This week for NETRIO’s Whiteboard Wednesday episode, Brian and Mike are discussing Communication as it relates to project management. Communication plays a huge role in day-to-day life. It is one of the most important aspects of any company. Managing a project is no different. Without proper communication, the project will not be successful. PMI’s Pulse communications research finds that effective communications leads to more successful projects, allowing organizations to become high performers. 

Click here to view last week’s Whiteboard Wednesday episode where Brian and Mike discussed “Risk Analysis in Project Management.” 

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The Importance of Communication

Effective communication is important in every aspect of business. However, the stakes are raised when it comes to communication within a project. According to a 2017 report from the Project Management Institute, 14 percent of IT projects fail. This is widely due to poor communication.

Many companies believe that communication is something that happens naturally. This can be a dangerous train of thought. Without an effective communication strategy, your project is likely going to fall short of success. According to the report by PMI, Companies risk $135 million for every $1 billion spent on a project and new research indicates that $75 million of that $135 million (56 percent) is put at risk by ineffective communications.

Tips for Effective Project Communication

1. Pinpoint the methods of communication 
   First and foremost, it is important to outline the methods of communication. Documents such as the project status reports, project plans and Gannt charts are absolutely critical to keeping the project on schedule, on budget and successful. These documents need to exist in any successful project management program or project management office.
   
2. Use Technology to your advantage
   NETRIO utilizes many forms of communication. Microsoft Teams is a huge player in success for our projects. In many ways, the pandemic has helped people learn better communication skills, as touching base though technology became the norm. In today’s business landscape, text messaging is widely accepted as a form of communication. The important thing to note here, is to make sure you are producing the formal reports defined in the documentation stage of this process. 
   
3. Know how to distribute information effectively
   In any given project, there may be many stakeholders. It is important to define what information gets distributed to what party. According to Northeastern University research, a project manager has the responsibility to provide relevant information to the members of your team, while also being responsible for shielding them from irrelevant information which might cause confusion or otherwise disrupt their work. A project manager should  show emotional intelligence to understand the team, how they operate and what’s going to be the most effective method of information distribution. 
   
   This blog post is part of NETRIO’s weekly Whiteboard Wednesday series. Follow along on Linkedin and YouTube each week as Brian and Mike discuss use cases, new technology, and trends. Join us next week while we discuss the handoff to long term support and moving on to lifecycle management.