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Communicate! Communicate! Communicate!
Poor communication is one of the top ways to derail a project! Good communication involves identifying the right people and involving them up front, setting expectations, and providing timely and relevant status updates.
What Defines Good Communication Content?
- Gets the reader's attention.
- Gets the point across in as few words as possible.
- Is tailored to the specific audience. Only give them what they need. Make it brief but relevant.
- Uses the medium that is most likely to cause the audience to read the communication. Consider organizational culture of the audience.
- Clearly spells out actions the audience needs to take, if any.
Common Problems, Warning Signs and Resolutions
Problem |
How it Happens |
Warning Signs |
Turning it Around |
Key Take Aways |
We didn't involve the right people |
- The people who can torpedo your project are not identified and managed.
- Individuals who can help with project issues are not consulted.
- There is no clear definition of who the customer is.
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- You are constantly getting questions from stakeholders that are not in your communication plan.
- Uninvited stakeholders show up at project meetings.
- Project issues are taking longer than expected to resolve.
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- Be open to adjusting your stakeholder list if you didn't involve the right stakeholders at the beginning of the project.
- Make conscious decisions about who should be involved and to what degree. Not everyone who wants to be involved should be involved.
- Get help from your project sponsor or other business owners.
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- Know who your customer is and involve them up front
- Identify stakeholders who can torpedo your project and manage the relationship with them
- Don't try to do everything yourself; know who can help you get things done
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We didn't communicate what we were doing |
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Source: The Project Management Advisor