CHAPTER 7

Using Project Communication Tools

The more elaborate our means of communication, the less we communicate.¹

—Joseph Priestley, 18th century theologian, philosopher, chemist, grammarian, teacher

It seems like every day, a new device, software program, mobile application, or widget is announced that will improve whatever we are doing. Everything is the “latest and greatest.” With each new announcement, our communication seems to become more sophisticated, more complicated, more expensive—and perhaps more intimidating. The end result is that we may actually start communicating less—at least, communicating less in person.

This chapter looks at various communication tools and how to select the right tool relative to the size and complexity of your project, the experience and location of your project team, and the needs of the team, stakeholders, and organization.

The purpose of this chapter is to help you:

As a reminder, in Chapter 1 we defined project communication tools as any mechanism or strategy to exchange information, reduce uncertainty, engage stakeholders, build trust, generate support for the project, and, ultimately, deliver project and team success.

From a different perspective, Merriam Webster defines a tool as:

Yes, your natural ability is also a communication tool!

Choosing the Right Communication Tool

Our emphasis in this section is on the process and importance of choosing the right tool, rather than focusing on specific, brand-name products or services. Think about Simon Sinek’s approach of the Golden Circle (shown in Figure 7.1) as described in his book, Start with Why. The concept is to start with WHY, then look at HOW, then answer WHAT.³

Figure 7.1 The Golden Circle

Sinek describes the approach in relation to organizational success, but we can use the same approach when selecting project communication tools:

The Why

Many times, we don’t stop to consider the why. Usually, we start with the tool (the what) and even look at the features (the how), before we address the need (the why). For example: Let’s say you see a demonstration of a new carpet cleaner (the what). You love the features, accessories and the high-quality cleaning it does (the how), and you buy it—except you don’t have any carpets to clean (missing the why)! The same is true in projects. We get a new communications tool. We start using it. We then discover it does not meet our communication needs. This creates even greater communication problems on the project: more misunderstandings, more frustration, more waste of time and resources, and more uncertainty.

How can we avoid this? By starting with the why! Why are we addressing this communication need? Why is this an issue? Why is this important to the project, team, and stakeholders? Focus first on the why—the reason or the purpose. Once these questions are answered, the next steps of how and what will logically follow.

The How

Next, establish a list of criteria based on your project needs, organization, team, budget, and other influencing factors. In the Buyers’ Guide for Beginners Selecting PM Software, author Elizabeth Harrin recommends focusing “on the criteria that matter” when selecting the right product or tool.⁴ These criteria are the how—how the tool can accomplish the why.

Harrin provides a sample criteria list (as shown in Exhibit 7.1). This is an excellent place to begin. Take a look at the list and modify it to build your own set of selection criteria.

Why is this important? A criteria list provides you with a focused roadmap for your selection process so that you don’t get off track with criteria that do not matter.

In evaluating tools, you also need to consider how the communication takes place—is it synchronous (meaning real-time or contemporaneous) or asynchronous (not interactive or not at the same time)? A combination of both synchronous and asynchronous communication tools is required for all types of project teams and stakeholders. Table 7.1 provides examples and considerations for both types.

Table 7.1 Synchronous and asynchronous communications⁶

Type	Example	Note
Synchronous communication	Project team members or stakeholders are engaged in the dialogue together (either electronic or verbal). Examples include online chat sessions or face-to-face conversations.	Participants are in the same place at the same time (i.e. face-to-face) or different place at the same time (i.e. online chat or teleconference). There is two-way communication with an immediate response.
Asynchronous communication	Project team members or stakeholders are not engaged in a dialogue. Examples include sending an e-mail, distributing an internal memo, or posting information on the project website.	Participants are communicating at different times. (Note that this does not mean different time zones!) They may be in the same place, but not talking with each other. Or they may be in different places (remote locations). This is one-way communication waiting (hopefully) for a response or acknowledgement, or making others aware that the information is now available.

