Communications in Project Management - Coursework Example

Communications in Project Management For any endeavor taken upon, certain prerequisites come along which are necessary for fulfilling the task. Theseprerequisites come in form of discipline, goals definition and various other essential components. The field of project management is no exception and has also some considerations attached to it. In order to ensure the objectives behind a project are met, those requirements must be kept in mind and should be considered. Project management in a general way can be defined as the organization of activities that are performed during the life of a project. It contains set of activities that group together to make a management bunch. These activities can be in form of the organizing of staff, defining of goals, setting of deadlines, and managing of communication means (Kerzner, 2009). Project success and failure is determined by number of factors, one of those factors is communication. Communication in general The entire world works in a coordinated manner owing to communication. Ranging from small tasks to major assignments, all the activities performed in this world are servant to communication. Without communication, there would be no accomplishment of tasks, no organized working. Mankind has used its tongue as a source of communication since inception. Be it a phone conversation, a class account between a student and teacher, or a game event that includes football and players, communication is vital for every activity performed. Without communication, the entire activity would come to halt, and in case of worldly affairs, they would either come to a total stop or would go disarray in case the communication media are broken down. Communication strictly applies to the basic principles of management that are planning, controlling, staffing, leading and organizing; all these can be successful only if communication means are established (Kliem, 2007). Communication involves: Transferring of information Conveying of message clearly Ensuring the establishment of medium A generic example can be presented from the field of aeroplane flights and the airports. The planes in the sky and staff on the ground have established means of communication amongst them. This communication means is very vital towards the safe operations, and subsequent safe landing of the plane. Any disruption in the communication can lead to disaster. Similarly, in various other walks of life the importance of communication cannot be ignored and is largely dependent on the tool of communication for performing a particular task. In order to ensure all objectives are achieved, the stakeholders must be involved in decision making and this is possible through establishing a communication mechanism. It is estimated that quite a large percent of the projects fail due to lack of communication (Group, 2002). Poor communications can have direct impact on the project both in short time and long term. Lack of communication can occur due to various reasons. Some of the reasons that may contribute to failure and lack of communication include: Inability to understand the instructions; Unavailability of medium; Unavailability of tools and techniques required for a particular task; and Assignment of a particular task to the personnel who may not be holding any grip on the subject In the field of project management, communication plays the role of a pivot towards the enterprise and the project undertaken. Importance of communication cannot be undermined in any phase of the project. Its essence remains in every phase of the project and any stage that is performed under the absence of communication can have negative repercussions on the entire outcome of the project (Mefalopulos, 2008). Establishing of communication channels is a step towards it and it can be in different forms. It can be either through building of hardware means, or the medium, or the right kind of personnel or the choice of tool and technique that are required for performing a particular task during the routine activity of a project. Communication is a means of establishing a relation. It serves as a bridge between two entities that are part of the system. A project in broad retrospect has three major stages, starting with initiation, leading to execution and finally the closing phase (Heagney, 2011). It is an understood fact that every stage of project is dependent on proper communication and each stage cannot withstand without the other, these are like the pillars in the building that provide support to each other, hence every phase has its own need towards the communication and requires establishment of communication mechanism and strategy in different shapes. Within an organization, communication can be in different shapes. It could be between the top management and middle management, it could be within the top tier only and it could be between the top management and the lower rank team that is directly involved in the manufacturing and services processes. Outside an organization, the communication could be between the external forces and internal body. The external forces might be the competitors or partners in project, the transporting system or the entire supply chain team that are part of the entire endeavor. Advantages of communication: Makes life easy during a project Enables achievement of goals Enables identifying the roles In time delivery and completion Helps identify bottlenecks Communication helps establish trust, confidence and ability to work together, and eliminates the factor of uncertainty (Martin, 2006). Communication with the customer: It is a known fact that customers’ response makes or breaks the entire organization and a particular project at hand. Improper communication with a customer could result in their dissatisfaction, and hence losing the customer, and it is the last thing desired in a marketing arena. Communication during a project can take up different shapes: it could be in form of Oral communication; Written communication; Oral communication: Oral communication pertains to face to face interaction carried out one on one or usually on the phone. Example is that of a food chain dealing with customers on the other end of the chamber. Written communication is in form of memos, emails and texts. This can be inside the organization or outside. Non-verbal communication: It is related to the people’s expression and the way they behave and interact. It pertains to their dressing, their tone in replying and handling. It is the manner in which they negotiate and handle the customers. This is one of the most important ones since the customers hold the backbone to the organizational performance, hence a satisfied customer and an unsatisfied customer can turn the table of organization’s luck either way. Importance of communication in every phase of a project: In initiation phase: Since the initiation phase serves as the foundation brick towards the further proceedings during the course of a project, communication is of vital importance in this stage. It sets the tone for activities that are ahead. Tempo set here defines the rest of the proceedings. Execution: Execution phase is the part of project by which all the entities have matured and are practically in place. Communication at this stage is of vital importance and can take the project either way. Closedown phase and importance of communication: This phase involves close-out of different administrative objectives; it is necessary to satisfy all stakeholders at this juncture and this is possible through effective communication. All the hard work done in earlier phases can be brought down to ground through poor communication. Method of communication is also a point of interest: the method that suits the customers should be adopted. Methods can be variable and might depend on the circumstances and geographic segmentation. Different people across the world have different customs and approach towards things. Their interests and responses must be kept in mind while interacting with them. The methods of communication so adopted should be flexible regardless of the segmentation. Role of individuals towards establishing communication: Project Manager is that person in the organization who creates a balance between the activities and the personnel involved. A project manager can succeed if and only if he has the tool of communication in place. Since most of his role revolves around communication, it is necessary to ensure the communication aspect of his job goes well. Communication can be in form of instructions, guidelines, and sharing the ideas. Hence, no communication or poor communication would cause a large percentage of his work resulting in his failure and ultimately failure of organization and the project itself. Communication is equally important for the middle manager and lower management in a project and enterprise. Developing hardware/software and defining SOP are also part of communication strategy All the factors explained above require communication to be in place. Similarly in designing phase of the project, communication is of vital importance. Training on communication skills, addressing the areas that need improvement, making them understand the basics Conclusion The importance of communication in a project cannot be denied and it serves as the heart towards the project and its management. Understanding the need for communication and implementing the strategies according to the communication requirements should be made a benchmark and every person must be obliged to communicate with others concerned. Awareness must be created in this regard amongst individuals. Seminars and conferences should be conducted to create the necessary awareness. The right choice of tool and technique must be introduced, which allows communication to achieve the desired results. References Career Development Group. (2002). Impact: Journal of the Career Development Group. Kerzner, H. (2009). Project management: A systems approach to planning, scheduling, and controlling. John Wiley & Sons. Kliem, R. L. (2007). Effective communications for project management. Auerbach Publications. Mefalopulos, P. (2008). Development communication sourcebook: Broadening the boundaries of communication. World Bank Publications. Martin, V. (2006). Managing projects in human resources, training and development. Kogan Page Publishers. Read More