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Many of life’s everyday conflicts have something in common -- they’re a product of some form of breakdown in communication.
Maybe someone misunderstands an instruction or misinterprets another person’s actions. Or perhaps someone takes someone else’s words literally when they are meant figuratively.
When communication breaks down, the effects can be frustrating at best, and life-threatening at worst. Ineffective communication can result in:
Poor communication is one of the major reasons projects fail. According to a Project Management Institute research study, $75 million of every $1 billion spent on projects is “at risk due to ineffective communications,” which underscores why clear communication is such a big deal in project management.
Below, we’ll discuss what project communication management is and dissect a few project management tips for communication along the way.
Plans, approvals, project management reports, emails, slide presentations, updates, meetings, phone calls, reviews, surveys -- these are staples in the life of a project manager. That’s because a significant portion of project management involves communicating with the project’s various stakeholders.
Project communication management is a PMBOK (Project Management Body of Knowledge) knowledge area that follows a set of procedures aimed at meeting the communication needs and expectations of the project’s different stakeholder groups. It involves creating relevant documents and using various communication strategies to facilitate information exchange.
It’s made up of three processes (more on these later), namely:
In project management, the importance of communicating clearly and effectively cannot be stressed enough. Project success hinges in part on meaningful collaboration, and without effective communication, collaboration disintegrates and conflict arises.
Project communication management is divided into three different processes, which occur in the planning, executing, and monitoring and controlling phases, as shown in the chart above.
During the plan communications management process, project managers, together with the project team, develop a project communication plan that details your communication management system or approach.
The group should specify how it intends to address stakeholders’ communication needs throughout the project using assets available within the organization. Different stakeholders have different communication expectations.
For example, members of the executive committee may want weekly updates through email, the project team may have to be updated daily via the social feed and group chat features of the company’s project management software, while the public at large may find the information they need through the press section of the company’s website.
Your communication plan should contain the following information:
Input documents you will need in order to create your communication plan may include:
Although the project communication plan is created during the project planning phase, you may have to repeat the process as the project’s communication requirements change. If stakeholders are added to or removed from the project, the plan will have to be revisited.
In this process, project managers and their teams execute the tasks and activities defined in the communication plan, i.e., the collection, creation, storage, retrieval, management, distribution, monitoring, and disposal of project information.
The goal is to provide timely, accurate information to the right people using the appropriate project communication tools.
Besides information distribution, this is also where you encourage stakeholders to ask questions or discuss any lingering doubts or confusion they may have regarding the project, so you can provide clarification.
Communication is a two-way street. Not only should you provide the information to the right recipients at the right time, but you also have to make certain they receive and understand the information you send out.
Documents created during this process include:
Certain project documents may have to be updated, too, such as the communication management plan, project plan, stakeholder register, stakeholder engagement plan, and the lessons learned register.
Communications management occurs throughout the project’s life cycle.
Also performed throughout the project, this process ensures that all of the communication techniques and methods you’re using -- including the monitoring and control measures you have in place -- follow the project communication plan.
It’s also at this stage that you gauge whether or not your approaches are producing the desired results. Otherwise, you may have to make some adjustments in order to prevent any communication issues from affecting the project.
Actions to carry out in this process include:
Some of the project management documents you'll be creating or updating include:
From project initiation to closing, effective communication drives project management. Creating a project proposal that will compel investors to act favorably requires excellent communication skills. The same is true for:
And then there’s diversity in the workplace. Many of today’s project teams are composed of diverse groups of people.
With the growing prevalence of remote work among global businesses, you have teams with members from different cultures, with different skills, speaking different languages, from different countries and time zones, and so on. Effective communication is instrumental in turning diversity into a workplace advantage.
Even among small, local teams, communication challenges abound. You want everyone on the same page. You want people with an interest in the project to know what’s going on -- not just once, but on a regular basis.
You want everyone involved to understand the project’s priorities, as well as the risks and opportunities it presents.
You want team members to feel accountable for their assigned roles and responsibilities -- and to rally toward the same objectives. You want stakeholders to support, instead of oppose, the project’s goals.
If opposition from stakeholders cannot be helped, though, you'll want to be able to manage their influence on the project. At the same time, you have to be respectful, receptive, and encouraging.
Achieving all these things requires specific skills and attitudes, including:
Communication is one of the basics of project management and, therefore, an essential ingredient to project success. Efficiently and effectively disseminating essential information to the right people at the right time solidifies everyone's understanding of the project and increases support for it.
As such, project managers must make communication an absolute priority.
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