specific departments).
- Key dates: Important project milestones or deadlines that impact communication timing.
- Communication style: The tone and formality of messaging, which can be adjusted based on the situation and audience.
ChatGPT
The categories that are typically part of a communication plan include:
- Communication type: This refers to the various methods or channels of communication that will be used, such as email, meetings, reports, etc.
- Recipients: These are the individuals or groups who will receive the communication.
- Key dates: This includes important dates or milestones related to communication activities, such as deadlines for reports or meetings.
- Communication style: This refers to the tone, language, and manner in which communication will be conducted to ensure clarity and effectiveness.
So, all the options listed are part of a communication plan.
As a project manager, part of your communication plan is to identify risks and present barriers in-person. What additional details should the communication plan include? Select all that apply.
- Frequency
- Type of communication
Gemini
Here are the additional details your communication plan should include for in-person risk and barrier presentations:
- Frequency: How often these meetings will occur (weekly, monthly, etc.) to manage expectations.
- Duration: The allocated time for each meeting helps keep the discussion focused and respects everyone’s schedules.
- Location: Where the meeting will be held, especially if specific resources or equipment are required.
Type of Communication: While you’ve determined it’s in-person, the plan might still specify if it’s a presentation-style meeting, a round-table discussion, etc.
ChatGPT
If part of the communication plan is to identify risks and present barriers in-person, the additional details that the communication plan should include are:
- Duration: This specifies how long the in-person sessions will last, allowing participants to plan their schedules accordingly.
- Type of communication: This describes the format or style of communication, indicating that it will be an in-person presentation.
- Location: This specifies where the in-person sessions will take place, ensuring that participants know where to attend.
Frequency wouldn’t necessarily apply if these in-person sessions are conducted on an as-needed basis rather than regularly scheduled occurrences. Therefore, the frequency is not typically included as part of these specific sessions.
You prepare a template for a weekly email for stakeholders with some key launch dates and announcements for the project. How can you ensure stakeholders can easily notice the information?
Highlight and bold the information the stakeholder should focus on.
Gemini
The best way to ensure stakeholders easily notice key information within your email is to:
- Highlight and bold the information the stakeholder should focus on. This creates visual emphasis and draws their eyes immediately to the most important parts.
Here’s why the other options might not be as effective:
- Schedule a follow-up meeting … This adds extra work for both you and the stakeholders and isn’t always necessary if the email is well-structured.
- Create a follow-up email … This increases the number of emails stakeholders need to process and might be seen as redundant or annoying.
- Keep the key launch dates… While organization helps, it’s not enough on its own to ensure important information stands out in a potentially text-heavy email.
ChatGPT
To ensure stakeholders can easily notice the information in the weekly email, you should:
- Highlight and bold the information the stakeholder should focus on: By using formatting techniques such as bolding or highlighting, you can draw attention to the key launch dates and announcements, making them stand out amidst other content in the email.
This method makes the important information visually distinct and easily noticeable, increasing the likelihood that stakeholders will pay attention to it.
Project managers should create communication plans to ensure that projects can carry on in their absence. What is the term for this best practice?
Continuity
Gemini
The correct term for this best practice is Continuity. Here’s why:
- Continuity: Refers to the ability of a project to continue uninterrupted, even if there are changes in personnel, including the project manager. A good communication plan helps ensure that everyone has the information they need to carry on, regardless of who’s running the project at any given time.
While the other options may have some relevance to project work, they don’t specifically address the idea of maintaining progress despite changes in leadership:
- Substitution: Implies replacing one person with another. While the communication plan might identify potential substitutes, the focus is on continuity of the project itself, not just swapping individuals.
- Follow-through: Emphasizes completing tasks, but doesn’t encompass the broader concept of handing over project knowledge and processes.
- Backup: Could refer to backup data or resources. While related to risk mitigation, it doesn’t capture the essence of ensuring uninterrupted project flow.
ChatGPT
The term for the best practice of creating communication plans to ensure that projects can carry on in the project manager’s absence is “Continuity.” This practice involves establishing processes and documentation to maintain project momentum and effectiveness even when key personnel, such as the project manager, are unavailable.
Which of the following are best practices for concise emails? Select all that apply.
- Lead with key points and action items
- Add a note at the top that some details may not be relevant to certain recipients
Gemini
Here are the correct best practices for concise emails:
- Lead with key points and action items: Prioritize the most important information at the beginning, so recipients immediately understand what’s needed.
- Add a note at the top that some details may not be relevant to certain recipients: This shows respect for people’s time and allows them to skim parts that aren’t directly applicable to them.
Here’s why the other options aren’t ideal:
- Write in one long paragraph… This makes the email harder to read and digest. Breaking up text with spacing and bullet points improves clarity.
- Include as much detail… Being concise means providing essential information without unnecessary elaboration. Additional details can be added as attachments or links if truly needed.
Let me know if you’d like more tips on writing effective and efficient emails!
ChatGPT
Best practices for concise emails include:
- Lead with key points and action items: Start the email with the most important information and action items to ensure they are noticed and addressed promptly.
- Add a note at the top that some details may not be relevant to certain recipients: Acknowledge that not all recipients may need all the information provided and encourage them to focus on what’s relevant to them.
Writing in one long paragraph to save space is not a best practice for concise emails, as it can make the email difficult to read and digest. Including as much detail about a situation as possible is also not a best practice for concise emails, as it can lead to unnecessary information overload and make the email longer than necessary. Therefore, these options are not best practices for concise emails.