Project Management – Communication
There are a great many factors and inputs into managing a successful project, none more important than the communication aspect. Without clear, constant, effective communication with all stakeholders–internally and externally, the likelihood of project success will not be very good.
How do you achieve communication success while managing your project?
The first thing you want to do when managing your project, at least from a communications perspective, is draw up the communication plan, even if you’re not going to be sharing it with the project stakeholders in some form or fashion. The plan will help clarify your communication efforts for you; i.e., once you’re in the thick of the project, the communication plan will help ensure that you are getting the right information to the right stakeholders at the right time. The communication plan helps you ensure consistency–you’ll know when you’re to reach out to stakeholders, when they’re to respond back to you, and it will ensure you’re minimizing the opportunity for miscommunication.
While I won’t go into all of the documents that are part of the communication process–the project charter, the milestone chart, the SOW (Statement of Work), the project plan, project schedule, organization chart–these documents will normally be readily available for stakeholders, either on paper (less and less these days), or on a sharepoint site or soft copy somewhere.
Internal Communication
Communication with your project team is critical. Not only is it important to clearly assign what needs to be done, it communicates the WHO that needs to do the work, the With Who (meaning what team members should be coordinating their efforts, including alternative plans if ‘Plan A’ doesn’t work out quite as it should, the main internal project sponsor (likely You, the PM), the HOW–email, daily/weekly meetings, conference calls, etc., and a few other factors intrinsic to executing a successful project.
External Communication
External communication–that is, communication with your client, the project sponsor, and any other project stakeholder who is not part of your internal team, needs to be done consistently (not only in terms of timing but in terms of format–email, hard copy or soft copy, etc, professionally, and as often as needed. As long as external stakeholders believe they are being kept in the loop and appropriately informed of the project’s progress, the project will run smoother and the client will remain happy–given everything else is running smoothly.
I’ll be writing more in the coming months on all aspects of Project Management, but the above communication aspect of projects can’t be overlooked, ignored, or minimized. A project is not a project unless there is communication, and depending on the size of the project, it will be dead in the water unless the flow of communication is consistent, effective, and reaches all stakeholders–internal as well as external.
