Communication Tools and Strategy

Using communication tools well (PMIS, a central platform, Obeya/Big Room and its pitfalls, Commitment-based Management, the Compass tool, acting on communication data) and preventing communication issues through buy-in at the outset, a communication strategy, tailored messaging and nuanced methods.

5 minutes 5 Questions

In the PMI Construction Professional (PMI-CP) framework, communication tools and strategy are central to delivering built environment projects. Construction involves many stakeholders, including owners, designers, contractors, subcontractors, suppliers, regulators, and the community, and poor commu…

Concepts covered
Stakeholder Buy-In at Project OutsetReliable Promises and the Commitment CycleVisual Management and DashboardsPitfalls of Obeya and the Big RoomAssessing Communication Data for InsightsDiagnosing Communication DeficienciesObeya and the Big RoomThe Communication Plan and MatrixDeveloping a Communication StrategyCommunication Needs AnalysisThe Compass Communication Assessment ToolAlignment Sessions and Partnering WorkshopsField and Crew CommunicationCbM Across Teams and ProjectsA Central Communication PlatformCommitment-based Management (CbM)Completion Impacts of Poor CommunicationExecutive and Owner CommunicationRunning Effective Big Room SessionsActing on Communication MetricsTailoring Messages to AudiencesNuanced Communication Across Multiple PartiesMeeting and Reporting CadenceActive Listening in Construction TeamsFinancial Impacts of Poor CommunicationPMIS for Communication and DecisionsSelecting and Configuring a PMISDocument Control and Information Flow
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PMI-CP - Communication Tools and Strategy Example Questions

Test your knowledge of Communication Tools and Strategy

Question 1

On a pharmaceutical plant project, the owner's board meets quarterly and reserves approval of any procurement commitment above a stated value. The project manager's look-ahead shows that three equipment commitments above that value must be placed within ten weeks to hold the critical path. The next scheduled board meeting is fourteen weeks away. The executive sponsor supports the purchases. What should the project manager do NEXT?

Correct Answer: Give the sponsor a decision calendar of each approval's need date and agree how the board will decide in time

Working with the sponsor to map each approval's need date against the governance cycle, and agreeing in advance how the board will decide in time, aligns project decisions with the owner's governance without bypassing it.
Sponsor interim approval circumvents authority the board explicitly reserved for itself. Flagging the items in the next quarterly report arrives four weeks after the commitments are needed, so it only reports the problem rather than solving it. Writing directly to the board chair skips the sponsor, who is the proper channel to the board, and handles only these three items rather than setting up a repeatable decision path.
Key concept: aligning project decision timing with owner governance structures through the sponsor.

Question 2

During Front End Planning for an occupied hospital fit-out, the project manager drafts the communication matrix. On earlier projects, RFI responses were lost in personal email threads, and this caused rework disputes. The draft entry for RFI responses names the architect as sender and the general contractor as recipient. It sets the frequency as "as raised," but the method column reads "any convenient means." How should the project manager complete the method column?

Correct Answer: Route each RFI and response through the agreed PMIS log with timestamped status

Routing every RFI and response through the agreed PMIS log with timestamped status creates one controlled, traceable record. That directly fixes the past problem of responses lost in personal email threads and the rework disputes that followed.
Emailing the GC project manager with a copy to the design lead still leaves the record scattered across personal inboxes, which is the same failure as before. Reviewing open RFIs at the weekly meeting is too slow for an "as raised" frequency, and minutes are not a formal response record. A shared Big Room board updated weekly lacks individual timestamps, version control and auditability.
Key concept: defining a formal, traceable communication method in the communication matrix to support document control.

Question 3

In a PMIS log that tracks RFIs or submittals, what does the 'ball-in-court' field indicate?

Correct Answer: The party that currently holds the next required action on the item

The ball-in-court field shows which party currently owes the next action on an RFI or submittal, such as the architect reviewing, the contractor revising, or a consultant commenting. It shifts each time the item changes hands, so teams can see where delays sit and who must act.
The originator who owns closeout does not change as the item moves, so that field cannot show where it is waiting. Final approval authority is a fixed role, not the current holder of the action. Cost impact belongs in change management and has nothing to do with who must respond next.
Key concept: accountability tracking and workflow status visibility in PMIS document control logs.

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