The Assistance of Software in Communication Plan - Term Paper Example

Name: Instructor: Course: Date; Assistance of Software in Communication Plan 1. Introduction Communication plan of any company helps in image building and raising public awareness about the company. The perception about the products of the company by the people depends on the communication of company with stakeholders, customers, shareholders and other contacts or suppliers. The communication is capable of saving the company from backstabbing and treachery by the competitors as this involves transparency and planning in executing operations. The comprehensive communication strategy involves public, government, customers, vendors, shareholders, creditors, bankers, stock exchange and media. This needs an allocation of budget at the beginning of the year for every component by communications department. Before the allocation, the involvement of the team in the communication system is according to planning and the budget allocation is accordingly. The allocation depends on the definition of goals also. The communication plan involves the coordination between different persons and departments on a daily basis. Briefly, the components of a communications plan are the 1. Need to communicate 2. Reason for communicating, 3. The subject for communication, 4. Source and destination for communication, 5. Method of communication and 6. Tools of Communication. 1 2. Role of Software in Communication 2.1 Role of Primavera Project P3: The essence of usage of Primavera project is it gives control to project managers on their plan. This involves scheduling and resource control. This can manages multiple projects in a multi user environment. Managers can have control on large and complex projects efficiently as it connects to corporation worldwide also. The integration of the data with information is possible by this. To have enough control over any project, one has to clear the complexity and Primavera offers this. By using Colour coded bands, it organises the data. This helps in prioritising, planning and managing the multiple projects. The advanced resource levelling option will help in scheduling resources realistically. The PERT charts help in interacting with project data. The communication can be done by intranet, custom reports and e-mail. The data can be organised and is connected to everyone involved with it and coding is done according to user. The PERT streamlines and organises the data as it tracks and analyses the processes. The complex and long tasks need multi year and multi project environments. This demands the establishment of relations among activities in separate projects and automatic scheduling. This depends on individual resources in primavera and delivers high end scheduling. In corporate organisations, groups of tasks are common and these are building blocks of projects. This needs cost data as well as resource data. Integrating resources with cost data is crucial in calculating and communicating profit oriented and cost effective strategies all over the company. The managers shall use information in subsequent projects also. Until now, the overall planning is mentioned. To an effective communication, day to day management is also required. In this context, P3 works as one of valuable colleague and helps on a daily basis. This is done by resource scheduling and monitoring the use of resources. This helps in monitoring the work pattern of each person and setting timelines. This involves establishment of resource groups thus forecasting staffing and funding requirements. 2 2.2 The Role of Micro Planner: The use of project management software helps in reporting, tracking, project tracking. The reporting is done by Gantt charts and PERT or CPM charts. Word processing and spreadsheets also help as supplements in reporting the facts. The next step is tracking of the project and this compares the actual progress to planned one. This is done, when project staff completes the given tasks and helps in tracking of performance and an effective review of processes. As stakeholders are concerned with the progress of projects, the time-to-time information given to them about the projects helps in making them aware about the projects. In addition to this Micro Planner will allocate costs to various projects according to resources and offers control over the cost. The control over the costs is possible by figuring out the resource time and effort used by the processes. Micro Planner does this and “most project management software systems lack flexibility in handling costs as well as interfaces into budgeting and accounting systems”, (Lientz, Rea). The cost computations done by project manager may not be suitable with those done by accountants. To integrate and coordinate these two same types of aspects done at different contexts, Micro Planner is necessary. While making the cost control possible the number of hours or total time spent on each project by the resources is a necessity. This is done by providing information of the processes to the software on a daily basis and at the end of certain period; it gives the clocking report of different processes and tasks. If there is any abnormality in these systems, the checklists offer different types of choices of monitoring, thus making it possible to coordinate the activities. After the completion of the communication report, they need a clear informative format to display right information in a glance by top managers and to assess the activity. Micro planner Expert does this by charting ability and offering interface options with the help of telecommunications systems. These charts are useful when the company offers off-peak discounts or seasonal discounts. The results like money back guarantee schemes and other schemes can be viewed in the form of charts and even toll free service line can be arranged to enable the communication with customers and stakeholders. 