The Value of Communication Plans (Part 2)
Projects often involve multiple teams, departments, and even agencies. As your workforce continues to globalize, they will work from a staggering number of time zones. Effective communication is essential for coordinating efforts and collaborating toward the project's goals.
Years ago, a business owner was expecting a sandwich to be delivered. The sandwich cost six dollars and some change. The business owner handed the employee working at the front desk a 20-dollar bill and said, “When my sandwich comes, please give the delivery person the change and a dollar.” When the owner came out to retrieve his sandwich, he asked the employee for the remaining change. The employee responded, “I gave the delivery person the change and a dollar from my pocket.” Communication failure. The business owner's assumption cost him 13 dollars, nearly tripling the cost of his lunch.
Remember the old saying regarding assumptions, or as George Benard Shaw so eloquently put it, “The single biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has taken place."
Projects often involve multiple teams, departments, and even agencies. As your workforce continues to globalize, they will work from a staggering number of time zones. Effective communication is essential for coordinating efforts and collaborating toward the project's goals. A team communication plan helps ensure that everyone involved is aware of their roles and responsibilities and is working together.
Just because you sent an email, sat on a phone call, or attended a meeting does not necessarily mean you communicated effectively. Dialogue and clearly defined expectations are the best way to make sure employees receive your message. If our business owner had confirmed the young clerk's understanding of the assignment, he would have saved himself frustration (and a few dollars). Moreover, team members need to feel comfortable asking questions and receiving feedback and guidance. Never embarrass, belittle, or speak down to someone asking for additional clarification.
From a people perspective, take the time to understand the individual needs of your team members as well as the overall team needs. Do not presume that all your team members will be familiar with your communication expectations. At a minimum, clearly define the following:
Furthermore, although employees are collaborating more than ever, this does not mean they are doing so effectively and efficiently. If they are not, the main culprit is usually poor communication. Collaboration without effective and efficient communication falls short of its potential. This can be further compounded by remote and hybrid work. It pays to put as much effort into your internal project communication as you do your client work.
Establishing an internal meeting cadence is paramount to success. Your internal team needs the chance to meet privately and regularly to discuss potential issues and challenges. A great Project Manager (PM) will monitor the project and adjust the internal meeting cadence according to its status.
Within these internal meetings, it is also important to let your employees share whatever is on their minds. Having worked on multiple high stress projects, I can tell you firsthand that the opportunity to share experiences internally with your team is invaluable to motivation and overall understanding of the pulse of the project. From this sharing, little nuggets of gold will bubble up in your internal meetings, giving the entire team greater insight into health and status of the project. I have attended many meetings where an internal employee made a statement like “Did you know Jane’s dog is sick?” or “Did you know John’s son is getting married this weekend?” On the surface, these casual comments may appear meaningless, but if I later meet up with Jane or John and either one of them seems stressed, I will now know why.
A team communication plan is a valuable tool for managing projects by protecting effective communication, collaboration, and decision-making among all the internal project stakeholders. Ideally, you will have internal organizational change management staff to craft or assist you in developing your plan.
Stay Tuned for the next blog… Casting The wide net of “Clients and Stakeholder” communications. The Value of Communication Plans: Part 3