More than any other aspect of project management, communication is the most vital factor for project success. Good communication leads to team engagement, efficiency, proactive problem solving, clarity and reduced admin. But how should you communicate, and with whom? Too much communication leads to spamming and micromanagement; too little runs the risk of confusion and losing sight of the end goals.

A stakeholder is anybody who plays a role or has an interest in the project. There are roughly three different types of stakeholders on a project. First, the project team includes everyone who is directly working on the tasks for the project. This group needs to be in frequent contact with the project manager: they need constant updates, detailed information and progress reports to know how they should progress.

Second is senior management – people who have oversight over the project and team, but are not involved in day-to-day activities, like company executives. They require a high-level overview of project progress and information to make crucial decisions, such as changing the timeline or budget. Third are the project partners – people like suppliers and clients who play an ancillary role in the project but, again, don’t have a direct role. They only need information relevant to their specific contributions.

The communication plan, which outlines the exact rules of when to communicate with whom, should be the cornerstone of your project. In it, you should define the various types of stakeholders and the principles for communicating with each type. Indicate who has the power to make decisions, how they can best be reached, and what stages they are involved in.

The golden rule of your communication plan should be to send enough information to relevant stakeholders so that they can perform their specific roles and make decisions adequately. Never burden project stakeholders with unnecessary data, and remember that not everybody cares about or needs to know every detail. The CEO doesn’t need to hear about every typo that is corrected, and the supplier has no interest in a long debate about colour schemes or budgets. At the same time, the active project team needs to know if there has been a delay on the client’s side, or if resources are running low.

In addition to this, communication to stakeholders can take place through a wide variety of media – and you must consider what type you use very carefully. Quick decisions and team chats can take place in person or over instant messenger. Email is great for documenting decisions and asking complex questions, while phone calls can help solve disputes on a more personal level. Formal business meetings should be reserved for milestone occasions and big decisions – since they take time and require preparation, they should only take place for important moments. Another excellent way to communicate is to use a web-based project management application – it allows you to make information accessible without constantly sending annoying notifications.

Call Nikita on visit GetSmarter for more information about the course.

---

Share this article