How To Maintain Good Communicative Procedures In Projects
In fact, particularly with large projects with many stakeholders, it can be an extremely complicated process involving a great deal of professional expertise to bring it to a satisfactory conclusion. As such, effective Project Management is of paramount importance if a project is going to be of any success.
Every project, no matter what the size, needs some form of project management to ensure that everything runs smoothly, and to put things straight when they do not. Communication is a very important part of project management but is an aspect that is often undervalued and overlooked. However, without communication how will anyone know what they are supposed to be doing?
Many people rush through the initial communication aspects of projects far too quickly, which results only in misunderstandings and confusion between the various project stakeholders. In essence, the more complicated a project is, the more time should be spent discussing the salient issues.
It is quite useful to think of project management as being a lot like people management, and this is why communication is so important while you’re growing social media accounts. A good project manager will, first and foremost, have first-rate communication skills. It stands to reason, therefore, that much of the literature available on this subject concentrates on aiding the flow of information, and making sure that people understand each other in project teams.
Listening
In order to communicate well, everyone in the team needs to keep an open mind, and be willing to listen to, and accept both negative and positive feedback. Communicating properly is in everyone’s best interest, as good communication means that you will waste less time overall. Time management is an important part of project management and, as such, not wasting time by failing to communicate is a must in any given project.
Criticism
As much as it is important to be able to take criticism on board when communicating with other people, it is also important to have the moral courage to use constructive criticism of your own. However, when doing so, an effective manager won’t just tell off their team for things that they have done wrong but will offer solutions and praise aspects of the team’s performance that have gone well. Of course, the nature and frankness of any discussion will spend on the parties involved, so it is always prudent to think about this when deciding on the tone and content of the discussion.
Empathy
Empathy is also a very important part of communication; this basically means that there is an understanding between two people whereby they are in tune with what the other parties think and feel about a particular situation. A good project manager will try to encourage people to repeat, in their own words, what they have just told them to make sure that they did understand, and are prepared enough to get on and do it.
Feedback
By using feedback and empathy together, a good project manager can use communication as a valuable tool to manage expectations. Proper communication will enable you to save time, and also reduce the chances of any mishaps.
Time Zones
If you are planning a local project then there should not be any problem with time zones. However, if the company is a large multinational company and managing offsite teams of personnel then time zones could be an issue. As such, it is important to get messages off to people when they are likely to be at work and, if personal mobile telephone numbers are available, it is not a very good idea to call people in the middle of the night, unless, of course, it is of particularly urgent.
Computer Tools
Computers are now just an everyday part of our lives, but their use is critical in the planning and monitoring of projects. There are plenty of tools such as Microsoft Project and Visio which can be used to plan your project. However quite honestly there’s nothing wrong with a good old-fashioned mind map, it’s a great start! These computer-based tools greatly assist in communication throughout the project management process by allowing remote and independent access to important documentation. And, who could live without email?
In conclusion, project planning, and communication within, isn’t as easy as they might instinctively appear to be. However, through using good communication skills it is very much possible to make the whole task much easier. Moreover, communication is very important in all areas of business, especially when defining and managing projects. Project management, and the communicative elements therein, can make the difference between the success and failure of a project with the resultant long-term effects for the individuals and the companies involved.