4 tips for project team communication
One of the most important functions a project manager performs is communication. PMs communicate with their managers, their teams, and their customers and stakeholders.
PMI details a communication plan for every project as part of the process. Sometimes this is just the start. Here are 4 tips for getting the information you need from your teams, stakeholders, and managers.
Work with your manager to help with team issues.
Meet with your manager
It is critical as a project manager that you have open communication with your manager at least once per month. I personally prefer to have a meeting with my manager once per week.
I try to schedule 30 minutes – no more. Keep a list of topics that you want to cover and when you get your answers, you’re done. If your manager refuses to meet regularly, email them periodic updates. Just asking the questions helps to clarify them in your mind. If you need more information on holding one-on-one’s, check out www.manager-tools.com/manager-tools-basics.
Be succinct
My experience is that many folks work out their questions aloud – that is, they need to talk them out in order to get clear in their own mind. The challenge is that if you’re looking for status, your team doesn’t need the thought process, just the question.
This goes back to how people process problems to find solutions. Whatever your process is, remember that your managers, team, and stakeholders are busy. Ask them what you need to know and don’t couch it in long explanations or apologies.
If you can ask the question such that the answer is no more than three words, you’re very close. For example: “You’re scheduled to be done in three days. Will you be complete?” is much better than “Looks like the schedule says that you think that piece of code will be done in about three days. What do you think now? Are you going to be done or will you need more time or what?”
Know your communication escalation paths
I’ve spent most of my career working with engineers in larger companies. In my experience, engineers are not always great at communicating with PMs or teams. I try to help by letting everyone know my escalation path. My escalation path is email, follow-up email, phone call/voicemail, at their desk, their manager.
I tell my teams and their managers what happens when they ignore me or fail to get back to me for whatever reason. Depending on the project, communication of status is necessary either weekly or bi-weekly.
If it’s weekly, then the escalation path may take no more than 3 days. If we’re doing status on a bi-weekly basis, I may allow 4 days for a response. For your company, it may make better sense to just show up at their desk right up front with a question.
For some companies, instant messenger is in the mix. Whatever it is, make sure your team knows that you will find them if you need them.
They can run but they can’t hide.
Be consistent
In my projects, I do try to limit meetings. I coach the team and the stakeholders to determine how often they need to meet. Then I schedule the meetings for the same day of the week at the same time, preferably in the same place.
For example every Wednesday at 10:00 a.m. MST in Conference Room B. There are fewer excuses and better attendance. Practice good meeting etiquette and have an agenda, a purpose, and manage the meeting to get answers and communicate updates and status.
I try to keep to a strict time schedule and agenda for the meetings if possible. Anybody no longer needed as the meeting progresses is excused. Once people understand that the meeting is not a waste of time, they’ll attend and communicate the information you need.
These are my top strategies for getting the information that I need and smoothing the communication with my teams.
What are your favorite strategies for managing communication within teams?
To get the latest posts in your email as soon as they’re published, subscribe. We don’t share email addresses. For your free report on starting your career as a project manager, click here.
Project Management Update
