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One Size Does Not Fit All
Michael R. Wood is a Business Process Improvement & IT Strategist Independent Consultant. He is creator of the business process-improvement methodology called HELIX and founder of The Natural Intelligence Group, a strategy, process improvement and technology consulting company. He is also a CPA, has served as an Adjunct Professor in Pepperdine's Management MBA program, an Associate Professor at California Lutheran University, and on the boards of numerous professional organizations. Mr. Wood is a sought after presenter of HELIX workshops and seminars in both the U.S. and Europe.
Virtually every project management methodology calls for a communications plan. So why do so many projects fail due to poor communications? Maybe, just maybe it's because project managers in general don't know how to develop project communication plans that are tailored to their audiences. According to the 1998 Bull Survey, the leading cause (57 percent) of project failures was "Bad communications between relevant parties."
So how important is a well-thought-out and executed communication plan? It is essential to project success, that's how important it is. And if this is true, how do you create a superior communication plan that creates a proactive environment of inclusion? How do you create a forum for a shared understanding of the project's goals, risks, challenges, progress and outcomes in terms of how it impacts each stakeholder?
The answers are simpler than you think. It all comes down to shaping the plan around the needs of each stakeholder group and in a way that requires their participation in the planning process. The goal of this article is to present four principles and guidelines that will help you develop communication plans that fit the specific needs of your projects and those who have a stake in the outcomes.
Principle 1: Consider the Organization Culture & Political Environment (people's expectations, agendas and sacred cows, risk aversion, change …
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I did this thing on the Ottoman Empire. Like, what was this? A whole empire based on putting your feet up? - Jerry Seinfeld |