Figure 7.2 provides a graphic depiction of asynchronous and synchronous communications.

Figure 7.2 Depiction of synchronous and asynchronous communications

Once you have established your criteria list and have considered the need for synchronous and asynchronous communications, the next step is to prioritize the criteria in order of importance. Categorize the features into three groups:

Using the template in Table 7.2, you can take your criteria list and populate your priorities. If you need a place to get started, consider using the criteria shown in Exhibit 7.1.

Table 7.2 Template for tool selection criteria and priority

Why is this important? Putting together a criteria list and establishing priorities before looking at the actual communication tools—regardless of the type of tool—will help you throughout the selection process and increase the probability of choosing and using the most effective tools that fit your project needs.

The What

Now that we have looked at the why and the how, it is time to look at the what—the actual project communication tools that you might consider. The goal here is to find and select tools that can accomplish the why while meeting all of the criteria you have established in the how. The next section provides an overview of several types of project communication tools for consideration. This is a partial list as there are many options available, and those options are changing all the time.

Communication Tools for Projects

Let’s look at some of the many different types of communication tools project teams could use. Since technology, products, and services are constantly changing, we are taking a generic approach, looking at different categories of tools rather than referencing or endorsing any specific product.

In managing projects and working with project teams and stakeholders, you should be using a collection of project communication tools. Each tool in your collection has its own purpose and benefits. When it comes to project communications, there is no “one size fits all!”

To get started, we will look at five general categories of project communication tools. There may be other classifications, but let’s start with these. Table 7.3 displays these five categories in the order in which we will address them in this section.

Table 7.3 Categories of project communication tools

Technology

Choosing the most effective technology must be done carefully. This is not a simple process. It is “influenced by the organization’s budget, the nature of the team task, and members’ access to various technologies.”⁷ There is urgency. There is confidentiality. There is availability and compatibility. There is knowledge and ability. The process is not easy.

Collaboration Software

PC Magazine defines collaboration software as “many different kinds of apps and services that handle everything from video conference calls to letting two people type on a document at the same time.”⁸ When a team needs to collaborate, use collaboration software tools that allow for interactive discussions (such as online chat rooms or instant messaging) or the ability to jointly work on the same document. It will increase productivity with people working together, talking, and communicating (synchronous). When information needs to be shared, collaboration websites provide a resource for storing, communicating, and sharing project information (asynchronous). The benefit is that the project team and authorized stakeholders can use the website—at their convenience—for accessing the most current information on the project. In addition, collaboration tools today are very robust and can be especially useful for teams who are not colocated. They also cut down significantly on e-mail clutter.

Video Conferencing

The value in using a video conferencing tool as a communication method is that you can see everyone. Consider it another form of face-to-face meeting. You benefit from the verbal communication, as well as seeing the nonverbal communication of gestures, body language, reactions, or level of participation. Furthermore, you can share a screen to show participants documents, presentations, videos, and other information which can facilitate even greater understanding and collaboration. The chat feature within many video conferencing tools provides an added mechanism for asking questions, getting clarification, and engaging online with other participants. The downside of video conferencing is that not everyone has the required bandwidth, or some may have difficulty accessing it or may not know how to use it effectively.

Teleconferencing

Conducting a phone meeting, or teleconference, among people who are not colocated is another communication tool. The benefit is that it is easier to schedule as it involves less complicated technology than a video conference call. Many teleconferencing and video conferencing tools also allow the meeting to be recorded so that team members who are absent can listen to it at a later time. Teleconferencing requires an excellent facilitator to manage the conversation so that participants are not talking all at the same time and the conversation (and agenda topics) keeps moving forward. A downside of these tools is that you can only hear the participants; you cannot see them.

