Communication management: communication plan, synchronous vs asynchronous methods, audience, frequency and tailoring

Many project failures are really communication failures: the sponsor was surprised by a delay, users did not know a system was going down, or two teams worked from different versions of a document. Communication management is planning who needs what information, when, in what format and through which channel, and then making sure it happens. Project managers are often said to spend most of their time communicating, which is why the exam gives it so much attention. Good communication is also about listening: status meetings, surveys and one-on-one conversations tell you how stakeholders really see the project, which a report you send cannot.