Assessment of Communication Plan in IT Project Management

This report assesses the communication plan in IT project management and compares it with project management practices. It recommends the use of an informational communication plan for projects involving stakeholders from different sectors. The report discusses a case study based on the development and implementation of an information system that will help in easier decision making and information management. The report further analyses the communication plan that is developed for the project and points out certain issues associated with the communication plan.

Running head: IT PROJECT MANAGEMENT
IT Project Management
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

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Table of Contents
1. Introduction................................................................................................................................2
2. Case Study Assessment...............................................................................................................2
2.1. The Current Communication Plan.......................................................................................2
2.2. Communication Plan Assessment Vs Project Management Practices.................................3
3. Recommendation.......................................................................................................................4
4. Justification of the Recommendations........................................................................................4
5. Conclusion..................................................................................................................................5
References......................................................................................................................................6

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1. Introduction
With the identification of the need for management of the information associated with the
diseases and to improve the public health informatics, a project has been undertaken to implement an
information system that will help easier management of the information associated with the County
Health Department (CHD). One of the major aspects of successful implementation of a project is
formulation of an appropriate communication plan that will ensure easier information flow and
enhanced decision making [6]. The initial idea of the project was formulated many years ago which
failed due to certain issues, one of which was presence of an ineffective communication plan.
Communication plan is an important project management tools and therefore it should be efficient
enough to ensure easier communication flow [1]. The report aims in assessing the current
communication plan that is developed for the project and will compare it with the different project
management practises.
2. Case Study Assessment
The case study assessment section of the report will be discussing the effectiveness
communication plan that is developed for the project and will compare it with different project
management practises.
2.1. The Current Communication Plan
Communication plan is an important project management tool that is associated with every
project [8]. Development of a communication plan is particularly necessary as it ensures that all the
team members and the associated stakeholders are informed about the project progress and the issues
in the project. Previously there has been an issue with the communication plan that has been developed
for the project resulting in improper communication flow and project failure. Therefore the
effectiveness of the communication plan that is developed for this project is needed to be evaluated.
The communication plan that is developed in this project is found to be complete and well
structured. The roles and responsibilities of each stakeholders associated with the project in the
communication process is correctly defined in the communication plan which is one plus point of the
communication plan developed [3]. The channel of communication is also detailed in the
communication plan which is another plus point as well. However, this communication plan that is
developed is quite complex and lacks integrity. The communication channels are allocated on highest

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numbers to each stakeholder, which in turn makes the communication plan quite complex. It is seen
that every stakeholders are given the responsibility of sharing the project status which is a significant
drawback of the current communication plan. It would have been more fruitful it each stakeholders are
given a separate responsibility to cascade the information to the entire project team. However, the
communication methods that are chosen for cascading the information are found to be appropriate and
effective. Thus it can be concluded that the current communication plan that is developed for the
project has certain errors that can be rectified. Rectification of those issues will increase the
effectiveness of the communication plan developed for the project. In the following section, the current
communication plan is assessed on basis of the different project management practises.
2.2. Communication Plan Assessment Vs Project Management Practices
As assessed in the previous section, it is seen that there are certain issues associated with the
current communication plan that needs rectification. The current communication will be assessed on
basis of the project management practises to determine its viability.
One of the most important aspects of management of project is appropriate project monitoring
ling with the tracking of the project progress [7]. A communication plan is necessary for dissipating the
project status and the project progress among the team members. The communication plan that is
developed is effective enough for cascading the required information among the team members and the
stakeholders of the project [5]. Stakeholders are considered as an important part of the project
management team. For ensuring full participation of the stakeholders in the project, it is necessary to
keep them informed about the project status and reports. Thus a communication plan plays an
important role in ensuring stakeholders’ satisfaction. However, for doing so, a communication plan
should incorporate clear definition of roles and responsibilities of each stakeholder associated with a
project.
For ensuring smooth information flow throughout the implementation stage of the project, it is
recommended that the communication plan is developed in the planning phase of the project. Project
planning is an important aspect of project management and therefore development of the
communication plan in the planning phase is essential.
3. Recommendation

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Communication plans can be broadly classified into three groups that includes Informational
communication plan, Mandatory Communication plan and Marketing communication plan [4]. The
project that involves stakeholders from different sectors are recommended to involve an information
communication plan for easier information flow among the team members. The other two types of
communication plan would not be effective in this particular case scenario.
4. Justification of the Recommendations
An informational communication flow is recommended because such type of project involves
stakeholders from different sectors such as union, government agencies and so on. Regular
communication among these stakeholders might be a tough task. This limitation can be eliminated by
making use of an informational communication flow [2]. This type of communication flow will ensure
that each stakeholders of the project are informed about every major details of the project and the
project status. Thus the recommendation for making use of this type of communication plan in the
project is justified.
5. Conclusion
The report discusses a case study based on the development and implementation of an
information system that will help in easier decision making and information management. The report
further analyses the communication plan that is developed for the project and points out certain issues
associated with the communication plan. The communication plan is further assessed based on the
project management practises and it is found out that certain improvements are needed. The report
recommends the use of informational communication in the projects that are quite different from the
private organizational projects. The justification of the said recommendation is provided to establish the
appropriateness of the recommended communication plan.

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References
[1] Davis, Kate. "Different stakeholder groups and their perceptions of project success." International ]
journal of project management 32, no. 2 (2014): 189-201.
[2] Anderson, Paul V. Technical communication. Cengage Learning, 2013.
[3] Heagney, Joseph. Fundamentals of project management. Amacom, 2016.
[4] Bourne, Lynda. Stakeholder relationship management: a maturity model for organisational
implementation. Routledge, 2016.
[5] Harrison, Frederick, and Dennis Lock. Advanced project management: a structured approach.
Routledge, 2017.
[6] Snyder, Jason, and Joo Eng Lee-Partridge. "Understanding communication channel choices in team
knowledge sharing." Corporate Communications: An International Journal 18, no. 4 (2013): 417-431.
[7] Szeberenyi, A. Project Communication Plan. No. AIDA-2020-MS4. 2015
[8] Kerzner, Harold. Project management metrics, KPIs, and dashboards: a guide to measuring and
monitoring project performance. John Wiley & Sons, 2017.