Methods Used for Improving Project Communications

As project managers you want to have effective communication within any work environment. Rather it be remote or in the office, there are several ways to make sure effective communication is happening within your teams. Effective communication brings in more team collaboration, more trust for your employees within each other, and a better product overall. 

Effective Meetings

One of the most important ways to improve communication is conducting effective meetings, with clear agendas, specific objectives, and an identified leader or moderator.  To start, decide if a meeting can be avoided. Don't have the meeting if there is a better way to achieve the meetings objective. For example, do you really need to set a meeting to tell everyone your schedule for the next month? No, communicating this within an email is much more effective.  Another way of having effective meetings is to make sure the meeting has a purpose and an intended outcome. Without a clear understanding of the meeting's purpose, attendees may become distracted by their own priorities and objectives, resulting in limited progress towards the intended goal. Therefore, it is essential to establish a clear purpose and intended outcome for all meetings, as this helps to align everyone's efforts and ensures that the meeting is productive and effective. You should also determine who should attend the meeting. You should consider which stakeholders are necessary to attend. Should the meeting be exclusive to project team leaders, or should the entire project team be present? There are instances where a meeting with minimal participants is most effective, particularly when decisions need to be made. Conversely, there are situations where a larger group is required. Hence, it is vital to evaluate the purpose and intended outcome of a meeting and determine which individuals need to be in attendance. This way, meetings can be optimized to ensure that the right stakeholders are present, facilitating better collaboration, communication, and decision-making.

The effectiveness of meetings largely depends on the preparedness of its participants. It is essential to ensure that attendees have read relevant reports and collected the necessary information before the meeting. Some professionals may decline to attend meetings if they don't receive an agenda in advance. Requiring an agenda helps organizers plan the meeting, and it gives potential participants the opportunity to determine whether attendance is necessary. This way, attendees can come prepared to discuss the relevant topics, maximizing the productivity of the meeting and reducing the need for follow-up sessions. You should also establish ground rules that outline how the meeting will be conducted. This includes defining whether attendees are free to speak at will or if discussions will be led by a facilitator. It is also necessary to establish if electronic devices can be used during the meeting. It is important to note that not all meetings are conducted in the same manner. Thus, it's best to adopt what works best for each specific scenario. Clearly defining the meeting's ground rules can help set expectations, reduce confusion, and ensure that the meeting runs efficiently. 

Using Technology to Improve Communication

Collaborative technologies such as project management software, instant messaging, video conferencing, and document sharing platforms can also help teams work together more effectively, regardless of their physical location. It is important to establish clear communication channels for different types of messages and develop communication templates to save time and ensure consistency in communication. Additionally, fostering an environment of open communication, setting communication expectations, and clarifying roles and responsibilities can help reduce confusion and misunderstandings, which in turn can help the project run more smoothly.

A very popular and incredibly efficient way is with a kanban board. Visualizing workflow is a key aspect of kanban methodology, typically accomplished through the use of kanban boards. These boards typically consist of three main categories where tasks are placed: To Do, In Progress, and Done. Team members collaborate to complete all tasks, with each task clearly indicating whether it is yet to be done (in the To Do section), currently being worked on (in the In Progress section), or completed (in the Done section). Users of kanban boards have the flexibility to customize the concept to suit their specific requirements. For instance, they may opt to use a physical board or a wall in their office environment, labeling tasks on sticky notes and physically shifting these along the board or wall. Alternatively, a team may utilize an online tool to manage and track their workflow, featuring features such as assigning team members to specific tasks, color coding tasks, incorporating a calendar, or adopting any other approach that enables the team to enhance their performance.