Developing An Android-based Application For ‘A Book Affair’: Literature Review To Identify Communication Needs

Assumptions and Constraints

Project Background

‘A Book Affair’, located at Aberfoyle Park, South Australia, is one of the well known used-book shops of   the province. Located at the Windebanks Road, the organization has a niche client base that   keeps on revisiting the shop times and again.

 The owners of this bookshop have expressed their interests in developing an android-based application for the shop. This report is aimed conducting a literature review to identify communication needs of the project.

 The core objective of project is to develop an android-based application for ‘A Book Affair’, so as to ensure the online presence   of the shop.

Assumptions:

1. The app would be developed by a professional IT project team.
2. The project team must have previous experience of working in similar projects

Constraints:

1. The project manager would be responsible for all communications with the stakeholders.
2. The project has to be completed within a fixed budget and timescale

 Researchers Baskerville and Wood-Harper  (2016) are of the opinion that the literature review is one of the most  important  steps of conducting  any new project, as it  takes into consideration  all  previous works  of similar nature, thus  generating  a platform based on which  the  project/ study can be conducted. The authors are also of the opinion that the no new study can be commenced prior to the completion of the literature review phase.   

Karolina Muszynska (2015) presents review of several existing literary works in the paper titled “Communication Management in Project Teams –Practices and Patterns”. As the title indicates, the literary works reviewed by the author provide glimpses of the most commonly utilized project communication processes.

 The  authors has shed some  light on  some of  the most commonly utilized  methods that virtual project teams utilize for the  transmission  of information  among the members:  the said methods  are  being outlined  below:

1.  Face to face oral communication:The researcher is  of  the opinion that  members of  virtual project  teams   rarely  communicate face  to face , courtesy to the  high  costs  of travelling  from   one  distant place to another (  at which the team members are  located).
2. Information technology  based communication:On the other  hand, the  author highlights the fact that  members  of virtual teams  generally utilize IT based communication  tools, as for example,  web based  videoconferencing  technologies,  to communicate with each other. Besides this, project wikis and official websites are also utilized as means of communication.
3.   Synchronous and asynchronous communication: Perhaps the most frequently utilized communication  tool  used by virtual project teams belong to this category, as Muszynska (2015)  comments that a significant  section of  information sharing and communication are conducted  over  telephone calls, electronic messages  and instant messengers.  

 On the other hand, the researcher considers that project teams based at a single location can successfully utilize the following mechanisms:

1. Team meetings:Team meetings when conducted on a regular manner can act as one of the most effective tools of information and knowledge transfer among project team members.
2. Synchronous and asynchronous communication: The author highlights the fact  that even project  teams based  at  same locations heavily utilize  electronic mails, conference calls  and  telephonic   conversations  for  the  purpose  of communication, specially  while team members work beyond the regular office hours or  from places  outside the office premises.

Besides seconding the opinions made by Muszynska (2015), researcher Fisher (2011) highlights the fact that project documents and blue prints are often uploaded on organizational databases so as to make them available to members of the team. The researcher considers this process to be as effective as sharing the same over other synchronous and asynchronous communication tools.

 In the scholarly paper “Art of communication in project management” researcher Rajkumar (2010) have provided a detailed description of the best practices of communication management as utilized in organizational projects. The author has highlighted the following essential factors of   project based communication systems:

1. The communication process essentially requires the participation of at least one set of   participants:  one at the sending end and one at the communicating end.
2. Along with the participation of the sender and the receiver, the utilization of an appropriate medium for the transfer of message is also essential. The   actual message   is generally  transmitted in  v soft  or hard  forms over  the chosen medium:  however, the  author  also highlights  the  fact that the receiver  rejecting the  communication medium at   any  point of time during  the  project life cycle.
3. An effective project communication system must include a feedback system, using which the receiver can send positive and/ or negative reviews regarding the information passed on by the sender.

