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Blogs 8 July 2022

Why Project Implementation Fail and How to Avoid It?

EP2: Poor Communication

What does poor communication mean in project management?

Poor communication is the term used to describe situations when there is a discrepancy between what is said and what is heard and understanding is no longer mutual. This can occur when communication approaches and tools are not well established.

3 Nightmares Caused by Poor Communication

Never-Ending Meeting

Never-ending meeting is a state of the project team spending too much time on a meeting but getting very poor outcomes. This problem normally occurs when the meeting is not well organized, lack of agenda, key takeaway, supporting information, and key persons. The effect is that the team members may be confused from irrelevant information and have less time for working on other activities.

Rework from Misunderstanding

Rework is referred to as the unnecessary effort of redoing a process or activity that was incorrectly implemented in the first instance. One of the major reasons is that there is a misunderstanding among the team. The unnecessary rework can delay the delivery of each milestone and lead to conflicts within the team.

Team Conflict

Team Conflict is an undesirable, interpersonal problem that occurs between two or more members of the same project team, and affects results of teamwork, so the team does not perform at an optimum level. This happens when the team has conflicting or vague information.

3 Ways to Improve Project Communication

  1. Setup Communication Matrix

Communication matrix is a standardization of how the information will be delivered. It helps the project team understand what information will be delivered to whom and how to communicate them to the audience. The matrix can be set many different ways depending on the type of project. Below table is an example of the matrix that can be used for common IT development projects.

CommunicationMethodFrequencyObjectiveOrganizerAudience
Project kick-offOnline meetingOne timeInform project plan, objectives, scope, deliverables, milestones, team members, workstreams, and way of workingProject managerWorking team + Project sponsor + Steering committee
Team standupOnline meetingDailyDiscuss what each member did yesterday, what will do today, and issuesProject managerWorking team
Project status reportOnline meetingWeeklyUpdate project progress and discuss potential issues or delaysProject managerWorking team + Project sponsor
Steering meetingOnline meetingMonthlyUpdate project progress, major achievements, major issues, cost, timeline, and next stepsProject managerWorking team + Project sponsor + Steering committee
Project reviewOnline meetingAt milestonesPresent project deliverables, gather feedback, and discuss next stepsProject managerWorking team + Project sponsor
Project closureOnline meetingAt the end of projectPresent project result comparing to objective and share lesson learnedProject managerWorking team + Project sponsor + Steering committee
Ad hoc meetingOnline meetingDepend on meeting topicsPresent, discuss, or confirm project activities or issuesDepend on meeting topicsDepend on meeting topics
Short discussion or task follow upOnline voice channel or Online chatAnytimeShortly inform or discuss project activities and issuesWorking teamWorking team
Task status updateProject boardDailyUpdate task status and its issuesWorking teamWorking team

Above framework can be adjusted to be more suitable with project type and organization culture.

2. Take Minutes and Records

Meeting minutes or meeting notes, created by project manager or someone solely responsible for note taking, are the records of a meeting which consist of agenda, participants, summary of key discussion, proposed ideas, issues, and decisions. These are used for future reference and to inform those team members or stakeholders who are not in attendance and helps the team understand the status of the project through the same information.

Below table is an example of MoM that can be applied for any type of project management.

Meeting Name[Meeting Name]
Location[Meeting Location]
Date/Time[Meeting Date/Time]
Agenda[Agenda][Agenda][Agenda]
Attendees[list of attendees name]
Meeting Notes
Item No.TopicDetail
1[Topic][Detail]
2[Topic][Detail]
3[Topic][Detail]
Action Items
Item No.DetailResponsible PersonDue Date
1[Detail][Name][Date]
2[Detail][Name][Date]
3[Detail][Name][Date]

3. Choose the Right Tools

Each communication and information transmission has a different appropriate transfer method. Choosing the right tool for specific types of communication helps exchange the information smoothly with proper effort. The project team should select the tools that serve agenda, speed, and team culture.

Below table is an example of the tools used in common project management.

ToolsCommunication
MS TeamMeeting
Discord (Text and Voice Channels)Short discussionTask follow up
EmailDecision making or confirmation
MS ProjectProject planTask assignment and update
MS SharepointFile transfer
TelephoneUrgent call
Google FormSurveys

Verdict

Poor communication is not a problem that every project or every organization encounters. The most important thing is how the project team can develop a communication plan to prevent and mitigate the problem because these can cause so many issues which affect project outcome and work environment in the company. The above frameworks are examples that can be adapted and applied for many projects. However, there are many more frameworks used for project management, which will be published in the next articles.