Poor project communication is one of the big issues that many companies struggle to deal with. Even if everything else goes well, if you don’t have good communication then the project is possibly doomed.
Therefore, it is a good move to focus on how you are going to communicate with your team and everyone else who is involved in the project.
Create a Communications Plan
It is clear that your overall project plan is one of the most important parts of the whole piece of work. Yet, not everyone makes the decision to create a communications plan as well.
This is where you will define who you want to give information to, and how you will do it. The very fact that you work on this plan means that you are thinking about possible issues and how to overcome them.
A good communication plan will help you to be clear from the start about how you are going to deal with this vital area.
Don’t Put Off or Rush Meetings
Meetings are a crucial part of any project. This is how you can let everyone know what is going on and seek help as necessary. So why do so many project managers try to avoid them?
When you have an extremely busy day then it may seem like a good idea to put off that meeting you have lined up. Or perhaps you will just try and sprint through it in record time. These are both terrible ideas, though.
These project meetings are a big part of the work you are carrying out. In the worst case scenario of not having enough time for a meeting, you should re-schedule for a more suitable time rather than skipping it altogether.
Use a Consistent Methodology
The project methodology that you use goes a long way towards defining the communication approach that you use. For example, if you go for an Agile project then you will have regular, interactive meetings that help to show the way ahead.
A particularly good move is to choose the PRINCE2 project framework. This is because it is a project methodology that is widely used and that a lot of people are already extremely comfortable with.
In this way, if you bring in a new team member then you just need to bring them up to date through the relevant PRINCE2 Training London. This means that they will be ready to get started understanding the importance of communication and how to do it well.
Share Information Online
In the modern project world it is common to have team members working in different locations. This brings with it a number of advantages but it also means that communication can be far more difficult.
Clearly, most project managers will schedule video conferences to get their full team together. However, it can also make sense to share documents online. By doing this, you let everyone access the latest information at any time.
This approach isn’t only suitable for remote project teams, though. It will also let everyone stay up to date even if they all sit together. By adding the latest meeting minutes and other communication documents here you can let the whole team easily see exactly what is going on.
Don’t allow neglected project communication let you down. By putting some extra thought into it you can ensure that everyone involve understands exactly what is going on and how it affects them.
