This Communication Channels equation computes the number of communication channels that must be supported on a project.
N:is the number of people or stakeholders participating in the project
This communication channels metric supports Program Management assessment of project status and is defined in the Earned Value Management approach. The number of communications channels is based on the number of people involved in a project. The more the number of people involved the higher the number of communications channels required and thus a growing challenge. Communication is not just between the project manager and the team but also communication amongst team members.
Edward and Juliet are business partners working on a technical support project. They decide to hire 3 technical staff members to assist them in the project. How many communication channels are required in this project?
There are a total of 5 people involved in the project (i.e. N=5). Therefore, using the equation above yields 10 communication channels for the team of 5 (i.e. 5*(5-1)/2).