Proposal Assignment

Abstract

Project teams are in constant state of communication by use of several means like email, telephone calls, video conferences, texts, face-to-face communication and even the use of nonverbal form of communication. Regardless of the media, the project team will only increase their success chances when they achieve a comprehensive communication strategy. The basic root in such a strategy is to keep everyone informed about what is going on at the right time and in the right circumstances. This is exactly what this paper delves in.

Table of contents

1. Cover page-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------1

2. Abstract --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------2

3. Table of contents----------------------------------------------------------------------------3

4. Introduction----------------------------------------------------------------------------------4

5. Figures ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------5

6. Project communication strategies in our organization---------------------------------5

7. Project communication strategies in other businesses.--------------------------------6

8. Proposed options for improvement of project management communication-------6

9. Proposed options for improvement of project management communication-------7

10. Conclusion-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------8

11. References ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 9

Introduction

The project manager has a lot of responsibilities and among them, communication is arguably the most important task in project management. Through effective communication, the project team is able to work and collaborate with one another, with the company management and with the clients. In as much as the idea of communication sounds simple, many project managers find that the communication skills is the most difficult aspect to perfect. This is partly due to the fact that project communication goes beyond simple talking. Communication is the vehicle for projects that successful. From the beginning of a project to the end, the project manager and the project team need to have a plan and eventually execute it and deliver the required services and products while at the same time interacting with stakeholders. In this paper, there is a documentation of the project communication management strategies in the organization and strategies used by other business as well as proposals on the best way of improving these strategies in our organization.

Body

In the figure above, there is a display of the plan of project communication that range from situation analysis to project sustenance. This image provides a roadmap that needs to be followed to ensure that there is successful communication within any given project.

Project communication strategies in our organization

In the company, the project communication strategies include the meetings. We do meet and discuss the progress of the project and the needs that are supposed to be included in the project for it to successfully progress. However, the meeting is not as regular as it is required because even by the time we have the next meeting, most of the project team members will have forgotten what we discussed in the last meeting. The thing that we do best in our project communication is the issue of inclusivity. In this case, there is no one left out in the meetings. This makes sure that everybody gets an opportunity to understand what is going on in the project and give their own views on the challenges and opportunities that are emerging during the implementation of the project. However, there is an issue of keeping updates to the entire team. The updates and recent developments or changes are not clearly communicated to all the team members, and something needs to be done. This is because some team members find it strange news over changes that were made few weeks ago, indicating that there is a loophole in our communication process.

Project communication strategies in other businesses.

The business that has the best project communication strategies that I like most is Coca Cola. In this company, the project manager shows total respect to all project team members regardless of their role, with the thought that all members serve the same goal and bring intrinsic value to the progress of the project (Koskinen, 2014). Respect creates a sense of self-worth and every team member is worth hearing the updates of the project even when they are not directly affected, which increases the team cohesion of the project. The project team also has the recognition that being right may be wrong. In this organization’s team, it is a fact that a team is just a team and thus anyone spending time to prove himself or herself to others that he/she is always right is not what is considered in the group. Every team member is urged to be humble and accept any corrections when they make mistakes and be inquiring from others when they are not sure what needs to be done.

Proposed options for improvement of project management communication

One of the proposed option for effective project communication is practicing active listening. In this case, it is not just about saying or giving instructions in the right way but calls for critical listening skills (Binder, 2016). This is because when we fail to listen, we miss information and there is a misunderstanding. One advantage of this option is that active listening is that it creates a proper understanding among the team members as well as increasing the learning chances of the project manager and the team members. However, the disadvantage of this option is that it will slow down the decision making process since the project manager has to listen and act on every views and suggestions of the team members. The other proposed option is to be meeting regularly. This option has an advantage in that every person in the project team gets a chance to hear first-hand information about new requirements, new updates and how the project needs to be implemented. However, this option has a likelihood of wasting time, especially when the meetings take more than one hour per session. The third proposal is to be transparent, clearer and concise in the project team communications. This includes the purpose of the communication and the audience as well as the desired outcomes, whether feedback is needed. This has an advantage because all the intended audiences get a clearer message and act on it as per instructed without wondering what the sender really wanted. However, the disadvantage of this option is that it is time consuming, since the project manager has to keep on elaborating to every individual their tasks and responsibilities.

The best option

From the three suggestions above, the best option is being transparent, clear and concise. According to Allen, Lee & Tushman (2018), being clear is a killer technique in any project communication management because everyone gets the message exactly the way it was intended. If there need be for clarifications, every person has a chance to ask for clarifications instead of doing things in the wrong way to end up re-doing again. The project manager constructs a plan of making sure that every step in the project is clearly communicated and if there is need for illustrations, he/she goes there to illustrate and ensure that they are doing the right thing. This reduces the risks of messing up with tasks as well as guesswork.

Conclusion

In conclusion, it is important to note that communication is the best determinant of the level of success of a project. Every project manager must ensure that there is proper communication among the team members so that every progress is made as per the requirements. There needs to be respect, active listening and giving out clear and specific instructions whenever necessary to ensure that none of the steps of the project progress are missed out.

References

Koskinen, K. U. (2014). Knowledge management to improve project communication and implementation. Project Management Journal, 35(2), 13-19.

Allen, T. J., Lee, D. M., & Tushman, M. L. (2018). R&D performance as a function of internal communication, project management, and the nature of the work. IEEE Transactions on engineering management, (1), 2-12.

Binder, J. (2016). Global project management: communication, collaboration and management across borders. Routledge.