Communicating Effectively Is the Key to Project Success

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In the Project Management Institutes 2013 Pulse
of the Profession report, effective
communications across all stakeholders in the
project was identified as the most crucial factor
for success in project management.
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This is because effective communication results
in more successful projects and, thus, in
organisations as high performers. Indeed, the
report also revealed that two in five projects
will not meet their original purpose with
one-half (i.e., one in two) of these unsuccessful
projects the result of ineffective
communications, among other factors.
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Communication When Done Effectively Results In
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The most successful project managers subscribe to
the 20/80 rule. This means spending 20 of your
time on transactional activities necessary for
effective and efficient project control while 80
of your time will be spent on transformational
activities related to leadership of the project
and communication is the most important of all
transformational activities.
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Think about it
Effective leadership goes hand in hand with
effective leadership. But communication goes
beyond talking to the troops and leading them to
the goal, far from it.
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Successful project managers know that effective
communication means being there for everyone at
the right time, in the right place, and with the
right information including inspiration, as well
as understanding the real challenges, issues and
goals of the team and stakeholders. Being
actively engaged with your team members, sponsors
and stakeholders is a must to deliver on the
project deliverables because everybody can
contribute to the projects advancement.
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Ultimately, effective communication contributes
to the achievement of a results-effective,
cost-efficient and client-responsive
accomplishment. While there may be other factors,
keep in mind that communication underlines all
your efforts as a project manager from the
formulation of the project plan to the evaluation
of its results,
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Challenges from Several Sides
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And because there are many people involved in
project management, project managers will
encounter communication challenges from several
sides. Each sector has its own unique set of
issues and solutions because of the differences
in their needs and wants where the project is
concerned but all sectors can be handled with
effective communication skills, such as the
ability to listen and listen well beyond the
usual complaints.
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Stakeholders
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The project stakeholders usually include the
client itself (e.g., the organisation that
initiated the project) as well as entities in the
public and private sectors including government
regulatory bodies, consumer groups, and
corporations.
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With so many stakeholders in place, project
managers can have a challenging time balancing
all of their needs and wants for various types of
information about the project.
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The standard challenges of communication are
compounded by the geographical distance, cultural
differences, and financial investments of these
stakeholders.
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Team members
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With the project team consisting of a diverse set
of people with different backgrounds in
education, training and experience, many of whom
may not have worked with each other before the
project at hand, the project managers
communication challenges increase. As a project
manager, you have to identify the strengths and
weaknesses of each team member, harness these
traits for the good of the team and its project,
and inspire them toward a shared purpose.
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And then there is the challenges posed by
constant change surrounding the project, such as
the environment, economy and politics, all of
which can have an impact on the projects
original goal, action plan, and measurable
results, among others. Project managers must
consider these external factors and then
communicate their impact to the stakeholders and
team members so that appropriate actions can be
made.
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Communication Issues Ate Every Phase
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• Most, if not all, project managers will encounter
  communication issues in most phases of the
  project.
• Goal setting. This is the part where the vision
  for the project will be formulated and
  communicated to team members and stakeholders.
• Progress report. This is where the stakeholders
  are informed about the projects progress (i.e.,
  where the project is in relation to where it
  should be).
• Presentation. This is the phase where the
  projects accomplishments are reported to
  stakeholders.

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Keep in mind that, in all phases, the project
manager should adopt the principles and practices
of effective communication. Otherwise, all the
other phases will be affected, such as when the
vision has not been communicated well to the team
members, thus, resulting in half-baked project
results.
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Communication Plan Is a Must
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With that being said, project managers should
have a communication plan in place even before
project implementation starts. A communication
plan is essentially a form of standardized
communication, which forms the foundation upon
which effective (i.e., information provided in
the right time, format, audience and impact) and
efficient (i.e., providing only the necessary
information) communication is provided by the
project manager to the team members and
stakeholders.
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• The best communication plan should be customized
  to the needs of the project and, thus, should
  address the following issues
• The type of communication required, such as team
  meetings, management meetings and reports, and
  project reports
• The persons to whom the information will be
  provided (e.g., stakeholders)
• The frequency of communication including the
  expected dates of submission based on timelines
• The types of information that should be
  communicated

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While a communication plan does not guarantee
effective and efficient communication since the
whole matter largely rests in the hands of the
project manager, it is an important contributory
factor for overall project success. Think of it
as the guiding plan with which everybody on the
team can keep in mind when performing the tasks
assigned to them.
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• Project managers also have the benefit of a
  comprehensive complement of tools for a
  customised communication approach. These tools
  include
• Stakeholder analysis, a tool that uses a
  power/interest grid to predict the responses of
  stakeholders and team members in various
  situations
• Ishikawa Diagram, or fish bone diagram, where
  each bone has a problem to be solved and then
  broken down until its causes are identified and
• RACI chart, which ensures that there is at least
  one person responsible for each category.

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In conclusion, effective and efficient
communication can be achieved by the adoption of
a solid communication plan and the use of a
complement of tools but project managers are also
well-advised to become active listeners.
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