It’s All About Communication

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How many times have you heard this comment in relation to project management and - let’s be  candid here - business management in general?

Countless times, I’m willing to bet, and there is a reason for it: effective business communication is a direct input to effective business management, team productivity with, arguably, a positive impact to the bottom line.

Here is why, as a project manager you should, first and foremost, be interested in crafting a meaningful communications plan.

Putting some thoughts and structure around your communications plan allows your team to understand:

  • what kind of data they have to gather
  • how to prepare the information
  • when the information will be needed
  • how the information will be delivered
  • who the audience is
  • the technology needed to support it.
Some upfront thinking on reporting requirements, cadence and resources that you would have to draw upon to create reports can potentially save you time later on, avoid confusion and create a framework that allows your project team to be productive.

Complex projects require complex views into the project data. 
Planning to structure the reports based on audience and getting input on these reports from
key stakeholder groups in your project can help get buy-in in your project.

Large projects may require an integrated implementation and communication plan.
In this cases, support from specialized communications departments within your company may be available – always consult with them as they can provide you with valuable tips and templates.

Enter the time you think may be needed to plan for the communications plan in your schedule and work estimates.

And, as we draw near to the end of this post -  reader,  beware – we’ve barely scratched the surface of communications planning here.

So, you want to be a project manager?

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If that’s your goal, here are some suggestions to help you reach that goal.

1. Start to network with project managers at work, at your local PMI chapter or in your community. Project managers are gregarious people who like to share their project management stories and always willing to guide you through the process.

2. Find a project manager that is willing to act as a mentor/sounding board and coach and to provide informal (or formal, if that’s your preference) project management advice.

3. Take project management courses, read project management books (including the PMBOK) become a member at your local PMI Chapter and attend project management conferences. Learn the project management lingo.

4. Get involved in project management work and check out the requirements for certification on the PMI web site.

5. Start brushing up on your communication, facilitation and presentation skills.

6. Work on your soft skills: negotiation skills, relationship building, emotional intelligence.

7. Take business courses and challenge yourself to get through the next steps required to enhance your business knowledge and to continually grow your business skills. Those late night hours spent pouring over a Finance course will come in handy and they might give you the edge over the competition, who, as we all know, never sleeps.

8. Find an area of project management where you can truly become the expert in – whether it is scope management, schedule management or creating the best communications plan.

9. Lastly – enjoy the journey towards becoming a PM and stay on track!

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