---
title: "Importance of communication management"
subject: "ICT Project Management"
chapter: 11
key: "semester_7/ict_project_management:importance-communication-management"
source: https://www.bctengineer.com/q/semester_7/ict_project_management/importance-communication-management
site: BCT Engineering
---

# Importance of communication management

ICT Project Management · Chapter 11: Project Communication Management

- Asked in: year not given; year not given
- Video: [Project Communications Management Overview | PMBOK Video Course](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S2lLKYV4e6M) — David McLachlan
- Answer checked by Claude Opus 5.5 (high effort) on 2026-10-14
- Page: https://www.bctengineer.com/q/semester_7/ict_project_management/importance-communication-management
- Whole chapter: https://www.bctengineer.com/md/semester_7/ict_project_management/chapter-11

## Question

What is the importance of communication management?

## Short answer

Communication management ensures timely planning, collection, distribution, storage, and control of project information. It links stakeholders, prevents misunderstanding, supports decisions, builds trust, coordinates work, and manages changes and risks. Communication channels equal n(n-1)/2, so planning is essential.

## Answer

**Project communication management** includes the processes needed to ensure timely and appropriate planning, collection, creation, distribution, storage, retrieval, management, control, monitoring and ultimate disposition of project information. Project managers spend about 90% of their time communicating, so its importance is high.

#### Importance
1. **Links stakeholders**: connects people with different cultures, interests and expectations to the project.
2. **Prevents misunderstanding**: clarifies requirements, scope, roles and expectations, avoiding rework.
3. **Keeps the project on track**: timely status, issues and risks support early corrective action.
4. **Supports decision making**: managers and sponsors get accurate information on time.
5. **Builds team cohesion and motivation**: open communication builds trust and reduces conflict.
6. **Manages stakeholder expectations**: avoids surprises, improves customer satisfaction.
7. **Coordinates work**: dependencies among teams and vendors are managed.
8. **Controls changes**: change requests and decisions are communicated to everyone affected.
9. **Early risk and issue detection**: encourages people to report problems.
10. **Provides documentation and records** for audits, contracts, and lessons learned.
11. **Handles virtual and global teams** through suitable tools.

#### Processes (PMBOK)
```text
Plan communications -> Manage communications
                    -> Control communications
```

| Process | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Plan communications | Decide who needs what, when, how |
| Manage communications | Create and distribute information |
| Control communications | Monitor and adjust to ensure needs are met |

#### Number of communication channels
Channels = n(n − 1)/2. For a team of 10, 45 channels exist; for 20 people, 190. More people greatly increase complexity, so planning is required.

**Example:** A weekly status email and a short stand-up meeting keep a 10-member software team and the client updated, and a delay in vendor delivery is reported early so the schedule is adjusted.

## Check yourself

The answer's key points as multiple-choice questions, with the correct option and why.

1. How many communication channels exist in a team of 10 people?
   A. 20
   B. 45
   C. 90
   D. 100
   Answer: B. n(n-1)/2 = 10x9/2 = 45. (Key point: Channels formula)

2. Which are the three PMBOK communication management processes?
   A. Identify, Plan, Close communications
   B. Plan, Execute, Close communications
   C. Plan, Manage, Control communications
   D. Initiate, Manage, Report communications
   Answer: C. They are Plan, Manage and Control communications. (Key point: PMBOK processes)

3. What is the purpose of the Control communications process?
   A. Decide who needs what information
   B. Create and distribute information
   C. Identify stakeholders
   D. Monitor and adjust to ensure stakeholder information needs are met
   Answer: D. Plan decides needs; Manage creates and distributes; Control monitors and adjusts. (Key point: Manage communications)

## Related in ICT Project Management

- [Communication management plan](https://www.bctengineer.com/question.md?key=semester_7%2Fict_project_management%3Acommunication-management-plan) — ICT Project Management, chapter 11
- [Project communication management](https://www.bctengineer.com/question.md?key=semester_7%2Fict_project_management%3Aproject-communication-management) — ICT Project Management, chapter 11
- [Hazards of communication error](https://www.bctengineer.com/question.md?key=semester_7%2Fict_project_management%3Acommunication-error-hazards) — ICT Project Management, chapter 11
- [Communication planning](https://www.bctengineer.com/question.md?key=semester_7%2Fict_project_management%3Acommunication-planning) — ICT Project Management, chapter 11
- [Communication requirement analysis](https://www.bctengineer.com/question.md?key=semester_7%2Fict_project_management%3Acommunication-requirement-analysis) — ICT Project Management, chapter 11

## Related in other subjects

- [Communication in a project and its importance](https://www.bctengineer.com/question.md?key=semester_8%2Fconstruction_management%3Acommunication-importance) — Construction Management, chapter 10, asked 5×
- [Barriers to communication](https://www.bctengineer.com/question.md?key=semester_8%2Fconstruction_management%3Abarriers-communication) — Construction Management, chapter 10, asked 3×
- [Spectrum management and regulatory functions](https://www.bctengineer.com/question.md?key=semester_7%2Fwireless_communication%3Aspectrum-management-regulatory) — Wireless Communication, chapter 1, asked 2×
- [Proposal: technical, management, cost sections](https://www.bctengineer.com/question.md?key=semester_5%2Fcommunication_english%3Aproposal-hydropower-it-company-sections) — Communication English, chapter 6