Breakdowns in communications have caused missed delivery dates, misunderstood change orders, and poor product requirements definition. The larger the project team and others who require project related information and data the higher the number of communications channels the project manager will have to ensure are acted on. Typically self directed teams promote good team communications through brainstorming and a free flow of ideas among team members. The specialty team structure presents challenges to communications in that Specialists flow in and out of the project structure and may not have passed on critical communications in a timely manner. The Isomorphic Team Structure does not promote cross team communications and generally the project manager is seen as the bottle neck in communications flow.
Communications can be verbal, nonverbal and written.
The techniques interact with each other and with the processes in the other knowledge areas as well. Each technique may require input from one or more individuals based on the needs of the project. The techniques should be re-visited at the beginning of each phase and if there are changes in the communications requirements of the stakeholders and team members. The communications requirements are the sum of the information requirements of the project team members, clients, and sponsor. Requirements are defined by combining the type and format of information required with an analysis of the value of that information.