 While the articles revised in the above sections provide information on generic project communication systems, several literary articles highlight the communication needs of specific domains of project management have also been accessed   during the course of this activity.  Some of these works would be reviewed in the following section of the report:

Importance of Literature Review

Jerzy Kisielnicki (2011) has made an evaluation of the different types of communication systems that are generally utilized by IT project teams. The researchers are of opinion that IT   project teams, in general, utilize the following systems for the transfer of information between its team members:

1. Traditional hierarchy based communication systems that allow unidirectional flow of information. Needles to say, when such communication models are utilized,  information or messages are   transmitted  from  the  higher  levels of  the  hierarchy to the lower  levels.
2.  Network based communication  systems, on the other hand, allow the  sharing of   information  to and  from all levels  of  the  project team..           

1. Traditional communication systemb.Network based communication systems

Figure: Communication systems used in IT projects

(Source: Kisielnicki, 2011, pp-352)

The author has conducted a detailed analysis of  the efficiencies of both the systems  and have arrived at  the conclusion  that the Network based communication systems  are  much  more superior  than  the traditional hierarchy based systems  in terms  of  the following aspects:

1. Project control and monitoring: All deviations from the planned schedule, budget and/ or scope of the project can be communicated much faster, thus facilitating the process of controlling and monitoring the project.
2. Knowledge transfer and co-operation:  The author is of the opinion that the network basedcommunication model does not present any ‘artificial barrier’ (namely hierarchal differences) in the process of knowledge transfer among the members of the project team.  This is turn ensure collaborative actions from all members of the team.
3. Decision making and problem solving: According to Daim et al. (2012), in case of Network basedcommunication models, the availability of information from  all level  of the  team  helps  the managerial heads  of the team  take effective decisions regarding any issue or problem experienced  during  the project.

 In the scholarly article titled ‘The project benefits of Building Information Modeling (BIM)’, researchers Bryde, Broquetas and Volm (2012) the communication and information transfer needs of construction works that can be met with the  implementation of building information systems (BIMs)  with project environment

 The author is of the opinion that the incorporation of effective BIM techniques improves the communication among the team members and stakeholders associated with construction projects in the following manner:

1. The exchange of information in between the members of the project team and that of the stakeholders associated with the project become much easier and effortless.
2. The sharing of construction  related  information  becomes  much  easier as the interpretation of  data stored in the BIM system  is much  less time consuming than that of  interpreting the 2D drawings that are traditionally utilize in  developing architectural plans.

 While the  scholarly papers  reviewed in the  sections  above  include  information regarding  the  use and efficiency of  communication   system  in organizational  projects,  researchers Daim et al (2011)  have made an attempt  of highlighting  the  factors  that  might   hinder the success  of such systems.

  The authors are of the opinion that the following factors result in the complete meltdown of the communication processes utilized in globally located virtual project teams:

1.  Differences in culture:The  researchers are of the opinion that when  experts base at  different locations of  the world  come together to operate as a virtual  project  management team, the  cultural  and  language barriers among  these members  often restrain effective communication among them (Klitmøller & Lauring,  2013).
2.  Interpersonal relations:It  is a  well accepted  fact  the  communication among project team   improves  with the improvement  of  personal communications in between  them (Bjarnason, Wnuk & Regnell, August). However, in case  of  virtual project  management  teams, the members  are  often  found  to  be geographically virtual , which  in turn  recue their  inter personal relationships to the lowest levels.  The lack of personal relations and communication among the project members essentially hampers the level of communication among these members.
3.  Weakness in leadership components:  The authors  have  stated  that in case of globally located virtual project teams, the  team  members  tend to rely  one network  based communication models for the  exchange  of project  related information. Although the network based  communication model is generally considered  to  be  much more effective than that of the hierarchical  communication model,  in this case,  the use  of the former leads  to  several issues, including the  lack of synchronization and  the inability  to utilize resources  and d information  available with others. These issues in turn lead to ‘ambiguous expectations’ regarding the ‘roles and responsibilities’ of the project team, thus resulting in the poor   delegation (Fisher, 2011). Needless to say, the weakness of thee leadership components discourages effective communication among team members.

 Besides highlighting the essential factors of  project based communication systems Rajkumar (2010) has also  identified  the essential  steps  to be  taken for ensuring  the  deployment of  an  effective communication  management system.  The steps are being outlined in the following section of the report:

Step1:  Identification of the communication requirement:

 The  very first  step  associated  with the development of  an  effective communication process    includes  the  identification of  the 5Ws (Why, When, What, Who, Where) and 1H (How) of the  communication  process.

