My Project Management Lessons » Communication

Time Charge Codes

michael — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 02:15:58 +0000

Send time charge codes with meeting and function invitations.

If you send an invite/schedule booking to team members for a meeting, staff function, training etc, you should send the time code that they should book their time for that time under.

This will save them each individually searching or asking what they should book their time to.

This should also apply if you instruct someone to work on a different project than they normally work.

Get To Know Your Clients

michael — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 08:38:44 +0000

Get to know your client contact more personally, not just their project specific details.

Find out their interests, other projects they are working on etc.

Possibly send them useful information, news clippings, etc on things you know they are interested in.

A lot of business is built on relationships, and knowing how a client works and responds can be very helpful when managing their projects.

Learn to do presentations Effectively

michael — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 09:16:40 +0000

Presentations are often badly made, and are boring.

Don’t use lots of text in a PowerPoint presentation. A few key points on each page is better. This avoids the problem of the audience just reading the text and not listening to you.

Don’t give out a copy of the presentation text at the start, the audience may just read it and ignore you. I suggest you give it out after the presentation.

The Importance of Good Communication

michael — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 04:05:38 +0000

Good communication is a key skill for a project manager.

Good design of the product is assumed by the client. The key to keeping things running smoothly and making the client happy is keeping them informed.
Give the client regular updates, even if there is nothing to tell them. Ask the client for feedback. Are they happy with the way the project is going, your communication with them, the deliverables, etc. If something is running late, tell the client and the reasons. Don’t assume they know it will be late or why it will be late. Often just telling them will satisfy them, instead of the client contacting you to say your deliverable is late.

Alliance Communications Efficiency

michael — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 19:06:42 +0000

Although alliance systems can lead to great cost and time savings, it is important to pay particular attention to internal communications and authorisation systems.

It can take a lot longer to get information circulated or authorisations done properly compared to if everyone was from the one company.

Verification of designs can be particularly time consuming as the designs may need to pass between lots of departments.

It can help to indicate clearly on the communications or forms who is responsible for replying or taking action, when that action is due by, and who they should return it to or pass it on to when they are completed. For other people copied in the communication, make sure it is clear that they are only copied for information only and do not need to act or reply.

Keeping urgent or important labels for truly important communications can speed the process.

If necessary, make a, simple to follow, one page procedure for processing documents (so that people can know what to do easily).

Prepare for Workshops and Presentations

michael — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 19:26:59 +0000

When running or coordinating a workshop or a presentation, make sure you have a printout of all the presentation so you can easily track where the presenter is up to.

Also make sure to have a printout of the schedule.

A printout is important as you may not be able to view it on the computer if that is connected to the projector and it is displaying the material to the audience.

Neat Writing

michael — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 19:13:36 +0000

Encourage and discipline your team members to use neat writing when making notes on drawings or things which others must read or refer to.

Messy or illegible writing slows the reader down and leads to miscommunication. It can also lead to mistakes as someone may assume a word is different to what was intended.

The project manager should lead by example.

If you, as the project manager, receive unclear hand written correspondence or drawings with unclear writing, you should return it to the writer and ask them to re submit it to you either typed or written clearly.

This is a communication issue and mistakes could lead to costly delays or safety issues.

Make Good Use of Calender Time Scheduling

michael — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 19:22:17 +0000

Microsoft Outlook or similar programs allow you to send meeting requests to people. This is a quick and effective way for meetings to be set without wasting time calling around for available times.

If all members of your team use the calendar function properly, they would have all their meetings and busy times entered into their calendar. When you request a meeting of them, you will be able to see available times in a simple bar chart and book accordingly.

Don’t Email Messages to All

michael — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 10:21:54 +0000

Although this is an organisation issue, not just a project issue, it is important to make sure your team does not send messages to all for something that is specific to one group or one office.

E.g. “A pair of reading glasses have been misplaced. If you have seen these could you please return them to reception.”

This kind of message often gets sent to the whole organisation mail system, which could include thousands of people, when it should be sent just to that local office.

The lost time associated with thousands of people readings a broadly sent email like that and the bandwidth costs could amount to thousands or tens of thousands of dollars.

In the above example, approximately 5000 people received the message. 5000 x 30 seconds is about 42 hours wasted time ($5000+ in billable time). Plus the time wasted in people laughing about it and replying with comments. Plus the storage costs and transmittal costs.

Not only does it make the sender look foolish, it wastes your project time, resources, and if from your project, its reputation.

Confirm Meetings

michael — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 10:16:52 +0000

If you (or others) are to travel for meetings, confirm that they have been scheduled. Projects with committees or bureaucracy may overlook setting the times or places and informing everyone of a meeting properly. Confirm the meeting before leaving for it. Related Posts Make Good Use of Calender Time Scheduling Regular Projects Review Meetings Copy [...]