Project Management: Communications
- 1. Project Management WorkshopSession2: Communications
- 2. Principles of ProjectManagementSession 1: IntroductionSession 2: CommunicationsSession 3: Scope, Schedule & ResourcesSession 4: Finances & Resource ConflictsSession 5: Rescue OperationsSession 6: Practicum
- 3. Why Projects FailTheDilbertPrinciple:“Anything I don’t understand must be easy.”Do we really understand the difference between project management & project monitoring?Projects fail (in essence) because we think project management is easy
- 4. Project Management History What is the most successful construction project in the history of the world ?
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- 6. The Significance ofBabelThe StoryEverybody in the world was involved in the projectThere were plenty of resources available The project plan was “on schedule”God “canceled” the project by disrupting their communicationThe BackgroundThe story is part of Hebrew scriptures passed down through oral history and written at least 3000 years agoThe Hebrews were very familiar with “project management”Generations of nomadic wandering; making camp and breaking campDetailed “work breakdown structures” for the camp, the tabernacle, etc.The Hebrew scriptures describe a God who is all powerful
- 7. The Point …Effectivecommunication is the key to successful project managementCorollary …Ineffective communication is at the root of every project problem and every problem projectThe Hidden ‘Guiding Principle’I’ll cover …The importance of communicationSources of communication problemsApproaches to improving communicationApplication to localization projectsRemember: Process is important, but any process can be ruined by poor communication
- 8. Sources of CommunicationsProblemsWe get the kind of communication we ask forWe all have different neurolinguistic “wiring”We all have different assumptions about what “everybody knows”We all have different perspectives on what everybody needs to knowThere are often agenda differences between participantsJargon is everywhere (Cultural Context)
- 9. How do weask?Are we encouraging free flow of information?
- 10. Cynicism is nota motivational techniqueNeurolinguistic Differences *Information processing styleLinear (or serial)Parallel (or multi-tasking)Sensory Modality (information acquisition)Visual/Textual/GraphicalAural/ConversationalKinesthetic/SpatialExpressive Modality (information dissemination)Visual/Logical/GraphicalOral/Narrative/InteractiveKinesthetic/Spatial/DemonstrativeNote also interaction with cultural preferences* Pat Schnee, UT Austin, http://www.utexas.edu/cee/pdc/contact
- 11. AssumptionsAssumptions are theunspoken basis for almost all formal communicationWhy don’t we clarify assumptions?We don’t want to insult someone by pointing out the obviousWe don’t want to give up our “insider” positionWe simply don’t recognize the degree to which they matter“It’s not the things you don’t know that get you in trouble; it’s the things you know that ain’t so.”- Will Rogers
- 12. Need to KnowRetainingknowledge to retain controlDisseminating knowledge to gain respectWithholding negative information in self-protectionProjecting your information needs on everyone elseNeurolinguistic preferencesOccupational hazardsThere is not time to say everything about everything, so some sort of “need to know” filter is necessary; but watch for …
- 13. AgendaBy definition, aproject is temporaryThis can cause problems when assigned staff are overcommittedLegitimate sources of multiple agendaMultiple departments are involvedMultiple companies are involvedMultiple translation vendors are involved
- 14. Jargon is EverywhereComplexenvironments require jargonClose working relationships breed jargonAnything can become “jargon” in constant usageDefinitions change more easily than the words themselvesMicrocosm of language changeSee also “everybody knows …”Misunderstanding based on jargon will not be obvious until much laterFailure to use “the right jargon” Failure to understand it when someone else uses itThere is no such thing as “the” right jargonGrasp of Jargon may mask linguistic weaknesses
- 15. Cultural & LinguisticContextLocalization projects typically include team members from multiple cultural backgroundsNot everyone will have the same level of comfort or ability with EnglishThere will be a variety of “high-context” and “low-context” participantsThere will be a variety of “individual” vs. “group” oriented participantsClient stakeholders may not have a good understanding of what is involvedEspecially dangerous when off-shoring!
