Project Management

Project Communication and Documentation 205

your project sponsor, for
example) with a wealth of
information regarding how
you plan on managing
your project.

Methods of Communicating

The way you communicate
a message can often be
just as important as the
message itself. For example, consider how many times you’ve
received a phone call or a note from someone that pertained to
a very important issue. After reading the note or hanging up the
phone, you reacted by thinking, “They didn’t bother to tell me
in person.” If you’re like me, that reaction probably altered your
perception of the message in some way—and of the person who
sent it, perhaps.
As a project manager, you must consider this aspect of com-
munication. Like it or not, you’re under constant scrutiny from
people who are forming impressions of you, your approach, and
your intentions. The way you communicate is likely to influence
their impressions of you as much as any other single thing you
do. You have a variety of choices for communicating with others;
choosing the best way to communicate in a particular situation
is a very important decision. Some choices relate to approach
and style, while others relate to the medium you choose. Let’s
examine some considerations around each.

What’s the Best Communication Approach?

No matter which medium you use to communicate, your basic
approach can affect the way your message is received and
interpreted. As in the example above, a phone conversation, a
note, and a personal visit were all effective ways to transmit
message content. The choice to not communicate in person,

Include Existing

Procedures

Any project management

procedures that already exist in your

organization should be included as

part of your Project Management

Configuration Plan. Reference them

somewhere within your PMCP and

make certain that the members of

your team are familiar with how to

follow them.

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