I’ve previously written in some detail about the processes you need to use or adapt in project management, and the steps you need to take to improve the chances of a successful project. But we mustn’t forget that projects end up affecting people, and we need to make sure they are considered as well.

Two weeks ago, I talked about the three broad types of communication we need to consider in our projects – internal, outgoing, and incoming. Last week, we had a look at the outgoing communications in the project.

Today, let’s have a look at the communications that happen within a project.

The most obvious example of this type of communication are the dreaded update meetings. I’ve written before about my general dislike for meetings, but they do have value as well. They are a very effective means of communication, so long as we make the best use of them that we can.

But while this is the most obvious example of internal communications, it is far from the only one. Other formal methods of communication also exist, be it in highlight reports from the project manager to the Executive or board, or even in the update reports the project manager receives from team managers or external suppliers.

Often, however, the best forms of communication are those that don’t take place in a formal structure – the quick chat in the corridor, the phonecall to query a couple of details, the email fired off late at night doublechecking something. These communications are a way of making sure that you as project manager know what is happening in the project, and that the people involved in the project all have a good idea of what they are doing.

Yes, if a major issue comes up from these informal chats, it needs to be recorded and captured in a formal way, whether in a risk or issue log, or by adding it into a highlight report. But often these chats, and a little bit of guidance, can prevent minor misunderstandings becoming major problems.

The internal communication of the project is one of the best tools you have as a project manager to keep the project on track, to keep the project team motivated and involved, and to bring the project to a successful conclusion. Importantly, this isn’t done by being blinkered into only using formal methods – it’s the friendly word at the right time that is much more useful.

Next time, we’ll look at incoming communications.

I’ve previously written in some detail about the processes you need to use or adapt in project management, and the steps you need to take to improve the chances of a successful project. But we mustn’t forget that projects end up affecting people, and we need to make sure they are considered as well.

Last week, I talked about the three broad types of communication we need to consider in our projects – internal, outgoing, and incoming. Let’s have a look at which parts of this we can do by following a process, and which parts we need to be more flexible around.

Outgoing communications need to be handled carefully, and should be subject to some form of control. This isn’t because we want a project to be a secretive and strange organisation within the business, but to ensure that the right messages are going out – the one thing worse than no information going out is incorrect and conflicting information going out.

For this reason, it is good practice to have a formal communications plan. It helps to ensure that some thought has been given as to who to communicate with, how to communicate with them, what to communicate to them, and how often to communicate with them. In addition, it means that members of the project team are aware of their role in communication, and, just as importantly, what their role isn’t.

The first thing a communications plan needs to do is decide who the audience for communications will be. Remember, the audiences can be many and varied, but the types of communication used can be just as varied. When thinking about the audiences, try to be as inclusive as possible.

Once you have been able to identify the various stakeholders and audiences that need to be considered, it is time to think about the information they need to see, and how they need to get it.

For example, there are some fairly obvious people who need to be kept informed – the people who gave the go ahead for the project to happen, be they a programme board or senior management within the organisation. Many of the communications to them will go through the Project Executive, or be done through formal documents produced by the project team, such as highlight reports.

However, these aren’t the only people that need to be kept informed. The people who will use or be affected by the project also should be told what is happening on a regular basis – if nothing else, frequent communications may reduce uncertainty, nervousness, and possibly even opposition to the project. The communications to this audience are likely to be very different than those to senior management.

Now we know who, how, and how often we are communicating, we need to know who within the project team has responsibility for doing it. As we’ve already discussed, the Project Executive is best suited for communications to senior management, but he will need information you provide as project manager. Possible users, though, may be better off getting information from the Senior User on the Project Board.

These are only examples, and of course will vary from project to project. The important point to take away is that you will need to consider how this is done, and have a plan, rather than muddling through as the project goes. Make sure that for every stakeholder or audience identified, someone has the responsibility to make sure the communication gets to them.

Next time, we’ll look at internal communications. I hope you’ll join me then.

A timely talk from Nigel Marsh for Valentine’s Day?

Project communications are important in a number of ways – don’t neglect any of them.

There are a few ways that we need to be comfortable communicating when we are managing a project. Clearly, we need to enable effective communication within the project, so that team members and others have the information they need about what everyone else is doing to ensure their work remains on track, and fits in with everyone else’s.

But we also need to deal with communication going out of the project – every project I have worked on has had an element of communicating what the project is about to those outside. It’s about making sure that the mysterious organisation called the project doesn’t stay mysterious for long, and the rest of the business (who, ultimately, the project is designed to benefit) are aware of what the project is doing, and why.

One final aspect that is sometimes forgotten is being aware of communication coming into the project. The most obvious example of this is the communications being passed down from the Project Executive (or Sponsor) about the environment the project is working in. After all, this is part of their role – to be able to interpret the environment, and to be a point of contact for senior people within the business.

But this isn’t the only route communications will come into the project, though it is the most easily described formally. There will also be murmurings and rumours, gossip and chatter, most of which will be of no value, but some of which may actually highlight important issues.

For example, if the murmurs outside of the project, picked up in casual conversations by team members, point at a level of mistrust towards the project (and believe me, this can happen) it is important to make sure your communications out of the project are boosted – the message about the benefits may not be getting out clearly.

Of course, it may be that the project is always going to be seen slightly negatively – sometimes the project is doing work that is of benefit to the organisation as a whole, but not to certain individuals within it. In that case, it’s important to note the problems being aired, and realise they are issues to be dealt with, or indicate risks to consider, as the project continues its work.

Project communications are an important, and often overlooked, part of every project. I’ll be going into this in more detail next week – I hope you’ll join me then.

This is a great talk from Jason Fried about the problems with working in an office, with all the distractions that implies. It is interesting and provocative, and well worth a watch.

An important lesson from this, for me, is to remember what a project manager is for. The people who are actually doing the work in your project are the most important resource you have, and you as a project manager should be guarding their time jealously.

Now, most of us are pretty good at this when it comes to resisting attempts from outside the project to take away our team members’ time, but how do we perform in making sure we aren’t destroying their ability to work?

If nothing else, I can certainly get behind the idea of reducing meetings – maybe we can’t get rid of them altogether, but we can certainly improve on them – check out my post on 10 tips for better meetings.