The base of a successful project is a foundation of communication. The vision of a client is something that without the help of good communication, is hard to see. Also, the style of communication that a project manager sets with their employees is crucial to the success of the team.
Client Communication
The end product you and your team creates may not reflect what your client had originally envisioned. This may be because of a number of different constraints. Maybe your team was in a time crunch, or perhaps you had run out of funding for the project. Another popular constraint is a lack of communication. This constraint is not an easy one to fix as it requires lots of honesty and clarity from both sides. If a client wants the end product to look a certain way, you need to, as a project manager, confirm that this is what you want and this is how you want it. There is also some responsibility on the client to be honest with what you provide them. If your team develops something that the client does not like, they need to be told of it.
Team Communication
The key to a healthy workplace and a happy client is transparent, honest, and respectful communication. As a project manager, that begins with YOU. I can say from experience that whatever tone you set is the one that will stay. It’s crucial that from the beginning you make clear that honest but respectful opinions are not just welcome but required for a healthy work environment. I’ve found this is most important for remaining open-minded. Avoiding an echo chamber leads to healthy and diverse ideas. Being realistic with the expectations of yourself and your team can be a great way of promoting honesty within the workplace.
8 Comments
Trisha Badlu · February 8, 2021 at 9:31 pm
I like how you also included team communication. While it’s important for clear communication between the client and project manager, communication behind the scenes to fulfill the client’s request is just as important. Project managers need to be able to account for the possibility of conflicts between team members or negative team synergy. Working on big projects can get stressful and when a team member is struggling to keep up or if they don’t understand how to complete their duties for the project, it’s important for them to communicate with the team and project manager so they can reallocate resources appropriately or hold more meetings to ensure that the entire team is on the same page. Project managers also need to be able to resolve issues such as team members feeling uncomfortable with speaking up. Leaving an issue like that unresolved is a huge risk factor and can possibly jeopardize the project by having to use extra resources or delaying the project’s completion.
Autumn Coulton · February 9, 2021 at 2:16 am
Good emphasis on the importance of transparency on a team and in the work place. The difficult part is ensuring all parties are on the same page and heading towards the same goal. Therefore, it’s the project manager’s job is to not only understand the client’s goal for a project, but also provide accurate information to the team. Project managers must compromise between the two (client and team) to keep everyone in the loop and the project on track. If there is an issue, the project manager should be alerted as quickly as possible so that they are able to handle it before it gets out of hand.
Brandon Kresge · February 9, 2021 at 12:25 pm
I think this is a really nice post. Sometimes it is necessary to tell the client that what they want may not always work out the way it is expected. It is the responsible thing as the client to realize that even though it may not reach exact expectations, the end result can still be something admirable. Reaching a compromise can be difficult, especially if plans change a lot based on the client’s needs. I really like what you said about being open-minded and realistic. Sometimes it is easy to just dial back expectations before getting too far ahead and realizing goals are not being met.
Chris Kelly · February 9, 2021 at 1:59 pm
Project management is mostly communication, and I’m sure most people here have had a bad boss at some point. Someone who is unable to communicate effectively will lose the respect of people they work with and make it difficult to get actual work done.
Being respectful and transparent will help a lot in the long run. It is important for a project manager not only to have clear communication with coworkers and clients, but also maintain good interpersonal relationships with them. Otherwise, everybody will end up unhappy and the job might not even get completed properly.
sswar331 · February 9, 2021 at 2:08 pm
The idea and picture of what a client wants and what the client can afford are very true. The picture works well to show just how much the client can expect with how much they want to put out. Communication is important, I like how you separated the team communication and the client communications because those are two very different conversations about the same thing. Both conversations are very hard to have because expectations and realities on each end can be so contrasting it’s hard to find the right spot to be.
Griffin Nye · February 9, 2021 at 5:14 pm
The inclusion of the echo chamber concept really drove home the idea of good team communication. When everyone on the team constantly agrees, it actually hurts the team more than it helps because of the lack of diverse ideas and opinions being put forth and discussed. This greatly reinforces the idea that your team SHOULD disagree on things (to an extent obviously, team cohesion is a different concept) in order to develop the best concept possible and see that concept through to its physical implementation.
Manogna Pillutla · February 9, 2021 at 5:48 pm
‘Budget’, ‘Honesty’ and ‘Clarity’ are three interesting words that you have used in there which I totally agree with. Talking about your experience on project manager’s role in team communication, connected it to practicality. Good one Connor!
Sean Kinneer · February 22, 2021 at 7:38 pm
I really enjoyed the images of the Infinity Gauntlet for the visual explanation, Connor. I also like how you separated the two main types of communications involved in project management. As you explained, the project manager is in charge of asking all the proper questions to address exactly what the customer wants. It is important for the project manager to also be upfront and honest about what can be provided within the given budget and time constraints. This may give the customer a clearer view of what to expect from the beginning rather than becoming greatly disappointed later. Project managers should ask detailed questions and repeat the customer’s answers for clarification that will help solve any initial misunderstandings. The way the project manager interacts with their team is crucial to meeting client needs. The work environment for all team members should encourage communication. It is up to the project manager to ensure that their team members have a platform to easily communicate with one another. The project manager must also be aware and adjust to individual needs. Everyone is different. Some people have a harder time speaking up about something if they are afraid of negative feedback or consequences. This is why and how a lot of problems transpire. It is up to the project manager to inspire complete openness and honesty without fear of failure or disappointment. At times, things happen that people have no control over. Honest communication builds trust between all parties and a greater chance for success.