Information Technology Project Management

Communication is the process through which a message is disseminated among individual or from one place to another. The method of communication involves a sender, receiver and the message being circulated among these individuals. For the communication process to be carried out appropriately one has to have either the verbal, non-verbal and visual communication skills. In a project, a manager has to be engaged in listening to people's ideas, managing the stressful conditions and remaining focused throughout the managing process. Communication has to be managed appropriately to promote the achievement of the set goals and objectives by the management. Since communication plays a significant role in developing project management, this paper will focus on how communication is managed, its role in project management and the approaches used in keeping the workers informed and engaged in the program.

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Role of Communication in Project Management

Communication helps the manager to relay information to the workers and stakeholders concerning the goals and mission of the project. The employees are informed on their tasks ensuring that the project is running smoothly. Also, communication will help the management in addressing issues which might limit the dissemination of services hence hindering accomplishment of project tasks on time. The project manager has to inform the stakeholders and employees about the progress of the program. For the managers to relay information to the employees and other stakeholders they need to access the information regarding the project regularly. For example, some stakeholders in the program requirements to be addressed about the risks, objectives, time constraints and customer needs in the project (Sarhadi, Yousefi and Zamani, 2018, p 937). Therefore, focusing on a system where there is regular communication helps in preventing delays and misunderstandings leading to failure in the project.

On the other hand, communication helps in bridging the language differences which prevents individuals from understanding the benefits brought about by these projects. The difficulties of utilizing unclear language and the project management jargons makes it vital to value communications in projects. The team in the project needs to understand the aims of a particular project thus knowing the efforts they have put towards it and the impact which the stakeholders have in the project. Managers who improve communication in a project end up maximizing the success and minimizing the risks encountered in these projects (Lam, 2016, p87). Therefore, managers who possess the appropriate communication skills helps in reducing the communication gaps thus promoting the projects' success.

Communication aids in discussing problems which are and might be encountered during the accomplishment of the project. Addressing these issues with the stakeholders and employees helps in setting up strategies that will promote the continuation of the project. For the managers to appropriately use communication in the discussion of different issues they can try to relate with the already existing programs at the community. During the discussions, the employees and stakeholders can be involved in brainstorming thus making them engaged. Use of comics, pie charts, infographics, and other visual aids can be used to enhance the communication of messages to the stakeholders and other employees. Communication plan is established whenever the team is discussing issues that might be encountered thus making decisions on the best evaluation method to use in determining if the goals and objectives are being met or not. The communication plan determines the kind of communication which is appropriate during individual meetings and frequency in which the needs have to be discussed with the necessary individuals (Sarhadi et al., 2018, p 937). Therefore, without proper communication the management cannot make responsible decisions towards the achievement of the set goals and objectives which were planned at the start of the project.

How communication can be Managed in Project

Setting up communication strategies governing the project will help in ensuring that every detail overseeing the project is discussed and communicated among the stakeholders and the employees. The comprehensive communication will provide a linkage between the business strategy to corporate communication thus promoting consistency in the business operations. The project can develop a recognizable hiring brand for the employees who will make the program to achieve their mission and the set goals. Also, the communication strategy ensures that direction is given appropriately either using the top-down approach or developing a platform where employees and the management can share ideas and information regarding the project's progress (Desouza, Denford and Krishnamurthy, 2019, p420). Therefore, through the effective strategy of communication, the manager can promote engagement and morale of the employees hence promoting effective dissemination of services.

Consequently, the management can help the employees and other stakeholders in understanding the rules and conditions which govern the project. Through this communication between the workers will be limited and they will not hesitate to share ideas during the decision making the process. This style will minimize the chances of misunderstandings between management and the workers thus getting to accomplish their set goals (Binder, 2016). Stakeholders who understand the governing rules in communication can follow the right procedures in the dissemination of information thus creating higher efficiency and minimization of the costs in managing communication in the project.

