MEL – 452 AGRICULTURAL  PROJECT  MANAGEMENT (2+0)

Dr.J.MEENAMBIGAI 

Assistant Professor

PROJECT COMMUNICATION

Introduction 

Communication in any institution is critical to its success, and this is certainly true of projects. The aim of communication is to ensure that the information necessary for the management of projects is collected and exchanged or distributed on time, and that when required, is adequately stored for easier retrieval. This requires a communication plan, as part of the project plan, which specifies what information will be collected and when, who will be responsible for the collection and analysis of the data, and to whom, how and when it will be distributed. 

Communication skills and planning are essential to address the issues and challenges associated with project management. Communication is the basis for gaining understanding between project team members, for discussing project issues and for settling team disputes. People in an institution must communicate, but the criteria that characterise project activities means that they must communicate effectively and efficiently if the work is to be well directed and managed.  

The way project outcomes are communicated can affect how people perceive and accept those outcomes. Project managers and project team members should be effective communicators. Communication is a key tool that project team members must use in dealing with the concerns, service needs and enquiries of clients and role players.  

In this section, a broad overview of personal communication is provided. Communication is defined within a project setting, after which the significance of communication in projects is explained. Project communication planning, documentation management and meeting and presentation fundamentals, also come under scrutiny. Lastly, the project communication plan is discussed.

Project communication as an academic field embraces a large body of knowledge. Within a project management context, communication focuses on:

·         How the project team members communicate with one another;

·         How the project team, and specifically the project manager, liaise with senior management and internal stakeholders on project resources and progress;

·         How the project team liaise with external stakeholders such as the media and community leaders;

·         The distribution of information to all project stakeholders and role-players using appropriate media and technology; 

·         The planning and compilation of a project communication plan;

·         Project-related documentation (progress reports, etc.). 

Significance of communication in project management

Project communication, according to Healy (1997:227), has a dual purpose: the first is to cause some action or agreement to take place, and the second is to make a record that might be needed later. The larger the number of people involved in the project, the more communication paths there are, and the more project time is spent on simply sharing information and keeping stakeholders and role players up to date.  

Inefficiencies in communication, and especially the lack of communication, can severely affect a project’s schedule and chances for success. Communication management is even more necessary if the project team is spread out over different geographical areas and timelines.  

Large projects generate huge quantities of information. If this information is to be used effectively to manage project activities, it must be organised systematically and structured to provide suitable information for the various levels of project management.  

Proper communication in a project is a critical success factor for managing the expectations of the customer and the stakeholders. There is a much greater chance of problems and difficulties occurring due to differing levels of expectations. In fact, in many cases where conflicts arise, it is not because of the actual problem but because the customer or manager was surprised. Project communication management provides the critical link among people, ideas and information that is necessary for success. Everyone involved in the project ‘language’, must understand how the communications they are involved in as individuals, affect the project as a whole.

Project meetings

Clements and Gido (2011:374) distinguish between different types of project meetings:

Ø  Project kick-off meetings

Ø  Status review meetings

Ø  Problem solving meetings

Ø  Design review meetings

Ø  Post-project evaluation meeting Three of the above types of meetings will be discussed in this section. 

Status review meetings

The primary purposes of such a meeting are to inform, identify problems, and to identify action items. According to Clements and Gido (2011), the following are some of the subjects that might be discussed as part of the agenda:

§  Accomplishments since the last meeting

§  Cost, schedule, and work scope (status) 

§  Cost, schedule, and work scope (trends) 

§  Cost, schedule, and work scope (forecasts) 

§  Cost, schedule, and work scope (variances) 

§  Risk assessment update

§  Corrective actions

§  Opportunities for improvement 

§  Action item assignment  

Problem-solving meetings

The purpose is to identify and resolve the problem as early as possible for a project to be successful. According to Clements and Gido (2011:376), the problem solving meeting should follow a good problem solving approach, such as:

a) Develop a problem statement.

b) Identify potential causes of the problem. 

c) Gather data and verify the most likely causes. 

d) Identify possible solutions. 

e) Determine the best solution. 

f) Revise the project plan. 

g) Implement the solution.

h) Determine whether the problem has been solved.  

Design review meetings

Projects that involve a design phase, such as an information system project or development of a new marketing brochure, may require one or more technical design review meetings to ensure that the customer agrees with, or approves of, the design approach developed by the project contractor. 

The two types of design review meetings are:

ü  A preliminary design review meeting. 

