Project management is about satisfying stakeholders’ needs, and communication plays a key role in that process. As a project manager, you should know which communication tools you should use to fulfill requirements and satisfy stakeholders in every situation.
Every project is unique, and its communication requirement depends on the project, the availability of tools, technology, and stakeholders’ preferences. Good communication can make the project a success, and poor communication can fail the project, so it is best to know all the communication tools you can use to manage your project.
In today’s blog post, we will learn key communication tools you can use to satisfy your stakeholders’ needs in project management.
Let’s get started.
Communication Tools in Project Management
The following are the key communication tools you can use to manage your project:
Discussion Boards
A discussion board provides a platform for stakeholders to discuss issues, concerns, ideas, and other relevant topics. Participants can see the comments by other users and post their responses if they wish. It is the best communication method for communicating with the community and gathering feedback.
A few commonly used software for discussion are Microsoft Teams, Slack, Basecamp, Miro, etc.
In our organization, we use Microsoft Teams for discussions. It is a handy tool and can provide a presentation or live feedback. You can also have video-based discussions on one-to-one or one-to-many.
Whenever our IT department updates our system and adds new features, they will have training sessions to train us about the latest features through Microsoft Teams.
Project Boards
Project boards are specific to a project, and stakeholders can discuss issues, concerns, status, progress, etc. about the project. All project management software provides project board features to discuss the project issues and monitor the progress. These tools provide the real-time status of the project’s progress and performance.
Some common software that provides project features are monday.com, Wrike, nTask, close, etc.
Emails
Emails are the most effective communication tool in project management. Depending on the situation, you can send email communication to one person or a group. The recipient will have enough time to read, review, and respond.
Most organizations have their own built-in server and email exchange to send and receive email communications securely. Even though you have many advanced communication tools, email has not lost significance. These days, emails are used as a formal form of communication.
Chat/Messenger
The chat tool is a great communication tool for project managers to have a real-time conversation. You can have one-to-one or one-to-many communication in real-time through chatting tools. Chatting is mainly used for informal discussions where documentation is not required, and team members need quick responses.
Mobile/Cell Phone Communication
These days, everyone has a mobile phone. If a team member needs to speak with other team members, they can call their mobile directly. Mobile communication is an informal form of verbal communication that you can use to contact team members for urgent situations quickly or to communicate a message.
Mobile/Cell Phone Chat/Messenger App
Now everybody uses a mobile with instant messaging applications like WhatsApp, Telegram, IMO, etc. You can create a group for your team on any messenger application to send instant messages and receive immediate responses in real-time.
We use WhatsApp Messenger for our team and share updates and news. It is effective and informal, helping us connect with team members. You can share any important information quickly with the team or a team member.
Video Conferencing Software
Video conferencing software can be a great communication tool for virtual teams. You can use Zoom, Microsoft Teams, and Google Meet. They let you have face-to-face virtual meetings to build stronger relationships and enhance understanding.
Video conferences are valuable for project kick-off meetings, status updates, client presentations, and resolving complex issues that require visual communication.
Document Collaboration and Sharing
Google Workspace and Microsoft Office 365 allow real-time document collaboration and sharing. Your team members can simultaneously work on documents, spreadsheets, and presentations, thus ensuring that everyone can access the latest project documents. This reduces version-control issues and expedites document-approval processes.
Performance Reports
Performance reports are the most important communication tools that include the project’s status and progress reports, which are in a formal written format. You can provide stakeholders with the current status, such as earned value, planned value, actual cost spent, and other relevant metrics.
You can compare these with the planned progress and provide the project progress report. If required, you can include performance data such as cost performance, schedule, etc., and forecasting data such as estimate to complete, estimate at completion, TCPI, etc.
Kick-Off Meeting
This is the first meeting among stakeholders. In the kick-off meeting, you can introduce yourself and your team members, demonstrate your skills and capabilities, and explain the project objectives, goals, milestones, timeline, and other relevant details.
The kick-off meeting is an excellent communication tool for a successful project manager to energize project team members and get started on the work.
Daily Standup Meetings
Daily standup meetings are also called “daily scrums” in Agile methodologies. They are held daily in a standing position to encourage brevity.
During a daily standup meeting, team members discuss their work and ask the following three questions:
- What did you accomplish yesterday?
- What will you work on today?
- Are there any impediments or roadblocks?
These meetings promote transparency and accountability and align team members. By keeping the meetings short and focused, teams can quickly identify and address issues, adapt to changes, and maintain a shared understanding of project status.
Iteration-Planning Meetings
These meetings set the course for a specific duration (known as an “iteration” or “sprint”), typically lasting 2-4 weeks.
Iteration-planning meetings bring together the Agile team (e.g., developers, product owners, and the Scrum Master). The primary goal is to determine which user stories or tasks from the product backlog will be addressed during the upcoming iteration.
The meeting is divided into two parts:
- Part I: Here, the product owner presents prioritized user stories from the backlog to the team. The team discusses these stories, seeks clarification, and estimates the effort required for each story. The team selects stories for each iteration based on their capacity and historical velocity.
- Part II: Here, the team delves into the technical details of how they will complete the selected stories. They create a plan to execute the work, break stories into smaller tasks, assign responsibilities, and estimate the time required for each task. This detailed plan ensures a clear path forward for the team.
Sync-Up Meetings
Sync-Up meetings are also known as synchronization meetings. Here, team members discuss progress, share updates to align the goal, and ensure all stakeholders are on the same page. There is no misunderstanding on any project objectives.
Sync-up meetings are good communication tools to ensure all project stakeholders are up to date and there are no gaps in communication among any stakeholders.
Summary
Effective project management has many requirements, and because project managers spend most of their time communicating, efficient communication is the key to success. Hence, selecting and using the right communication tool is vital in project management. Choose the right tools for communication and provide the required information to stakeholders to keep them satisfied and engaged with the project.
Further Reading:
- Communication Channels Formula & Number of Communication Channels
- 14 Best Communication Skills Courses: Free & Paid
- 6 Best Business Communication Courses for Professionals
- The Importance of Communication for Managers
- Importance of Communication in Project Management
References:
I am Mohammad Fahad Usmani, B.E. PMP, PMI-RMP. I have been blogging on project management topics since 2011. To date, thousands of professionals have passed the PMP exam using my resources.