- 16. Real-Life Examples?Assumptions, Perspectives,Agenda, Cultural Context
- 17. Attitude & MotivationBeaware of your weaknesses & blind spotsTriumph of Humility and Fierce Resolve *Expect feedback and resistanceAvoid defensiveness* Jim Collins, Harvard Business Review“It’s amazing what you can accomplish when you don’t care who gets the credit.”- Harry S TrumanFocus on the success of the Project not the Project Manager
- 18. Improving CommunicationsEncourage open& honest communicationModel and require brutal honestyGreet bad news with optimism & energyBe aware of personal dynamicsAvoid blame-castingChallenge yourself to look at things from other perspectivesTeam members with different cultural backgroundsTeam members with different neurolinguistic preferencesAdapt to ensure effective communicationMore is betterLess is more
- 19. When do weCommunicate?Bad news does not improve with ageGet in the habit of being brutally honest with yourself and others
- 20. Communication is CooperativeAssumethe other person is trying to cooperateAsk: Is apparent lack of cooperation due to …Lack of clarity on my part?Some cultural mismatch?Neurolinguistic differencesOf course, sometimes people are really not cooperative …
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Editor's Notes
- #7 The Bible presents the well-known Tower of Babel story in Genesis, chapter 11. This was clearly the most successful construction project in history, and when God evaluated options for frustrating the project, He choose to disrupt their ability to communicate. Some see this as the very Word of God, true in all of its historical details, while others see it as part of the oral history of a relatively obscure nomadic tribe attempting to explain and account for things as they saw them. Even on the weaker claim of “mere” oral history, however, the interpretation of this naïve explanation provides insights into “the way things are” that are applicable to project management. As a nomadic tribe, constantly establishing or breaking camp, the ancient Hebrews were no strangers to “project management”. They distilled their accumulated project management wisdom down to one crucial observation about human interactions: communication is the key, and communication is always hard. It is as if God had actually “confused our language” with the deliberate intent to keep us from being able to successfully accomplish our goals. This is (of course) precisely the option God chose. The project eventually failed not for lack of a plan, nor for lack of resources, nor for lack of manpower, but as a result of poor (i.e. “confused”) communication.
- #12 Beginning with our preferred thinking style, some of us tend to be “linear” or “serial” processors, typically characterized by attention to detail, single-task focus, step-by-step execution, taking a single task all the way to completion before starting the next task, etc. This type of person often gravitates to project management on the basis of their obvious organizational skills and the ability to construct logical step-by-step analyses. Others of us tend to be “parallel” processors. This group is characterized by the ability to keep the “big picture” in focus, interleaving of activity on several ongoing tasks at once, apparent ability to handle interruptions and to “multi-task”, and the ability to handle multi-level analyses. This second group often appears hopelessly disorganized to the first, but many of these traits are actually quite helpful to a project manager. Regardless of which group you fall into, however, the key is to acknowledge the weaknesses of your preference, the strengths of those with a different preference, and the challenges associated with effective communication to bridge the gap.This leads into the three preference groups associated with sensory modality and mode of expression. With respect to sensing, most people tend to prefer visual (written documents, email, graphics, etc.), aural (discussions, verbal descriptions, phone calls), or kinesthetic (relying heavily on body language, physical environment, non-verbal context and “learning by doing”). These same three terms also serve to categorize modes of expression. People tend to prefer to express themselves visually (written reports, outbound email, graphs and figures, visual images when speaking, etc.), orally (outbound phone calls, verbal presentations and explanations, verbal images when speaking), or kinesthetically (demonstrations, models or mock-ups, physical imagery when speaking). People are sometimes comfortable with more than one of these modalities, and do not necessarily prefer the same one for “input” and “output”. The lesson for us as project managers is to be sure not to project our own preferences onto others. We should learn to adapt and adopt a mode of expression that will better ensure effective communication.