ü  A final design review meeting. 

Clements and Gido (2011:377) also describe some general steps to effectively prepare for meetings:

a) Determine whether a meeting is really necessary.

b) Determine the purpose of the meeting. 

c) Determine who needs to participate in the meeting. 

d) Distribute an agenda well in advance of the meeting. 

e) Prepare visual aids or handouts. 

f) Make meeting room arrangements. 

Clements and Gido (2011:379-381) also describe steps to follow during and after each project meeting.  

Project presentations 

Clements and Gido (2011) also describe some important points to take note of in preparation of and during a presentation:

·         Determine the purpose of the presentation.

·         Know the audience.

·         Make an outline of the presentation.

·         Use simple language that the audience will understand. 

·         Prepare notes or a final outline that you will use or refer to during your presentation. 

·         Prepare visual aids and test them. 

·         Make copies of handout materials. 

·         Go into the meeting room when it is empty or not in use and get a feel for the surroundings. 

·         Include divergent views or issues.

·         Break the material into short sections to facilitate questions and discussion.

·         Create tension slides to help the audience move from one section or point to the next.

·         Build-in variety, surprise, or changes of pace.

·         Don’t overwhelm the audience with information- make each slide comprehensible, simple, and tied with a common thread throughout the presentation. 

·         Identify and make arrangements for audio-visuals and other resources. 

·         Test the presentation equipment before the audience arrives. 

·         Monitor the time. 

·         Develop a strong conclusion related to the presentation content.

·         Know the first two or three sentences of your presentation.

·         Speak clearly and confidently. 

·         Use appropriate animation to help make a point. 

·         Do not stand in front of your visual aids. 

·         Keep to the key points in your outline. 

·         When making key points, explain to the audience why they are important. 

·         Allow time for interaction with the audience, if appropriate.

·         When responding to questions, be sincere, candid, and confident.   

Project reports

According to Clements and Gido (2011:384), the two most common types of project reports are: Progress /Status reports and Final Reports. 

Items that might be included in a progress report include the following:

§  Accomplishments. 

§  Current status of project performance. 

§  Progress toward resolution of previously identified problems. 

§  Problems or potential problems since prior report. 

§  Planned corrective actions. 

§  Milestones expected to be reached during the next reporting period.  

§  The project final report is usually a summary of the project. The final report might include:

§  Customer’s original need.

§  Original project objective. 

§  Customer’s original requirements. 

§  Actual versus anticipated benefits to the customer as a result of the project.

§  Degree to which the original project objective was met. 

§  Brief description of the project. 

§  Future considerations. 

§  A list of all deliverables.   

Project communication plan 

Communication planning involves determining the information and communication needs of the stakeholders: Who needs what information? When will they need it? and how will it be given to them. While all projects share the need to communicate project information, the informational needs and methods of distribution vary widely. Identifying the informational needs of the stakeholders, and determining a suitable means of meeting those needs, are important factors for project success. A project communication plan defines the generation and distribution of project documentation among stakeholders throughout the project (Clements and Gido, 2011:388).  

According to Clements and Gido (2011, 389-390), the following elements may be included in a project communication plan:

ü  Documents (e.g. project charter, contract, scope document, WBS, quality plan, etc.)

ü  Author or originator

ü  Required date or frequency

ü  Recipients

ü  Action required

ü  Comments

A typical template of a project communication plan appears below:

Documents	Author	Required date	Recipients	Action required	Comments

Roles and Responsibilities of a Project Leader

• Managing and leading the project team.

• Recruiting project staff and consultants.

 • Managing co-ordination of the partners and working groups engaged in project work.

• Detailed project planning and control including:

• Developing and maintaining a detailed project plan.

• Managing project deliverables in line with the project plan.

• Recording and managing project issues and escalating where necessary.

 • Resolving cross-functional issues at project level.

• Managing project scope and change control and escalating issues where necessary.

• Monitoring project progress and performance.

• Providing status reports to the project sponsor.

• Managing project training within the defined budget.

• Liaises with, and updates progress to, project board/senior management.

 • Managing project evaluation and dissemination activities.

• Managing consultancy input within the defined budget.

• Final approval of the design specification.

• Working closely with users to ensure the project meets business needs.

 • Definition and management of the User Acceptance Testing programme.

• Identifying user training needs and devising and managing user training programmes.

• Providing regular status reports to the IPSC Programme Board.