Effective communication is crucial for the success of any project. Misunderstandings and inefficient interactions can lead to significant delays and hinder progress. Today’s hybrid work environments amplify these challenges, where face-to-face engagement is less frequent and time differences can complicate scheduling.
Applying core communication concepts and addressing skill and support gaps can help your team overcome these issues. Consider where your information flows could use a boost to avoid project timeline challenges.
One basic principle of effective communication is ensuring people understand what they need to do next. When team members or stakeholders aren’t sure if, how, or when they’re supposed to respond to a message, they might not respond at all. Your project could be delayed as a result because the team doesn’t have the necessary information to move ahead. Fortunately, you can avoid potential lags by crafting thoughtful project communications and being crystal clear about the next steps. If you require something from a recipient or if there is an action they need to take, say so using plain language. If you need them to act quickly, give them a timeline to guide their response so they aren’t left to guess what you mean by “urgent.” It’s also prudent to identify informational messages to let stakeholders know when they can review and then file or discard the communication without further action.
Another tenet of a strong communication strategy is the uniform application of best practices across all information flows. Modern communications aren’t confined to emails and in-person meetings. Instead, collaboration happens across many different platforms and mediums, potentially involving sponsors, executives, cross-functional groups, vendors, and outside partners. The growing preference for hybrid meetings and asynchronous project discussions has also expanded how stakeholders share information and make decisions. Unless your project communications are guided by best practices across every platform, some newer channels can become a bottomless pit of side chats, issues that fester with no resolution, and lists of unanswered questions. Encourage stakeholders to maintain a focus on outcomes and to work through conflicts transparently, no matter where their discussions happen.
Sometimes, project teams need additional expertise to help them identify, address, and eliminate gaps in their communication strategy to avoid timeline slippage.
For example, unmanaged or unstructured discussions can become unproductive—and downright unpleasant—if a mob mentality takes hold. Not only do chaotic meetings rarely result in valuable outcomes or clear next steps, but it’s also not uncommon for some individuals with essential insights to avoid speaking up, asking questions, or voicing concerns out of fear they’ll be shouted down or ignored. A qualified facilitator can help guide potentially contentious interactions and keep deliberations aligned with the goals of the meeting. Another benefit of partnering with an experienced facilitator is the ability to accelerate your team’s brainstorming and troubleshooting sessions, pushing your project forward toward a timely completion.
In addition, managing information flows is a time-sensitive and time-intensive responsibility. Your team members already have a lot to do, and it may not always be possible for them to focus on the overall messaging strategy amid the rest of their duties. But you can’t leave project communications to chance, hoping people will pick up the slack organically. An experienced project management consultancy can take on the daily communication function, enabling your internal project professionals to focus on core tasks without worrying that important messages might slip through unnoticed. This keeps information flowing, no matter how busy your team is with their assigned activities. Your project partner can also help surface critical details and datasets to ensure timely and accurate information is available to inform the team’s decisions.
PMAlliance, Inc uses a team of highly experienced and certified professionals to provide project management consulting, project management training and project portfolio management.