Communication is the common thread which holds your project team and stakeholders together.
It is the means by which ideas and information are transferred, agreements reached and commitment secured.To underestimate the importance of good communication in a project's success is to saddle yourself with an unnecessary and avoidable burden from the outset.
Communication starts even before the project gets underway. From when the first idea or requirement is identified and put forward for analysis, or the initial request for funding and business buy-in, communication is paramount.
You should also dismiss any notion that the communications work is at some stage finished and that next you just get on with the project.
A one-way information feed may serve a purpose, but it is not good communication.
The fact that most mistakes are avoidable and that someone somewhere will have identified the problem already, and tried unsuccessfully to raise it as an issue, is a sad indictment of the one-way information push. Just as a good conversation involves as much listening as speaking, project communication must encompass feedback and reflection.
If you are convinced that a situation needs an information download and there is no room for debate, you will still need feedback to ensure that your message has been understood and will be acted upon appropriately.
The introduction of a communications manager on larger projects can help spread the workload and ensure a consistent message. But the astute project manager will ensure that this vital component remains under his/her control and is properly executed. Poor or inacurate communication is invariably worse than no communication at all.
Once you understand the need to communicate properly your next step is to formulate a good distribution strategy; the Who, Why and How of What you need to say.
This is then documented as your Communications Plan which needs to be flexible enough to deal with the unexpected; and rigid enough to ensure that your obligations are met.
Consider the following when drawing up a Communications Plan:
Purpose - every act of communication must be clear on it's objectives. Even if it seems self-evident to you, a formal approach will at the very least give some structure to your efforts. Ask yourself "What do you hope to achieve with this communication? Do you want to raise awareness of an issue or highlight a success? Do you want to reinforce some actions or get people to do things differently? Is this to provide information or request action? The list goes on and the style and method of your communication will greatly depend on the answers to these sorts of questions.
Audience - consider who you are communicating with. Stakeholders and team members require very different content but also styles and formats too. A major stakeholder probably won't appreciate too many casual phone calls while your team members may become greatly irritated by overly formal emails.
Logistics - how and when this will happen. For example: If this update is going out prior to a stakeholder's meeting then make sure that it goes out early enough so those needing to travel are not disadvantaged by those who are comfortably sitting at their desks when your email arrives 30 minutes before the meeting begins. It may be no fault of yours but if you need to make last minute changes then consider distributing a printed document during the meeting, so that all parties can review it together.
Actions - what do you want from your audience? Is there a formal review and respond mechanism or do you just hope that someone will send a note to say that they've read it? Ensure that the distribution list is accurate and current and clearly identifies who is expected to provide comments.
Change Control. - ensure that all documents are properly managed and that everyone is using the same draft or version number.
Archive - these communications now form part of your project and need to be accessible and protected. A central repository is always preferable but must also be available to anyone needing access. Backups should be taken and checked and document formats should be as industry standard as is possible within your organization, e.g. html, odf, pdf, etc.
Good communication is fundamental to good project management and for effective team working.
Simply downloading ideas or instructions can be sufficient in some circumstances but these should be seen as the exceptions to normal practice.
There are many ways of communicating and these will vary depending on the audience and the message.
A Communication Plan will identify who needs to know what and when.
It is unrealistic to expect teams to remain enthusiastic and productive while being kept in the dark.
Bad communication is usually worse than no communication at all.