The Right Information to the Right People

 

Peter Taylor, The Lazy Project Manager said, "Reporting is not communicating." I couldn't agree more. Some time ago I was reading the PMI's Voices on Project Management blog and Lynda Bourne suggested, "Executives don't have time to read fantastically accurate and detailed reports—people are simply to busy to take that kind of deep dive."

In light of our conversation yesterday, I thought I would share some of her thoughts here today. Accurate and detailed reports are important, but Bourne is right, most executives want the 20,000-foot view—that's all they normally have time for. Here are a few of her suggestions, which I think make good sense:

1. "Separate push and pull communications." Make the detail available someplace where people who need it can easily retrieve it (pull). Anything you send out (push) should focus on the highlights and the information that requires action.
2. "Separate history from future." Reporting on what happened last week is of no value unless it contains information that could influence future decisions. Bourne suggests that historical data is important to accountants, but business leaders, project leaders, and team members need information that is forward-looking and focused on action items.
3. "Focus on the needs of the receivers." She asserts that it's important to give the audience the information they need to make the project successful. Everyone on the project team doesn't need the same information, "Team members need to know what work to do in the next week or two. Managers need to know what they have to decide."

This kind of communication doesn't just happen. Successful communication requires effort. And remember, to ensure the successful completion of any project, you need to focus your communication efforts on the important stakeholders that influence project success.