PM Network - January 2017

Voices PROJECT TOOLKIT
Making
Connections
We asked the project management community:
Which communication tools
and practices do you find essential?
KEEPING PACE

As many organizations shift their delivery strategy toward more agile approaches, real-time communication tools have become necessary, and traditional email steadily is being replaced. Our organization has invested in a tool with integrated videoconferenc-ing, group chat and screen sharing. We’ve found that this more robust communication tool can keep pace with our team’s rapid progress.”

—Sridhar Peddisetty, PMP, PgMP, PfMP, delivery head, Prokarma, Buenos Aires, Argentina

GOING MOBILE

More project teams will begin using mobile messaging apps for professional purposes in the next few years. These apps allow project managers to communicate with their teams wherever and whenever. And because people almost always have their phones with them, it’s easier to reach others in an urgent situation.

Many apps allow you to create groups with different purposes, such as a group with your project management office (PMO) team, another for developers, testers, etc. And they let you communicate seamlessly in a variety of mediums: text, audio, video and PDFs (though I still prefer email for the latter).

In my experience, it’s easier to secure team buy-in for these apps than other tools. Almost everyone with a smartphone is familiar with messaging apps, so the training and adjustment period will be minimal and team members will be more likely to embrace (and actually use) the tool.”

—Tulio Franzini, PMO assistant, Ofício, São Paulo, Brazil

SPEAK UP

Spoken communication—whether in- person, through video or voice calls— still delivers the most informational content. In my opinion, texts and instant messages often lack context and create an expectation for instant answers even when a longer, more thought-out response would be far better.

I could give countless examples of times when these tools caused incomplete or misinterpreted communications—and negative consequences for project quality.”

—Ronald Stacey, PMP, senior manager, portfolio, program and project delivery, Aspirent, Atlanta, Georgia, USA

REMEMBER TO LISTEN

We need to remember that eyes and ears are the best communication tools. Good listeners are also the most effective communicators. Being a good listener is about understanding and interpreting information in a large context and noticing visual signals.