Assessment 2: staffing and communications management plan

Using a provided template and a word-processing application, develop a staffing management plan and a communications management plan for a given scenario or a real-world project of your choice. Use the PMBOK Guide as the model for this assessment.


This portfolio work project, a staffing and communications management plan, is based on your selected business or IT project. You may choose to base your assessment on the Cosmo, Inc. case study or choose your own project.

By definition, communication management “describes how, when and by whom information about the project will be administered and disseminated” (Project Management Institute, 2017, p. 569).

When dealing with human resource management in projects, we are attending to the methods that assist in organizing and managing project team members. Team members involved are aligned to roles and responsibilities that ensure the venture is successful. It is important that team members are also involved in various parts of the project, such as planning and decision making.

Challenges can occur when dealing with project team members, especially when a key player quits or is moved to another project. In this situation, the project manager needs to make sure that there is a backup team member who can take over the tasks quickly. This is to ensure that the triple constraints (time, cost, and scope) are not affected enough to negatively influence the outcome of the project.

The staffing management plan must address the areas that need to be included and how they should be implemented to ensure the project is successful. The management plan links individual success to team success, and thus, to project success.

This document is a planning tool used to define, develop, monitor, and control the project requirements. The scope management plan is an important planning document because effective scope management is necessary for project success.




For this assessment, choose either Option A or Option B. You do not need to do both. Faculty will grade both options using the same scoring guide.

  • Option B: You may choose a business of your own. It must include (but is not limited to) the following criteria:
    • Clear business objective and a specific completion outcome.
    • Project team with at least three members in addition to yourself. Each member must have defined roles and responsibilities
    • Completion window of 180 days.
    • Cost estimates that serve as the basis for a budget used as part of the plan development process.

Your Role

For both Options A and B, you are the project manager.


Microsoft Project is the recommended software tool for this course due to its wide industry acceptance and its use in many project management professional roles. If you have not already done so, follow the instructions provided through the links below to download and install software or register for an account, as required.

  1. If you have a Capella MS Imagine account, go to Step 2. Otherwise, see the instructions for registering an account at MS Imagine – Registration.
  2. Log into the Capella Microsoft Imagine WebStore.
  3. Identify the version of MS Project that is compatible with your operating system.
  4. Download and install.

If you encounter any difficulties in the download and installation process, post a detailed question in the Ask Your Faculty Discussion in the menu dropdown when you click the image of your faculty. They should be able to help you or point you in the right direction for the answers you need.

Using Project in this course helps prepare you for future professional PM roles and responsibilities. Please use Project for tasks the software supports. If you have access to other tools such as Microsoft Visio, PowerPoint, and Word, or other project management software you believe may still meet the requirements of this course, please discuss your selected alternative with faculty.

Use the PMBOK® Guide as the model for developing the deliverables.

Part 1: Staffing Management Plan

The staffing management plan document should contain the following components (at minimum):

  • Describe staff acquisition needs and process.
  • Explain training needs.
  • Detail recognition and rewards.
  • Create an organizational chart.
  • Identify and analyze stakeholders to include their level of engagement and interest in the project.
  • Develop a timetable.
  • Describe release criteria.
  • Explain the safety component.
Part 2: Communications Management Plan
  • Develop a communications management plan to be distributed to the stakeholders of the project.
  • You may choose to use the Communications Plan [DOC] template or devise your own document to complete this assessment.
  • The document should be succinct and contain the following components (at minimum):
    • Provide project specific information including project name, sponsor name and project manager.
    • Provide a narrative introduction describing the objectives, stakeholders, and topics related to project communications.
    • Complete the Communication matrix.

Use the software of your choice to develop the deliverables for this assessment.

This assessment has two parts and two deliverables:

  1. Part A: Develop a staffing management plan document using your choice of word-processing applications, including Microsoft Word.
  2. Part B: Using the Communications Plan [DOC] template or a document you make yourself, include the following in your project communication management plan.

Deliverable Format

  • References: There is no set number of references required for this assessment. Use scholarly or academic sources where applicable.
  • Format:
    • Use the provided Communications Plan [DOC] template or another format as appropriate.
    • Use your choice of Microsoft Word, Visio, or PowerPoint to develop the Staffing Management Plan, including the organizational chart.
    • The Communications Plan and Staffing Management Plan are professional documents and must follow the corresponding Academic and Professional Document Guidelines, including single-spaced paragraphs.
  • Length: Utilize the template, including the title page and reference page.



  • Competency 2: Lead and manage teams, users, stakeholders, and sponsors.
    • Describe staff acquisition requirements, process, training needs, and recognition and rewards.
    • Create an organizational chart to identify and analyze stakeholders (their level of engagement and interest in the project).
    • Develop a timetable for the project.
    • Describe release criteria.
    • Explain the safety component.
  • Competency 3: Communicate with project stakeholders and sponsors.
    • Describe the communication form and frequency requirements and expectations.
    • Describe communication responsibilities of team members.
    • Explain the purpose and rationale of the communications management plan.



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