Step 2:  Identification of environmental factors

 In the next step of the process is associated with the identification of the environmental factors that require to be considered while implementing the communication process. Some of the most common environmental factors are- the structure and work culture of the organization, the human resources associated with the project, the project administration policies and so on and so forth.

Step 3:  Identification of the organizational assets:

 The author is of the opinion that the availability of the organizational process assets influences the methods of information sharing between   project team members significantly:  thus, the identification of the same is essential.

Contemporary Scholarly Works

Step 4:  Identification of barriers

 The final step associated with the process of developing an effective communication system is to identify the factors that might come up as the barriers to its success and find effective solutions for mitigating the same.

Conclusion and Recommendations: 

Considering the significant importance of reviewing  existing literary works,  a discussion on the various  contemporary scholarly works, that highlight the  importance of  information sharing and communication systems  in  project works, has been made in the  above  sections of  the  report .

 In the light of the information obtained from the review of literary works, the following recommendations are being made to the project manager:

1. Communication model: The Network based communication system model should be utilized for the exchange of information between all the members of the project team.
2. Adherence to effective communication process:The effective communication process discussed in section 2.4 of the report should be adhered to, for the development of an effective project communication process.

References: 

Baskerville, R. L., & Wood-Harper, A. T. (2016). A critical perspective on action research as a method for information systems research. In Enacting Research Methods in Information Systems: Volume 2 (pp. 169-190). Springer International Publishing.

Bjarnason, E., Wnuk, K., & Regnell, B. (2011, August). Requirements are slipping through the gaps—A case study on causes & effects of communication gaps in large-scale software development. In Requirements Engineering Conference (RE), 2011 19th IEEE International (pp. 37-46). IEEE.

Bryde, D., Broquetas, M., & Volm, J. M. (2013). The project benefits of building information modelling (BIM). International journal of project management, 31(7), 971-980.

Daim, T. U., Ha, A., Reutiman, S., Hughes, B., Pathak, U., Bynum, W., & Bhatla, A. (2012). Exploring the communication breakdown in global virtual teams. International Journal of Project Management, 30(2), 199-212.

Fisher, E. (2011). What practitioners consider to be the skills and behaviours of an effective people project manager. International Journal of Project Management, 29(8), 994-1002.

Kisielnicki, J. (2011). The communication system in project teams: problems of transfer of knowledge and information for the management of IT projects. Issues in Informing Science and Information Technology, 8, 351-361.

Klitmøller, A., & Lauring, J. (2013). When global virtual teams share knowledge: Media richness, cultural difference and language commonality. Journal of World Business, 48(3), 398-406.

Muszynska, K., Dermol, V., Trunk, A., Ðakovic, G., & Smrkolj, M. (2015). Communication management in project teams–Practices and patterns. Managing Intellectual Capital and Innovation for Sustainable and inclusive Society, 1359-1366.

Rajkumar, S. (2010). Art of communication in project management. Paper presented at PMI® Research Conference: Defining the Future of Project Management, Washington, DC. Newtown Square, PA: Project Management Institute.

Burke, R. (2013). Project management: planning and control techniques. New Jersey, USA.

Cserhati, G., & Szabo, L. (2014). The relationship between success criteria and success factors in organisational event projects. International Journal of Project Management, 32(4), 613-624.

Golini, R., Kalchschmidt, M., & Landoni, P. (2015). Adoption of project management practices: the impact on international development projects of non-governmental organizations. International Journal of Project Management, 33(3), 650-663.

Mir, F. A., & Pinnington, A. H. (2014). Exploring the value of project management: linking project management performance and project success. International Journal of Project Management, 32(2), 202-217.

Pemsel, S., & Wiewiora, A. (2013). Project management office a knowledge broker in project-based organisations. International Journal of Project Management, 31(1), 31-42.

Snyder, C. S. (2014). A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge: PMBOK (®) Guide. Project Management Institute.

Too, E. G., & Weaver, P. (2014). The management of project management: A conceptual framework for project governance. International Journal of Project Management, 32(8), 1382-1394.