Effective Communication in Project Management

“Of all the attributes that separate the Alpha [Project Manager] group from their peers, communication presents the most striking difference.” (Crowe, 2006)  The first two survey posts in Chapter 7 clearly demonstrate not only the difference in effective communication competency between the two groups, but also the difference in perception between the non-alpha group members’ own estimation of communication effectiveness and the degree to which respective stakeholders (customers, senior managers, team members) view their communication effectiveness.  We also see that the perception held by the Alpha group members’ own estimation of communication effectiveness within 4% of the ratings given to this group by respective stakeholders served, albeit a 2% lower aggregation ranking than their self-estimation. (see survey tables below).

Another important point is the observed response that 91% of project managers participating in the study ranked their own communication effectiveness higher than did their collective stakeholders.  Even the Alpha PMs scored only 80% effectiveness by respective stakeholders. However, through the interviews the stakeholders expressed praise for the Alphas’ communication effectiveness overall.

Among a number of observations, analysis and ideas, the strongest lesson learned by the project managers who participated in this study was, and overwhelmingly, “communication.”  The survey identified four common traits practiced by the Alphas:

• • Talking to stakeholders very early on to understand audience request, and tailoring communication accordingly
  • Setting a communication schedule, and stringently adhering to it
  • Clear and Concise messages, w/o wasting time
  • Open channel of regular dialogue w/ stakeholders about the communication itself

The conclusion was evident; effective project communication is clear, complete, concise, and consistent. As one stakeholder of an Alpha PM stated;

“It takes me less than ten minutes to go over [the Alpha PM’s] report each week… I get everything I need in one simple report, and it doesn’t change format every week. I can compare this one with previous ones, and it unfolds like a story when you look at it.”

(Crowe, 2006)

Bibliography

Crowe, A. (2006). Alpha Project Managers (What theTop 2% Know That Everyone Else Does Not). Velociteach.

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