ITMG624_W5_Nance
docx
keyboard_arrow_up
School
American Public University *
*We aren’t endorsed by this school
Course
624
Subject
Communications
Date
Jan 9, 2024
Type
docx
Pages
7
Uploaded by MateArt376
1
Project Communication
Nicholas Nance American Public University ITMG624
Dr. Mikell
12/17/2023
2
Abstract
Effective communication is vital in any undertaking from construction to operating a business, and especially vital within the execution of project management. Communication is the
building block for better understanding, information sharing, and collaboration all for the exaction of common goals. Communication can be broken out into five effective factors each with its pivotal role in the great performance of a project or activity. These factors involve supportive leadership, communication safety, team reflexivity, task communication, and boundary spanning the goal of this paper is to dive into these factors and determine how they can
lead to greater communication and ultimately success within the realm of project management.
3
Communication in Effective Team Performance
Project management, the execution of project tasks, and overall teamwork are grounded in the need for effective communication to truly succeed. Failure to communicate effectively can
be found in all levels of project management and teamwork from collaboration between team members to failure to understand stakeholder desires highlighting the need for communication in
all avenues. By ensuring communication remains effective in all layers of the project, teams can operate knowing collaboration and timely information flows fluently through their endeavors. The breakdown of the five crucial factors of communication will be covered below starting with supportive leadership.
Supportive Leadership
Leadership is a crucial factor in project management, leaders can have a great impact on the productivity of their subordinates and a project in general with how they lead, communicate, and above all treat their members. A leader who is unsupportive of their subordinates is likely to hinder the project while also decreasing team morale and willingness to produce (Plowman, Diffendal, 2020). Leaders provide the guidance passed down from their station to the members below while passing grievances and concerns from below to those they ultimately report to, a supportive leader encourages, and resources to help the project members, and ensures members feel wanted and supported throughout the lifecycle (Plowman, Diffendal, 2020). A supportive leader must toe the line between being involved and being a micro-manager, but doing so can ensure teams are motivated, feel trusted to do their jobs, and serve as the top cover for issues and
problem-solving faced through the project (Plowman, Diffendal, 2020).
Communication Safety
Your preview ends here
Eager to read complete document? Join bartleby learn and gain access to the full version
- Access to all documents
- Unlimited textbook solutions
- 24/7 expert homework help
4
Enabling an environment for effective communication requires the environment to be friendly and comfortable for all members of the team to want to and have the chance to express ideas, concerns, or feedback (Plowman, Diffendal, 2020). This environment has a huge presence in the supportiveness of the team's leader, an environment where members fear giving feedback for a chance of repercussions is an environment where communication will ultimately fail. Throughout the dynamic life of a project issues are bound to arise, failure to address these issues at first instance is a recipe for failure down the road, it is paramount that team members are comfortable and able to address any concerns to prevent this break in communication while also having the freedom and ability to express new ideas that can further benefit the team. An environment that promotes idea-sharing, creativity, and open communication can enable problem-solving, trust, and dialogue among team members key outcomes that will continue to be
hammered while discussing effective communication (Plowman, Diffendal, 2020).
Team Reflexivity
Reflection is the next key factor of communication and builds upon the ability to have open and honest discussions throughout the project. A team's ability to reflect enables them to go
back through past activities, issues, and dynamics and engage in assessments and discussions regarding goals, collaboration, and strategies (Plowman, Diffendal, 2020). Reflexivity can be achieved by utilizing regular check-ins, meetings, and checks that can be dedicated to reflecting on how well the team has performed, communication roadblocks, and over factors to assess effectiveness within the team (Plowman, Diffendal, 2020). Being able to openly, comfortably, and effectively review and reflect upon the team’s success is a vital factor in maintaining alignment with the project, determining performance, and effectively communicating areas of approvement or highlighting a job well done a motivational trait of an effective a supportive
5
leader Reflexivity can be achieved by utilizing regular check-ins, meetings, and checks is can be dedicated to reflecting on how well the team has performed, communication roadblocks and over
factors to assess effectiveness within the team (Plowman, Diffendal, 2020).
Task Communication
Clarity in the purpose and desired results of tasks is vital to effective communication if team members are unable to understand the why and what of their tasks it is extremely difficult for them to complete them efficiently. As a common theme, this communication should remain dynamic from the start to the finish of tasks updating team members on the initial purpose and expectations of the progress, and changes and leaving the door open for safe and efficient dialogue to discuss the tasks with the team (Kliem, 2008). Knowing what needs to be done and why it needs to be done is effective in providing the team with a purpose, end goal, and roadway to get it while minimizing misunderstandings and possible errors in the execution of the task (Kliem, 2008). The tasks are the waypoints that get a project from start to finish, effectively communicating these tasks allows for team members to be armed with the knowledge of success and builds upon the theme of effective communication along the way.
Boundary Spanning
Project teams can feel internal or compartmentalized within themselves and may not understand the external factors driving their actions such as the stakeholders of the project or even separate teams within the project itself. Connecting these teams as well as the stakeholders further builds upon collaboration and the greater exchange of information beyond what specifically deals with that team (Plowman, Diffendal, 2020). Cross-functional collaboration can be a means to broaden the perspective of individual teams with each other’s visions as well as align them all with the vision of the stakeholder increase information sharing and provide a
6
greater feeling of organizational collaboration (Plowman, Diffendal, 2020). Each team's goals and visions paint the greater picture of the project ultimately decided by the stakeholder's vision, these pieces together distributed to the teams can allow them to feel more in the bigger picture while alerting them to the presence of other teams and the ability to greatly increase information sharing and once again effective communication cross the entire project (Plowman, Diffendal, 2020).
Conclusion In conclusion, effective communication is built upon those five key factors supportive leadership, communication safety, team reflexivity, task communication, and boundary spanning.
Communication cannot be taken lightly when dealing with a project, and these five factors can help teams build that foundational block to ensure continuous effective communication from every level up and down the project's chain of command. These factors and effective communication ultimately create a framework for success by interconnecting teams and creating an environment built around trust, collaboration, and information sharing. Teams able to effectively communicate can operate with abilities to navigate issues, leverage creativity amongst team members, and continuously provide, share, and communicate concerns, ideas, and feedback throughout the project promoting a healthy learning environment.
Your preview ends here
Eager to read complete document? Join bartleby learn and gain access to the full version
- Access to all documents
- Unlimited textbook solutions
- 24/7 expert homework help
7
References
Kliem, R. L. (2008). Effective communications for project management (1st edition). Auerbach Publications. https://doi.org/10.1201/9781420062489
Plowman, C., & Diffendal, J. (2020). Project Communications: A Critical Factor for Project Success. Business Expert Press.
Rasmussen, S. D. (2018). Program communication. Henry Stewart Talks.