Communication as fuel for Project Success

Have you ever heard: “It changed, and no one said anything about it”? It happens more often than it should, and it is probably because communication was not effective enough or did not reach all the targets it should have.

In project management, the key to success often lies in the effective exchange of information and is frequently overlooked. Research has shown that when communication is prioritised and maintained throughout the project lifecycle, it is more likely to succeed because it enables the teams to collaborate, allows effort alignment, mitigates risks, fosters innovation, ensures stakeholder engagement, and in the end, helps to reach the goal(s).

A project exists to produce a unique service or product driven by one or more external factors. For this service or product to bring value to the organisation, its successful implementation is a priority. It is worth remembering that a project will introduce a change in the environment, context, or activities, and people will be impacted. The project team and the organisation must communicate before, during, and after the project to ensure transparency and build trust.

What and when to communicate?

Communication is essential to keep the organisational community informed and engaged, and to improve the level of trust in the changes, it should be kept constant through all phases of the project. Having and maintaining open and active communication channels helps people to get used to and prepare for and reduce their resistance to change.

Here are some ideas and tips on what and when to communicate:

1. Communicate before the project kicks off

• Raise awareness – use the communication channels available to bring the news. People might not like the fact that a change will come, but when it comes, they are more likely to accept it because they already know about it;

• Present the goal – why, who, what, how, when and where – the change is not a secret, is it? When in place, people will know, then whatever you can share up front, do it – it ensures everyone understands the purpose, bonds will be created with people, motivation may be increased, and resistance may be reduced;

• Suggestion box – create a place/channel where people can freely ask questions, raise their concerns, and suggest ways of doing things. When people feel part of something they are less likely to resist; they like to be heard;

• Launch opportunities – if the change will make room for new jobs, promote job offers internally – first, trust is built because people will notice they are being prioritised over external candidates, and then if someone wants to try a new job, he will be motivated, and motivated people work better and help fight resistance from peers;

• Launch training – empower people with the knowledge they will need – this helps promote the change and will help fight resistance from people getting out of their comfort zone – if they know how to do it before doing it, they are less likely to resist;

• Board participation – get the administration members and management onboarded. Of course, the project exists because it was approved, but having higher management to communicate with communities impacted by the change will help them to feel heard and show everyone is sailing in the same direction, and, therefore, will help reduce the change resistance points.

  
  

2. Communicate during project development and implementation

• Progress status – openly share the status with the community, present the next steps, plan and expectations and share any bottleneck the project might be facing – you will never know when a good idea comes outside the project context – people like to be informed about what is happening, enjoy being part of the solution of an issue and want to know when the change is expected to be in so place they have the time to prepare for it;

• Recognise effort – bring people management together and identify and implement ways to recognise the performance of the project team as well as the people impacted by the project – the appreciation does not always come in the paycheck – the public acknowledgement that someone did great by incorporating the change in their daily activities or they are helping the project team somehow will likely fight change resistance;

• Board participation – the intervention of sponsors, stakeholders, and management is important at all project phases, especially to show the community that they are still onboarded with the change and that will hear any concerns that may arise during the implementation phase – when people feel they are not alone and they have the sense of belonging, they are more likely to accept the changes.

  
  

3. Communicate upon project delivery

• Product value – present what was improved with the new product or service, or what added value was brought to the organisation's business or process – it will help to reinforce the change incorporation and help build trust for the next project;

• Lessons learned – share what knowledge the project brought: what should be applied to the next project, and what should be avoided – it is not because the project was implemented in the commercial department that the financial department cannot learn from it;

• Recognise effort – share an appreciation for everyone’s effort so they can feel their contribution was important – a sense of belonging raises the motivation levels and thus reduces resistance, focus points.

  
  

Conclusion

An organisation may make use of available resources to create and keep 2 ways open communication channels to encourage open dialogue and active listening from all parties. Communication will help to keep teams motivated, identify the main sources of resistance, identify risks unforeseen by the project team due to independent experiences and shares, such as cultural differences, or impacts in other departments and processes, avoid knowledge silos, increase collective intelligence and promote continuous improvement.

Communication is not a single part of a project, but rather the fuel for all essential phases to succeed, as you may read here. It is a catalyst for project success by fostering an the environment of trust, collaboration, innovation, and challenging navigation with an open mind and confidence.

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by Rita Pinto

@ Passio Consulting