When I was at the beginning of my career, I used to see senior leads and managers walking into the office while on calls. All day long they were busy and occupied either in conferences & meetings, generating reports, sending emails, doing one-on-one with team members, etc. One question that used to strike me was when they were working. I just see them communicating in all these different forms.
Later in my career and once I did PMP, I realized that what I saw them doing is what they are supposed to do. They have teams to actually deliver and hence their work is not to deliver but to get the work done and get the team to deliver. And for that, communication is one of the most important focus areas, a Project Manager (PM) should be putting his effort in.
As per Project Management Standards, about 90% of the work of a PM is communications
It can be formal or informal, verbal or written, interactive push or pull.
Communication is not only about PM doing it with others, but also others communicating effectively amongst each other. If team leads cannot communicate effectively with team members, vendors, other departments, or stakeholders, the project will be affected. This disruption will ultimately impact the project manager’s performance.
Also, as an effective PM, one needs to ensure that the communication spoilers (also called Noise) are in control. Based on the environment, work culture, geography, and industry, noise can vary. Some factors affecting communication include body language, cultural differences, etiquette, tone of voice, dual-meaning words, and incorrect communication styles. To ensure effective communication, the project success may sometimes need to route specific communications through proper channels. The Project Management Institute (PMI) offers the prestigious PMP Certification. The PMP qualifications are recognized in all fields, regions, and businesses. As a project manager, PMP is a must to improve & validate your project management skills.
Ensuring Effective Communication for Project Success
In the communication model, the project manager must ensure that the message encoded by the sender is decoded by the receiver as intended, without interference from noise. Additionally, the receiver should provide acknowledgment or feedback effectively back to the sender in the same way.
To achieve effective communication and desired results, project management should gather all communication-related requirements upfront during the initial project phases. These requirements should also be included as part of the project scope.
Answers to several questions are very important. A few examples are:
Who, How frequently, In which format, When, For which activities and tasks, etc.
An effective Manager or Leader has to be an effective Communicator.
