(upbeat music)
- Can you imagine managing a project without communication?
Sounds like a nightmare, right?
It would pretty much be impossible
with all the layers of project requirements, details,
and decisions that need to be approved
by all those important folks up the chain of command.
Every step requires some new tasks to talk about
and that task depends on another task, decision, or person.
When it comes to project management,
you can't go at it alone,
but even the best tools won't matter much
without effective communication.
In other words,
you've got to know how to talk to your people.
So what are some of the best ways
to improve your communication in project management?
Let's walk through it.
The importance of communication in project management
can't be stressed enough
because it's critical to project success.
Good communication keeps conflict and confusion
from bogging your project down
by making sure key players are aligned on project goals
and know exactly what's expected of them.
It also helps build team-wide trust,
so everyone works better together from start to finish.
No project relies on a single type of communication
to get work done.
You might use a combination of these methods
to get people informed on your projects.
So, how do you know which communication types
are right for your project?
Well, look at what worked well
and what didn't for past projects.
Then, bring your team and stakeholders into the conversation
to get their input.
Everyone has different communication styles.
So, take those into consideration
to make sure your project communications will actually land.
A communication plan can help you devise a strategy
for what effective communication will look like
on any given project.
That way, everyone involved in the project
knows what to expect
and how to communicate with each other effectively
and efficiently.
You wanna be the best project manager
in the history of your company, right?
Of course you do.
Here are five communication skills
that the best project managers
regularly apply to their projects.
Listen.
Effective project managers
don't just wait for their turn to talk.
Listen to your team, both the good and the bad,
to really understand the issues
and look for ways to fix them.
Emphasize efficiency over speed.
Make sure your team knows that going 10 miles an hour
toward a specific destination
is much better than going 30 miles an hour in circles.
Dig into the details.
Listening is one thing,
but to get to the bottom of process and situations.
Good project managers
are willing to get their hands a little dirty
and ask important client questions.
Respect your team.
As we've said, project management
is all about relationships.
When you treat your team well,
they'll treat you well in return, so be nice.
Keep everyone in the loop.
Just because the project manager knows what's going on,
that doesn't mean everyone else does.
So, send out monthly, weekly, or even daily project updates
to make sure everyone involved is informed and up-to-date.
Remember, project management
isn't just about tools and process,
it's about people.
Good project managers develop relationships
that ultimately help projects move smoothly.
That's not to say
tools like team collaboration software aren't helpful.
Useful project management software
will help your team share ideas and make decisions together.
The savvy project manager knows how to manage these tools,
details, and people
through meaningful, strategic conversations.
They pull the best out of people,
making the introvert a little more outspoken
while figuring out a way to make the difficult team member
a little easier to deal with.
Think about your project management communication
in terms of routines.
As a project manager,
you wanna be sure you're making it easy for your team
to access and share information.
Let's look at some simple ways
you can set your team and projects up for success
with effective communication.
When you kick off a project,
make sure everyone,
including both your team and stakeholders,
know what's expected of them
throughout the course of the project.
You also need to know what everyone else expects from you.
Here's some good ways to do this.
This is your team's mission statement.
The why behind everything you're doing on this project.
Once you have the purpose in place,
you can realistically set your goals for the project.
What are the primary indicators for success?
Which team members and stakeholders need to be involved
and to what extent?
Who should be at all the meetings
and who should only be involved from an approval standpoint?
Does everyone understand their roles?
Use a RACI chart to map task roles and responsibilities.
Your plan should act
as the center of all project communication.
Make sure your team and stakeholders
have easy access to your plan,
so they can update and track progress every step of the way.
Make sure to look for potential roadblocks
and risks along the way.
On top of that, each team member
should know what needs to be done
before they get started on their task.
Deliver what you say you're going to deliver.
And remember, the cardinal rule
of communication in project management:
don't overpromise.
Just like most things in life,
a project probably won't go like you planned.
Be flexible enough and honest with your team
to adjust on the fly when needed.
The most important thing
is to get the details on the table and ask
what the success and failure look like on this project.
When you're honest about what a project win looks like,
whether it's only administrative end
or through frontline project management communications,
you'll have a much easier time setting
and resetting expectations as work progresses.
If you're not actively checking in on your deliverables
and reviewing them as a team,
you're missing a huge opportunity
to collaborate and build a stronger product.
When outlining your plan,
make sure you've built in time to review, discuss,
and critique your team deliverables.
This generates more confidence in what you're building
and will also keep team members accountable
for project decisions.
By just having a short review and discussion,
you're taking extra steps to eliminate a risk
that a current deliverable will have a negative impact
on your scope later on.
Regularly hold status meetings,
otherwise known as scrums or stand-ups.
These brief get togethers are necessary
to keep everyone informed about progress and blockers.
Decide together if you want these meetings
to be daily or weekly.
Productive meetings will include:
a designated note-taker,
a written agenda,
an updated status report,
actionable next steps and goals,
post-meeting recaps
to keep all meeting attendees accountable,
and the scheduled next meeting.
Keep stakeholders in the know as well,
so they're seeing progress
and know where they fit in the process.
TeamGantt's Project Health Report
is a great tool for communicating project status
as it provides a snapshot of what's going well,
what's running behind, and what's overdue.
Share it in meetings with your team and stakeholders,
so you can work together
to make sure your project stays on track.
Being a project manager requires you to be inquisitive.
You have to understand processes, people, and deliverables.
Chances are you'll work with someone
who comes up with a new way of working
or takes a new spin on something you're working on.
That's awesome.
Just make sure you understand it
and that you can articulate the what, why, when, and how
of that new thing.
Most important, never be afraid to ask your team questions.
In the end, it's a win-win situation for you and your team
because the more you understand the work,
the easier it is for you
to advocate for them with stakeholders
or plan for similar activities in future projects.
Bottom line, no matter what you do,
be open to discussing how you communicate with your team.
You wanna know what's best for the project
while also being open and willing to adapt
if that will set a tone of positive collaboration.
All that together will lead to success.
You can count on it.
A clear and collaborative project plan is your best tool
for communicating and tracking all the details, deadlines,
and to-do's that will lead your team to project success.
Check out our Plan Up Education Hub for free resources
to help you build solid project plans
and get buy in from your team and stakeholders.
You can also download our free guide to project planning
plus simple scripts to help you make the case for planning.
And sign up for our free on-demand class
to learn how to create and sell a winning project plan.
That's it for this video
on effective communication in project management.
I hope you found it helpful.
If you did, I'd love it if you could return the favor
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Thanks for watching.
I'll see you next time.
(upbeat music)