Effective communication is a critical element of success in any project. Without good communication you foster a project management environment that breeds confusion, poor coordination, and frustration. Communication is both the enabler that allows the exchange of information and ideas among project team members, and the conduit through which information flows.

When we talked with various participants in each of the projects and asked them to identify some of the lessons they had learned from their projects, most answered that good communication was a critical element of success. Moreover, when we asked them to identify some of the problems they had encountered, many of the answers were linked to communication issues. Clearly, communication is one of the most important aspects of any collaboration, and the success or failure of your project may ultimately depend on how well you communicate.

It was apparent from our discussions with the project participants that good communication involves more than just sending and receiving messages. It also involves establishing and maintaining good relationships. Some of the projects we examined demonstrated that positive and supportive relation- ships among individuals was a key to success. When we asked them to elaborate, participants told us that when they treated one another with respect, equality, and courtesy, communication was not a barrier and it was easier to tackle and solve problems. Often the opportunities for informal discussion while on the road or preparing for a major event led people to get to know and trust one another as individuals, not just as professionals linked by a common work assignment.

Another important aspect of communication is how best to send and receive information among the wider group of stakeholders so that they stay engaged, informed, and enthusiastic about the project. Unfortunately, there is no single formula for accomplishing this, since the goals of every project and the project stakeholders are never the same. You need to understand the nuances of your particular project and set up communication techniques that are tailored to your project’s particular circumstances. Spend some time thinking about who your stakeholders are, what their information requirements are, and what techniques can be used to best communicate with them.

For example, if you are establishing a cross-functional project team that consists of customer service and technical staff from local government, and program and technical staff from a state agency, you need to consider the common information requirements for the entire team (such as project timeline information) and the specific information needs of the various stakeholders (such as documentation for the technical staff about updates in software releases). The communication techniques you use to keep the cross-functional team apprised of general project activity will be different from the techniques you use to inform the technical staff of changes to the system software. In the first, you might use periodic team meetings or status reports to keep everyone involved and informed. In the second, you might use formal release notes, memos, e-mail, and telephone calls to discuss the details of software changes as soon as they occur.