Project communication must be well thought out in order for the project to succeed. A client’s request has to be fully understood by the team members working on the project. If the client’s request is not communicated properly, then team members may have to waste resources (such as money, time, or quality) to resolve any issues.
It is the project manager’s job to ensure proper communication between all people involved with the project. This includes meetings with the client to understand their request and give them updates on the project’s status, as well as meetings with team members to make sure everybody is on the same page.
You cannot assume that what you say will be interpreted properly, which makes listening to feedback just as important as effectively delivering a message. A project manager should make sure that everybody involved has a chance to speak and know they are being heard. This helps to reduce any future misunderstandings.
A project manager is not expected to have the solution for every problem that comes across. Instead, they should have problem solving meetings and include the correct people (such as client + team members or team members + experts). Problems should be expected, and dealing with them properly or preventing them through proper communication is the key to project management.
7 Comments
Autumn Coulton · February 8, 2021 at 10:41 pm
Good post Chris! The photo is a good example of how communication can go wrong and get progressively worse if left unchecked. Although it is the job of the project manager to properly relay messages between the client and the team, does not mean that they will always listen or interpreted it correctly, as you said. For this reason, I think adding some helpful tips such as having the team describe back to the project manager what their goal is would be useful to get everyone on the same page. This could be beneficial to quiet teams that do not ask a lot of questions and make assumptions on how to do a project.
Trisha Badlu · February 8, 2021 at 11:44 pm
Great explanation on communication Chris. Poor communication is one of the most common causes of project failure, therefore project managers should take measures necessary to ensure that the client and team fully understand the requirements. It’s very often the case where clients will not fully know what they want. They might forget a requirement for the project, or they simply might not know that they even require a specific functionality. Because of this, I think it’s very important for project managers to be able to explain their thought process and the team’s understanding of a project in a way that can be understood by people who don’t have a technical background. This kind of skill would definitely help to reduce misunderstandings as well as like you said, reduce extra costs for resources to fix mistakes.
Brandon Kresge · February 9, 2021 at 12:14 pm
This is well thought out, and I like the formatting. The picture really gets the idea across, too. I feel that a lot of problems come from the small aspects like communication and planning, and not so much the technical ones such as databases and networks. I think asking for help is a problem people have, and that they should not be afraid to. Not understanding something can cause problems later. Similarly, a project manager can get meetings together, but I think it is more the team members to work problems out themselves. A project manager is an important but difficult job. Getting everyone (including the client(s)) on the same page while letting all of those involved have an equal say can be a tough task. It is through cooperation that everyone can achieve success, but the project manager seems to be the one to try and lead the members to it.
sswar331 · February 9, 2021 at 2:00 pm
A lot of people think that the project manager has to have an answer to all the problems, which is definitely not the case. Problems themselves are a problem because the problem that you think you are looking for might not be the right problem. I like how you have that to solve a problem you need to have a problem-solving meeting and who would be in the meeting. Communication is the key to helping to find the right problems and solutions.
Griffin Nye · February 9, 2021 at 5:21 pm
As you stated, Chris, not only is the initial communication important, but feedback is equally as important, because like you said, “You cannot assume that what you say will be interpreted properly.” This is an extremely important point, especially when it comes down to client communication, because if we only based the design of a system off of the initial client specifications and did not follow up to receive any feedback, the situation played out by the included graphic would almost definitely occur, where the system delivered is not even close to the concept the client had in mind.
Manogna Pillutla · February 9, 2021 at 5:35 pm
Good one Chris! I liked the way of representing the reality with pictures. The pictures clearly explain the importance of communication in all the levels project. Sales representatives can also be part of this. In some companies they play very important role in project development cycle. To actually build the gap, which is caused due to these miscommunications, frequent demos(with clients) of phases/milestones achieved in project development can be an idea.
Sean Kinneer · February 22, 2021 at 7:45 pm
I think you did a really great job with the layout, Chris. This is well organized and concise. It gets all the key information across from your readings. Adding the pictures really helps show the potential miscommunication(s) between all the parties involved. It just goes to show how important it is for project managers to understand all expectations of the client. In the initial interview, I feel it is important for the project manager to prepare good questions that allow for detailed answers. This will vary depending on the type of project. Project managers may have to add, adjust, or omit certain questions depending on what is relative. Another aspect I think is important during that initial interview is repeating the answers back that the client has given. This way any misunderstandings can be immediately addressed. After acquiring and confirming the exact specifications of the project, a project manager can then more accurately explain what the customer wants to their team(s). The project manager should encourage their team(s) to report back with any updates on progress, complications, deadline issues, or any other questions that may arise. It never hurts to speak up and ask the question. Constant communication between all parties is key for customer satisfaction.