It is common knowledge that poor communication is a significant reason for project failure. One of the most important project management skills you will ever learn is that good communication must be at the heart of everything you do. And, this means communicating with the members of your project team as well as your stakeholders.
Research has shown that poor communication doesn’t just have an impact on the success of your project but also have a knock on effect on project budget as well. It is vital as a project manager to understand what constitutes poor communication and have you can improve on the way communication occurs in your project in order to stop it having a detrimental effect on the outcome of the project. The right project manager courses will help you develop this skill but here, we offer some tips that could help you solve some issues.
Why does communication fail and how can we solve this?
The problem:
When we take communication for granted, assuming that everyone in the team is talking to each other, sending emails and generally sharing updates communication can fail.
The solution:
Good project management software can really help you to ensure that your team are talking to each other. And more importantly, it will make sure they’re seeing those vital updates. Messages can be seen in the system; documents can be uploaded, and work goals ticked off. This means that as project manager you can log in at any point in time and see exactly what the situation is, and if there is a problem deal with it.
The problem:
A lack of communication plan for the project can also be an issue. A good project communication plan lays out how people need to communicate during the project. It also ensures that the right people are kept in the loop at the right time.
The solution:
Create a good easy to follow project communication plan. Eensure that all of the team members are aware of the plan and understand it and make sure that it is followed. If your team are working in a number of different locations or even time zones, then this is even more important. A communication plan will allow your team members to check work status, find documents and even look at the role they play in the project.
The problem:
When you don’t have a communication plan there is a chance that you will have problems with vendor management and stakeholder engagement. This is something that is estimated to be the reason that 1 in 3 projects fail.
The solution:
It is really important to ensure that you are communicating with your stakeholders on a regular basis. This does not have to be in person or via the phone. In fact, a small written report that gives them key facts and can be read at their own leisure may be better for them.
The problem:
Not using project management software can be a real issue with any project. This can affect even the smallest projects as you may be missing important information.
The solution:
Not all project management software is the same. However, there is almost certainly something out there that is perfect for your project. Look for software that has all of the features that you need. If you are already using a range of different tools, then stop and find something that will help you to combine all of this information into one easy to access place.