3 2.3 Role of Project Scheduler: The project scheduler helps in management of the project by correct scheduling of resources. This needs the identification of accomplishment, the way the team works, working together. These aspects are materialised by project scheduler and lead the team towards a common goal as the scheduling is according to it. The project scheduler helps the managers to know and define the scope of work and convey it to the subordinates. The justification of the value of the project to its cost is estimated and risk handling is done accordingly. The scheduling allows to monitor’s the teams progress in selected parts of the project towards the completion. Managing essential communications and acquiring the resources is possible by monitoring the progress. The definition of scope of the project is part of scheduling, as it needs extent to which the team has to work. By this the tool draws a line around the work that the project team will take on and understanding does not drift. When each thing is being completed, the progress reporting is done in the form of charts and tables to stakeholders and higher management. This needs putting together the team of the project. This is possible by scheduler only. When one understands the scope and goal, the scheduling can be done accordingly. The scheduling enables to identify the major areas of work to complete and number of people required for it. Thus, scheduler decides the need of staff or the excess of staff present in the organisation. Project Scheduler helps in understanding the importance of time, as it is an important aspect in scheduling. This serves as a point of reference to monitor the productivity achieved and hence the performance of schedule. The justification of the project manager’s belief is calculated and verified. Project Scheduler relates the scheduling directly to the role in monitoring the performance. This needs the skills like setting limits of scope, gain commitment, satisfying the customer, delivering the benefits , cost efficiency, anticipating the problems, completing the tasks in time, matching people and tasks, follow up of vital information, providing resources and setting the standards. Project scheduler provides these. 4 3. Role Communication Regarding Stakeholders All the communication mentioned above is conveyed to stakeholders, it can be done timely, and accurately when a communication plan is in implementation. This results in good ongoing relationships during the year. The good relationship between management and stakeholder stands strong if the communication is a well-planned approach. The first step is identifying the stakeholders. The well-planned communication will prioritise the stakeholders by diverting the effort to the effective place but not to the loudest demands. This is possible by identifying the communication requirements for each stakeholder group. Constitution/trust deed or a charter of the organisation can set these identifications and requirements. The proper communication of strategic directions, surveys of owners is a necessity. After this, the spokes people are appointed, who works under the top leader ship and convey the information to a large number of stakeholders time to time. This gives a single voice that is more authenticate from the side of the company. The software regarding communication should build a connection between spokes person and management. The communication plan needs to know the audience. Not everybody can hear the chair directly and many of the stakeholders have to receive information through communications systems. Without a proper plan, one cannot handle it easily. Moreover, a number of organisations are making the delivery of the information to the e-mail Ids of the stakeholders as part of the communication plan. 5 To all the above-mentioned deals and communication, the stakeholder management is critical to the success of every project. The engaging of right people in right way is incorporated in communication plan. Stakeholder analysis is necessary for most of information the company plans to communicate and shares with them. Before the analysis, the company should identify the shareholders. The software regarding communication can help in analysing the stakeholders by taking the feedback about them. By feeding regularly the information about shareholders, the analysis of them is available. This leads to the planning the approach to stakeholder management. The messages reach to stakeholders according to the importance of the messages measured on a scale of preference. This makes information availability a common right to all the stakeholders thus minimising their grievances As a result, the communication plan with the help of software like Primavera, Micro Planner Expert and Project scheduler will work out the processes that win the support of shareholders. The management of communications is an easy and disciplined process by using project-planning software. References: 1. T.N.Ashok, Communications Strategy is a must for every Corporate, 2005, Pro Domain, Retrieved on 10th March 2008 from 2. Primavera.com, The World’s Leading Choice in Project Management Software, 2004, Primavera.com, Retrieved on 10th March from 3. Free Article, Choosing a Project Management Software, 2007, e-articles.info, Retrieved on 10th March 2008 from 4. Brian Christensen, An Introduction to Project Management using Planner, 2003, Simple Project Management.com, Retrieved on 10th march from http://www.simpleprojectmanagement.com/planner/pm/howpm.html 5. Te Puni Kokiri, Communication with Stakeholders: Points for Planning, 2007, Government of New Zealand, Retrieved on 10th March from 6. Mind Tools, Stakeholder Management and Planning, 2008, Mindtools.com, Retrieved on 10th march from < http://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newPPM_08.htm> Read More