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Project Communication Management in Urban Planning
PROJECT COMMUNICATION MANAGEMENT IN URBAN PLANNING IN BALTIMORE
Jim Sklenar This was the backstory I Adjunct Professor was told as I joined the Morgan State University staff of the Northeastern Illinois Planning Commission [NIPC, since replaced by the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning (CMAP)]. The Cuyahoga had burned before, but it had not “made the news.” This time it did, partisans for and against water quality took sides, and on December 2, 1970 the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency was established to contain the various federal government agencies with environmental missions (EPA.GOV, [American Psychological Association], n.d.). I joined the NIPC staff as its “work program and budget officer,” responsible for ensuring that a) all staff were fully assigned (and, therefore, funded), that b) all funded work was assigned to someone, and that c) all work products were delivered to the appropriate parties. Some 53 major technical reports, studies or staff papers were created to support the planning activities.
“ On 22 June 1969 the Cuyahoga River caught fire as decades of oil and debris wound its way through Cleveland, Ohio, so NIPC received $5.2 million.” –(Clevelandhistorical.org. [American Psychological Association], n.d.)
By fiscal year 2000, states spent an estimated $4,479,511,907 on programs to protect water quality, drinking water, marine and coastal areas, and water resources. NIPC received some $5.2 million to develop a plan for cleaning up the rivers and streams of the six-county region around the City of Chicago according to the guidelines of Section 208 of the National Water Pollution Control Act Amendments of 1972 (EPA.GOV, [American Psychological Association], n.d.). The Commission’s authority to prepare and make recommendations to units of local government regarding land use and related issues is found in the Northeastern Illinois Planning Act in Chapter 1705 of the Illinois Compiled Statutes. The resulting water quality management plan is part of the Commission’s efforts over several decades to develop regional, long-term plans for preserving and enhancing the region’s water resources. In particular, this plan called for a comprehensive, integrated approach to protect regional water supplies, reduce stormwater and flooding impacts, and protect the water quality of northeastern Illinois’ rivers, lakes, and wetlands.
In central Maryland, we have a NIPC counterpart, the Baltimore Metropolitan Council, which provides staff support to both the Council and to the Baltimore Regional Transportation Board. The author is a certified Project Management Professional (PMP®); The APA (American Planning Association) maintains a similar certification for urban planners. As a PMP, I’m well aware that the international Project Management Institute (PMI) publishes the PMBOK Guide® (Project Management Body of Knowledge), which is organized into chapters thusly:
The PMBOK Guide is exactly what its title implies: a guide to stuff that the project manager should be aware of; it’s not a “how-we-do-it.”
For this essay, I will focus on project communications management, which was a major emphasis of the development of the water quality management planning effort for NIPC. In fact, it’s central to any urban planning initiative, or any project funded with public budgets, grants, or funds. Where did the money come from? And, what do the voters, constituents, or other providers expect from the project, process, or procedure? Easiest way to find out? Ask them…or look at the contract.
Several town meeting-type sessions were held throughout the region and recorded. NIPC staff supported many working groups, and conducted leadership workshops. Toward the end of the process, a regional forum was convened and filmed, so that concerned citizens who were not able to attend could view it. NIPC acquired a telephone company-provided answering machine, so that people all over the six-county metropolitan area could provide individual input on the various water quality planning initiatives. This telephone’s number was widely advertised.
Each chapter of the PMBOK Guide contains “ITTOs” (Inputs, Tools & Techniques, and Outputs). For the communications chapter, some of the inputs are project charter, project management plan, and work performance reports. Some of the tools and techniques are communications requirements analysis, communication skills, technology and models and methods, project reporting, and data representation. Some of the outputs are the communications management plan, work performance information, and actual project communications.
Some outputs, like status reports, are traditional.
Today, using more current technology, there are many new tools available. For example, #PMChat is an innovative way to connect with other project managers, get answers to specific project management questions, and obtain different perspectives from planning professionals across the globe. Project managers can also earn professional development units (PDUs) to maintain their PMI certifications by participating in the chat. As we found in NIPC’s water quality management plan development, communication in urban plan development is key to a successful process, and key to a useful plan.
References:
Project Management Institute. (2017I ). A guide to the project management body of knowledge (PMBOK guide) 6th ed. .Newtown Square, Pa. : Project Management Institute, Inc.
