Effective communication in project management

Introduction

Effective communication has been identified as one of the critical success factors in project management because it helps to make people focussed (Portny et al., 2008; Stolovitch, n.d.). However, communication is more than just sending and receiving messages. Effective communication is about sharing information in such a way that other people’s attitudes and behaviours can be influenced (Portny et al., 2008) through understanding the message.  Below is a You Tube video by Maximum Advantage that explains the steps in the communication process, namely message formulation, encoding, sending, decoding, understanding and feedback:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6o3fxJ5Q_RU

Factors that influence effective communication

Factors that influence effective communication include the following:

whether the right message is being shared with the right person Portny et al., 2008); the way the message is formulated and delivered; the mode of delivery; "tonality and body language; personality of the recipient" (Stolovitch, n.d.).

An exercise to evaluate communication effectiveness

Project communication can be formal or informal, written or oral. Although informal communication occurs on a daily basis, Portny et al. (2008) and Stolovitch (n.d.) have recommended that there is need to confirm, in writing, important information communicated informally. While most written communication nowadays is done through emails, oral communication is normally done through face to face meetings and the telephone.

I had the opportunity to carry out an exercise that involved observing and evaluating a piece of communication in three different modalities, as written text, as audio, and as video. The communication was sent by Jane requesting her team member Mark to send his outstanding report as soon as possible so that it could be incorporated in her report before the deadline. I have summarized my thoughts about the effectiveness of each mode of communication below, however, I need to point out that different recipients would probably interpret these messages differently because the personality of each recipient is different (Stolovitch, n.d.).

Email message

I had to re-read the message in order to fully understand it. The message did not immediately motivate me to act and respond to the communicator.

Voice message

The message was communicated in a friendly tone and the communicator was enthusiastic. This message made me empathise with the communicator. I found the message to be the most effective as it conveyed the subject matter clearly in a persuasive manner.

Face to face video message

The message was not communicated effectively because the communicator lacked enthusiasm and the body language was inappropriate. The manner in which the message was communicated did not show the urgency of the request. I found this message to be the least effective.

Nonverbal communication or body language

Research has suggested that nonverbal behaviour plays an important role in the communication process. Wertheim (n.d.) (as cited in Segal, Smith, Boose & Jaffe, 2013) has suggested that nonverbal communication cues can play the following different roles in either enhancing or diminishing the message: repetition, contradiction, substitution, complementing and accenting. However, Jain & Choudhary (2011) have warned that nonverbal communication is culture dependent and is therefore likely to be misinterpreted in different communities.

Implications for project management communication

The project manager needs to choose the most appropriate communication approach to suit the situation. For example, Stolovitch (n.d.) has suggested that important information is best delivered orally in the presence of all team members. There is need to use different modes of communication to suit different situations and preferences of different recipients. Some situations call for combined use of written and oral communication as well as appropriate body language. Irrespective of the communication approach used, the message should be delivered in such a way that it is understood by the recipient.

References

Jain, C. & Choudhary, M. (2011). Actions speak louder than words: Non-verbal mis/communication. Journal of Media and Communication Studies, 3(1), 22-26. Retrieved from

http://www.academicjournals.org/jmcs/PDF/pdf2011/Jan/Jain%20and%20Choudhary.pdf

Portny, S. E., Mantel, S. J., Meredith, J. R., Shafer, S. M., Sutton, M. M., & Kramer, B. E. (2008). Project management: Planning, scheduling, and controlling projects. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Segal, J., Smith, M., Boose, G. & Jaffe, J. (2013). Nonverbal communication:

Improving your nonverbal skills and reading body language. Retrieved from

http://www.helpguide.org/mental/eq6_nonverbal_communication.htm

Stolovitch, H. (Walden University). (n.d.). Communicating with stakeholders. [DVD].

Web sites visited:

http://www.maximumadvantage.com/

The importance of project risk management : learning the hard way

Introduction

 

In this article, I discuss the importance of risk management in project management. First, I highlight the concept of project risk management. I then proceed to share my experience from a project that was not successful in order to illustrate the critical importance of project risk management.

What is project risk management?

Risk management is one of the nine knowledge areas (responsibility areas) defined in PMBOK version 4 (Project Management Institute, 2008) that the project manager and sponsors should pay special attention to. Since project risk is an unforeseen event or activity that can impact the project's progress and outcome, it needs to be carefully managed. The following YouTube video by Mind Tools (2013) explains the process of managing project risks:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=mcV3of_cg6s

The borehole project

In 1999 I sponsored a $6000 project to construct a borehole to supply safe drinking water to my mother who resides in the rural areas, five hundred kilometres from the city where I work and live. The drilling was done by a Government department responsible for district development. After drilling for seventy metres, the drilling contractor stopped and advised that this was a dry hole. The end result is that I lost $6000 and the expected deliverable was not available.

Borehole project post-mortem

Portny et al. (2008) have explained the need to conduct a post project evaluation or project post-mortem after the completion every project in order to learn from best practices and avoid making the same mistakes in future projects.

The following are some of the things that were done to contribute to the borehole project success: the selected drilling contractor was experienced and had previously constructed boreholes in the district, including one borehole located one kilometre away in the next village; borehole siting was done by the drilling contractor. However, I had not considered the possibility and repercussion of a dry hole. With hindsight, I should have discussed the following issues with the drilling contractor: what are the chances of getting a dry hole?; what are the main causes of dry holes?; what happens in case of a dry hole?; what can be done to mitigate the effects of a dry hole, for example, is there is any insurance? Of particular concern is that there was no written contract with the drilling contractor. The main lesson learned from this project is that risk analysis is essential in project management since it helps to identify and manage potential problems that are likely to adversely affect the outcome of the project.

Conclusion

Although risk management is critical to successful project management, it is an activity that can easily be overlooked. Deliberate efforts should be made to incorporate project risk planning into the overall project management plan.

References

Mind Tools (2013). Risk analysis: Evaluating and managing risks. Retrieved from http://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newTMC_07.htm

Portny, S. E., Mantel, S. J., Meredith, J. R., Shafer, S. M., Sutton, M. M., & Kramer, B. E. (2008). Project management: Planning, scheduling, and controlling projects. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Project Management Institute (2008). A guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK Guide). 4^th Edition.

Retrieved from  http://www.greenlocalschools.org/Downloads/File1BOK.pdf