3.8. Plan and Manage Communication
💡 First Principle: A communication plan only works if it creates a genuine feedback loop — broadcasting status updates without a mechanism for stakeholders to respond and be heard fails the "transparency and collaboration" standard PMI tests here.
Enablers: define a communication strategy, promote transparency and collaboration, establish a feedback loop, understand reporting requirements, create reports aligned with sponsor/stakeholder expectations, and support reporting/governance processes.
The distinction from Task 3.4 (Engage Stakeholders) matters again here: this task is the mechanics — cadence, channel, format, audience-tailored reports — that support the relationship work happening elsewhere. A report that satisfies a governance requirement but doesn't answer what the specific stakeholder audience actually needs to know fails this task's intent even if it's technically "sent on time."
⚠️ Exam Trap: Choosing the most detailed/comprehensive report format as the "best practice" answer. PMI usually rewards the format tailored to what that specific audience needs to decide or act on — more detail isn't automatically better communication.
Reflection Question: Recall a status report you produced that technically met a governance requirement but didn't actually serve the audience's real information need. What would a better-tailored version have looked like?
