Project management communication plan: what to consider
Proper communication is one of the main factors of project work. Interaction between specialists, managers and clients takes up most of the time. This is especially true for managers, who spend 90% of their time communicating with the team. The optimal solution for effective work is a project communication plan. Its purpose is to create the necessary conditions for interaction between clients and managers, informing the participants about progress, status of tasks and other essential processes.
It is quite difficult to create such a plan, especially considering that communication with management is not always possible at a given time due to the workload of top management. Therefore, in order to create an effective corporate system that will help with project management, you need to consider various nuances and anticipate likely difficulties.
How to create a communication plan that works
You need to start by optimising the number of meetings. These are the interactions between the manager and the client that take up the most time. It is ideal to define a minimum number of communications for the manager, for example:
- project status meetings;
- project decision meetings.
The frequency and number of client meetings are predictable with near accuracy from project schedules. In the second case, there may be tasks that need to be completed quickly and cannot be accurately predicted. In this case, communication may take place in different formats, such as text. In this case, it is important to identify a committee that will take part in the discussions. This, for example, can involve delegating some tasks or making urgent decisions when the project manager is absent.
How to improve project communication
Involving stakeholders in discussions about the project’s status is often difficult. In this case, choosing the most effective communication option can help. In addition, it is important to consider the following characteristics:
- amount of information. The best solution would be to shorten the report, leaving only the most critical points in it, avoiding details and water;
- discussing minor issues is best left to internal team meetings;
- identify which tasks require the direct involvement of the manager or client and discuss only these items;
- categorise tasks according to their urgency.
It is also significant to pay attention to the quality of the information the manager provides. It should be presented clearly and concisely, without watered-down and unverified facts. In order for the manager to have a complete and real understanding of the process, there must be an improvement in the interaction between project participants. Only then will the client and top management receive reliable information.
