Chapter 12: Communication and Documentation

Project communication takes various forms, including personal communication, meetings, presentations, reports and project documentation. Communication can be face to face or through some medium, including phones, voice mail, email, text messages, videoconferencing, document development systems, or shared web 2.0 tools. It can be formal or informal. Personal communication can be with verbal or written. Verbal communication can be face to face or via phone or computer. Information can be communicated in a more accurate and timely manner through verbal communication. Such communication provides a forum for discussion, clarification, understanding, and immediate

Body language and tone are important elements in verbal communication. Body language and customs are reflective of cultural of cultural diversity must be considered in communications. Verbal communications should be straightforward, unambiguous, free of technical jargon, and not offensive. Asking for or providing feedback enhances understanding.

Personal written communication is generally carried out through internal or external correspondence. Such means can be used to communicate effectively with a large group of people, but should not be used for trivial matters. Written communications should be clear and concise and should be used mostly to inform, confirm or request.

Listening is an important part of making communication effective. Failure to listen can cause a breakdown in communication. Common barriers to effective listening include pretending to listen, distractions, bias and closed-mindedness, impatience, and jumping to conclusions.

Written reports are often required during a project. The two most common types of project reports are progress reports and final reports. Progress reports often cover accomplishments since the prior report, the current project status, any potential problems that have been identified and corrective actions that are planned, and goals that should be accomplished during the next reporting period.

Final reports provide a summary of the project and often include items such as the customer’s original need, the original project objective and requirements, a description of the project, benefits resulting from the project and a list of deliverables produced. All reports should be clear, concise and readable. They should be written to address what is of interest to the readers not the writer.

Chapter 11: The project Team

A team is a group of individuals working interdependently to accomplish the project objective. Team work is the cooperative effort by members of a team to achieve this common goal. The effectiveness, or lack thereof, of the project team can make difference between project success and project failure.

When a project is initiated, one of the first things the project manager must do is obtain and assemble a project team. Team members are assigned based not only on their expertise and experience but also on availability. Project teams should be kept as small as feasible throughout the project.

Project teams evolve through various stages of development. Forming, the initial stage of the team development process, involves the transition from individual to team member. During this stage, individuals on the team begin to get acquainted. During the storming staff, conflict emerges and tension increases. Motivation and morale are low. Members may even resist team formation. However, after struggling through the storming stage, the team moves into the norming stage of development. Relationships among team members and between team and the project managers have become settled, and interpersonal conflicts have been resolved for the most part. The fourth stage of team development and growth is the performing stage. In this stage the team is highly committed and eager to achieve the project objective. The members feel a sense of unity.

The project manager should schedule a project kickoff meeting with the project team as early as possible during the forming stage of team development to inform the members, reduce anxiety, manage expectations, and inspire the team. It provides an opportunity for team members to get to know each other.  The project should provide an overview of the project and discuss roles responsibilities, processes, procedures, and expectations.

Characteristics often associated with effective project teams include a clear understanding of the project objective, clear expectations of each person’s role and responsibilities, a results orientation, a high degree of cooperation and collaborations, and a high level of trust. Barriers to team effectiveness include unclear vision and objectives, unclear definition of roles and responsibilities, lack of project structure, lack of commitment, poor communication, poor leadership, turnover of project team members, and dysfunctional behavior.

Chapter 10: The Project Manager

It is the responsibility of the project manager to make sure that that the customer is satisfied that the work of the scope is completed in a quality manner, within the budget, and on time. The project manager has primary responsibility for providing leadership in planning, organizing and controlling in the work effort to accomplish the project objective. In terms of planning, the project manager has to clearly define the project objective and reach agreement with the customer on this objective. In terms of organizing the project manager must secure the appropriate resources to perform the work. In terms of controlling, the project a manager needs to monitor actual progress, compare it with planned progress and take immediate corrective action if actual progress falls behind planned progress.

The project manager is a key ingredient in the success of a project and needs to possess a set of skills that will help the project team succeed. The project manager should be an effective leader who inspires the people assigned to the project to work as a team to implement the plan and achieve the project objective successfully; be committed to the training and development of the people working on the project; be effective communicator who interacts regularly with the customer, project organization’s upper management and other stakeholders; and have good interpersonal skills. It is important that the project manager develops a relationship with each person on the project team and effectively use interpersonal skills to try to influence the thinking and actions of others.

Effective project managers can handle stress and have a good sense of humor. In addition they are good problem solvers who recognize that the best solution often emerges from differences of ideas, viewpoints, experiences and opinions. Negotiating skills are also essential for project managers. Good project manager also manage their time well.

Project managers’ competence can be developed through experience, learning from others, interviewing effective project managers conducting a self-evaluation and learning from one’s own mistake, getting a mentor, participating in education and training programs, joining organizations in which these skills can be applied.