Project communication - often overlooked, but with huge potential

22.07.2020

Communication in projects is an often and passionately discussed topic. Project managers as well as many other stakeholders surveyed emphasize the central importance of communication as a success factor in projects. What is striking on closer inspection of lived practice is the large discrepancy between aspiration and reality. As a coach and companion, I hardly ever experience projects that are sufficiently equipped with resources and budgets for communication. In addition, the competencies of the responsible actors necessary for professional communication are often only moderately developed, because project managers often have a technical or commercial background. The task is correspondingly challenging if complex content is to be presented in an understandable and concise manner, in a way that is appropriate for the target group, transparent and with appropriate emotionality. We bring experts into the project for all kinds of tasks - why not for communication?

Communication as a central success factor in the project

Project communication is much more than distributing information on dashboards and status reports and communicating on important milestones. Continuous communication in all phases of the project, cascading from top management to employees is required. If we want to build a positive reputation for our project, we have to proceed in the same way as with brand management: clear positioning and consistent messages that are repeated consistently over a long period of time with an appropriate frequency.
Good project communication is extremely effective. A huge potential that we can use if we implement and live project communication in a way that meets our requirements.

Author: Roland Dörr

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