Project Management & Communication
Effective communication is a key determinant of project success, and all stages of project management require a medium of communication, which should be interactive and facilitate comprehensive distribution of information. According to Computerworld, "different methods and different levels of communicating depend on the audience." You, therefore, must consider your audience and your communication medium to achieve effective communication and thus lead a successful project.
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Effective Communication
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To facilitate smooth and accurate exchanges of information to your stakeholders and project sponsors, you must communicate effectively throughout all phases of your project. In the initiation stage, for instance, effective communication is essential to identify expectations and build team dynamics. During the project life cycle, and especially at execution, communication via meetings with clients and reporting to project sponsors is vital. Effective communication is essential even in the end stages of a project life cycle as the project is incomplete without feedback.
Communication Pressures
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Effective communication in project management is difficult to attain. Because of the time constraint in projects, the need for detailed communication conflicts with the need for meetings, which must be short to meet the stringent deadlines. The very nature of projects is temporary and, therefore, lends little time for the involved parties, especially team members, to get well-acquainted and establish strong communication strategies. Also, often during the project's life, stakeholders change or the balance of power between stakeholders shifts. This shift requires a revision of the project's communication network and creates uncertainty.
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Communication Channels
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According to the authors of Project Management Communications Bible, 90 percent of projects fail because of communications problems. The use of the wrong medium of communication, the wrong channel of communication, information overload and lack of feedback are all barriers to effective communication. Your email of critical information to a stakeholder, for example, may prove fatal if it gets lost in the receiver's daily batch of email or if your email filters to a spam folder. It is also possible that the receiver considers your email as merely a status update and thus relegates your email for future reading. Therefore, your critical information may not receive required attention.
Project Management Negotiations
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Because project management involves dealing with many different stakeholders who have varied and often conflicting interests and time restraints, negotiations play a key role in project management. These negotiations are mandatory because, as the project manager, you must gain your client's approval before implementation and at various stages of the project life cycle. Issues that require negotiation include resources, budgets, contracts, scope, schedules and stakeholder expectations. An effective communication network and strategy will help you facilitate negotiation processes. For example, if you have a reputation for solid communication strategies, you may be able to forgo long face-to-face meetings with management when you negotiate pivotal decisions. This can save valuable time and resources.
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References
- Photo Credit project plan image by Christopher Hall from Fotolia.com