Encouraging two-way communication in the project will also lead to appropriate management of communication between the administration, employees, stakeholders and the clients. Two-way communication enables the management to listen to the concerns and issues which affect the employees thus building loyalty and promoting productivity in the project. The leaders can also learn about the relations of these employees thus getting to know the terms and conditions which accompany the hiring of workers. The management heading the project can offer training on the effective presentation and writing skills since it will assist the employees and the stakeholders to record the projects progress. Providing training to the leaders will make them understand specific channels and protocols to communications. Also, the two-way communication helps one in dealing with the outside media such as the community and public relations which plays a vital role in organizing the communication strategies (Paquette, Sommerfeldt and Kent, 2015, p 33). The external media is used for sharing information to the clients and the societal members, and if it is not appropriately managed, the management will not achieve their set goals and objectives.

Communication tools to keep the Project Team Engaged and Informed

The analysis tools such as the stakeholder analysis, benchmarking and the scenario techniques help the management to be informed throughout the period in which the project will be conducted. The stakeholder analysis helps in identification of the project's stakeholders and analyzing their interest, power and influence the performing the tasks related to the project. The stakeholder maps allow in targeting for the communication activities towards particular stakeholders and in the definition of the channel used in communication. Also, benchmarking help in analyzing and comparing how different programs and organizations use the information they acquire from various sources of communication to maintain their increased levels of productivity. The quality of the plans, strategies, services is determined through benchmarking of a different organization. The scenario technique which is still under the analysis tools is used in conducting preparations about the future scenarios which help in preparing the project for the future (Schaufeli, 2017, p 126). Communicators utilize a combination of the qualitative and statistical approaches in identification of the technological, political, societal and ecological trends in determining how they can affect the effectiveness of the project.

The communicator utilizes the planning tools which consists of the mission and vision statements, brand positioning and the communication boards. The communication boards help in translating the set strategies into actions and providing the reports of specific data. The scoreboard also includes the non-financial and financial indicators which prove the value of communication in a technological project. The value links in the projects help in identification of the functional chains which exist between the value drivers that tend to become influenced by communication. The brand positioning allows one to develop the sustainable advantage of the object in the minds of the technology users (Butt, Naaranoja, and Savolainen, 2016, p 1582). The brand which is maintained by the technological company tends to struggle for different positions during the struggle for attention.

Conclusion

Communication has proved to play significant roles in technological projects such as relaying the particular messages to consumers, solving the language differences and in providing solutions to the problems which might be encountered in the project. Through the management of communication, the goals which are set at the start of the project are achieved hence doing the project to become successful. The tool and approaches used by communicators in the projects help in setting the companies brands and comparing different plans which surround the project. Therefore, to improve communication in this project, the organization has to encourage its stakeholders and employees thus improving their morale in the dissemination of information.

References

Binder, J., 2016. Global project management: communication, collaboration, and management across borders. Routledge. Retrieved from https://www.routledge.com/Global-Project-Management-Communication-Collaboration-and-Management/Binder/p/book/9780566087066

Butt, A., Naaranoja, M., and Savolainen, J., 2016. Project change stakeholder communication. International Journal of Project Management, 34(8), pp.1579-1595. Retrieved from https://fenix.tecnico.ulisboa.pt/downloadFile/563568428747901/W12%20Project%20change%20stakeholder%20communication.pdf

Desouza, K.C., Denford, J.S. and Krishnamurthy, R., 2019. How the US Federal Communications Commission Managed the Process of IT Modernization. In Digitalization Cases (pp. 411-428). Springer, Cham. Retrieved from http://link-springer-com-s.vpn.whu.edu.cn:9440/chapter/10.1007/978-3-319-95273-4_22

Lam, C., 2016. Improving technical communication group projects: An experimental study of media synchronicity theory training on communication outcomes. Journal of Business and Technical Communication, 30(1), pp.85-112. Retrieved from https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/1050651915602293?journalCode=jbtb

Paquette, M., Sommerfeldt, E.J. and Kent, M.L., 2015. Do the ends justify the means? Dialogue, development communication, and deontological ethics. Public Relations Review, 41(1), pp.30-39. Retrieved from https://www.academia.edu/11229688/Do_the_ends_justify_the_means_Dialogue_development_communication_and_deontological_ethics

Sarhadi, M., Yousefi, S. and Zamani, A., 2018. Participative project management as a comprehensive response to postmodernism criticisms: The role of communication. International Journal of Managing Projects in Business, 11(4), pp.935-959. Retrieved from http://www.akademische-gesellschaft.com/fileadmin/webcontent/Publikationen/Communication_Insights/Co...