ITMG624 W6- Project Communications

Effective Communication in a Project

Building an Effective Project Team - Most projects require a wide variety of skills to complete the work involved, so with any project you manage, you're likely to have to deal with a whole group of people from different backgrounds. They may be drawn from different parts of your organisation; they may come from a number of separate organisations. Teams made up of people from a range of departments or organisations are often called 'cross-functional teams'.Whichever's the case, it's the project manager's job to bring them together and form them into an effective team which operates as one to achieve the overall goals of the project. Unsurprisingly, this can sometimes be tricky. However, there are a number of rules which, if followed, can make team building much easier and more likely to succeed. Read provided Required Reading resource Chapter 3 - Section 1, 2 and 5 in their entirety.

Communicating Effectively: Chapter 8 -Five factors That Promote Project Team Performance - Effective communication is the lifeblood of teams and organizations. To push the metaphor, teams in which members have difficulty sharing thoughts and ideas, in expressing a candid opinion, or in trusting colleagues to keep a confidence are anemic and illness ­prone. Sound team communication is important to ensure that everyone understands the objectives of the project, knows the direction to be taken, and can coordinate tasks and priorities with other team members. Sound communication is also important to provide clear feedback about work performance and standards, to make informed decisions and resolve disputes, and to explain to stakeholders from inside and outside the organization how the project is progressing and what has been achieved. Read Chapter 8 in its entirety

Discussion Points: Please list each question and answer each question below when posting your initial response.

1. What the steps of building a project team- Discuss

2. Discuss two of the five communication factors in effective team performance

3. How are the five communication factors related to Performance

This week we examine the steps required to build an effective project team and the importance of effective communication. Communication is key to the success of any project as the need for clear, concise, and open communication should be present within the team.

1. What are the steps of building a project team?

In Chapter 3 of Bloomsbury Business Library - Manage Projects Successfully, the reading covers seven steps that are important in the building of an effective project team. These steps consist of identifying the skills you require, getting the right mix of personalities, finding out about the stages of team formation, helping the 'norming' process along, learning what motivates people, delegation, and resolving conflict. When building a team, leaders need to understand what skills, or expertise, they need in order to get the job done. Getting the right mix of personalities makes for a very diverse and creative group of individuals as everyone has different experiences and a way of thinking to accomplish each task. The stages of team formation that leaders need to understand are forming, storming, norming, and performing. Leaders also need to understand what motivates each person because everyone has different factors that motivate them, whether they are intrinsic or extrinsic factors. Leaders should also learn to delegate tasks to members within the team as it not only removes some responsibility from them, but also leaves room for growth to other members in the team.

2. Discuss two of the five communication factors in effective team performance.

The five communication factors identified from this week's readings include supportive leadership, communication safety, team reflexivity, task communication, and boundary spanning. The two factors I would like to discuss are supportive leadership and boundary spanning. The path to great communication begins at the leadership level. The way a leader communicates with their team will "set the standard for sound communication between team members, but also sets limits to what can be achieved" (Mann & Atkins, 2005). It is important for leaders to have an open line of communication so that team members are informed and stay up to date with the current situation of any project.

Boundary spanning is another communication factor that can lead to effective team performance. Having the ability for team members to reach out to outside resources can assist in accomplishing tasks. This could be a result of not having someone qualified, or experienced, in a certain area of the project so it will result with team members reaching out to Stakeholders or outside Subject Matter Experts on how to tackle these difficult tasks.

3. How are the five communication factors related to Performance?

Communication is a driving factor among team members and without it, teams are subject to fail in achieving their goal due to poor performance. When teams communicate amongst one another, each individual understands what the common goal is and results in them working together to reach those goals. For example, a football coach instructs the team on what play should be executed next. The Quarterback will then ensure that the play is executed as briefed from the coach and restate that back to the rest of the team in a clear and concise manner. As the team is actively listening to the Quarterback, they understand what they must do in order to run the play as practiced.

This can also be conducted in project teams as the project manager is providing guidance and direction to the team members on what steps need to happen to complete each and every task. The project manager should also ensure open communication is present among team members and that the project manager is willing to accept feedback from the rest of the team. As diverse as our workplaces may be, there are communication barriers that project managers need to take notice of. Identifying and removing those barriers can assist in "mastering communication and having a clear road map of how to use it to create positive outcomes in the workplace and in every conversation" (Keates, 2018

References

Chapter 3: Building a project team. (2007). In Bloomsbury Business Library - Manage Projects Successfully (pp. 28 - 42). A&C Black Publishers Ltd.

Keates, C. (2018). The Five C's of Effective Communication. Forbes. Accessed from The Five C's Of Effective Communication (forbes.com)

Mann, L., & Atkins, L. (2005). Leadership, Management, and Innovation in R & D Project Teams. Greenwood Publishing Group. Accessed from Leadership, Management, and Innovation in R & D Project Teams (apus.edu)