E-mail

While e-mail is part of our daily routine, it is considered one-way communication (asynchronous). You send a message. Then you wait. And wait. And wait until you get a response, if any. E-mail should be used for documenting conversations, not conducting conversations. The benefit of e-mail is that it provides you with project documentation. The downside of e-mail is urgency (others may not respond as quickly as you need) and understanding (the tone of your written message may be different from the tone of how your message is read). In working on projects, look for tools that enable a two-way dialogue, not one-way. Remember: Just because you hit the “send” button on an e-mail does not mean that you have actually communicated.⁹

Social Media

Using social media tools to communicate in a project is becoming more prevalent. Social media provides an avenue for sharing project information with stakeholders in a public, low-cost, and easily accessible way. This can be beneficial in large projects that affect members of the broader external community as a means to provide them with current information about the project status and how it affects them as it progresses. It also provides stakeholders with a means of providing feedback, and can be measured through engagement metrics available in many social platforms. However, social media is not the right tool for every project and every stakeholder group. Carefully consider the why, how, and what of using social media as a tool, and ensure it satisfies your tool selection criteria before moving forward.

Project Documents

Project Reports

How often do you hear a response to a question that sounds like, “Didn’t you read the report?” or, “It’s in the report!” If you are hearing this feedback, it likely is an indication that you are not meeting your stakeholders’ communication needs by simply sending a report. Just because we put something in a report does not mean that we have effectively communicated the information.

In fact, the report is simply for documentation purposes. Just because we wrote it, it doesn’t mean that people read it! If you know there is information in the report that certain stakeholders need to know, communicate it separately. At minimum, when you send the report, add an introductory note that uses bullet points to highlight specific aspects of the report you want to ensure they see. The benefit of project reports is that critical project information has been documented. The challenge: making sure that project reports, decision logs, issue logs, and other reports have a purpose and are being used (and read)!

Project Schedule

One of the most powerful tools we have for communicating about the project is the project schedule (see Figure 7.3 for an example of a project schedule). The project schedule is highly detailed and communicates the tasks, milestones, planned and actual start/end dates, durations, dependencies, resources, and other detailed information. It brings the pieces (information) from other sections of the project plan into one place—the schedule. To improve your project communications, consider printing the project schedule as a large wall chart, or post it on a virtual team wall. As you start doing the work on the project, mark your project schedule in different colors. When a task is late, communicate this by highlighting the task in a bright color with a large arrow or circle. When a task is completed early, communicate this by highlighting the task on the schedule in a different bright color and add an icon (star, exclamation point, etc.). The benefit of having a marked-up project schedule that is visible to everyone is communicating progress, problems, and commitment. Visibility is an excellent communication tool. For example, if you are assigned a task and it is late, it is circled for everyone to see! And for those tasks that are completed early or for other achievements, it is important to communicate and celebrate successes (large and small) throughout the life of the project.

Milestone Schedule

When you need to communicate a high-level view of the project schedule, a milestone schedule can be a great communication tool. By definition, a milestone schedule is “a type of schedule that presents milestones with planned dates.”¹⁰ Figure 7.4 is an example of a milestone schedule. Notice the difference in the level of detail in the milestone schedule (Figure 7.4) from the project schedule (Figure 7.3). The benefit of using a milestone schedule as a communication tool is that sometimes key stakeholders, project sponsors, or management may only want a high-level view (or summary) of the status of key milestones, or points in time. Consider using a milestone schedule for communicating in these situations.

Figure 7.3 Project schedule example

Source: Debbie Austin, DBA, PMP

Figure 7.4 Milestone schedule example

Source: Debbie Austin, DBA, PMP

Status Reports

Status reports allow us to communicate project progress at regular intervals. Whether your document is called a status report, project update, or some other name, it is a vital communication tool. Without it, how would you know that progress is being made on the project? The frequency and formality of communicating project status will depend on your project. This should be documented in your team operating principles (see Chapter 4), and your project communications management plan would show additional details about status reports (see Chapter 5).

Status reports do not need to be complicated. They should be easy to read and preferably a maximum of one page (depending on the size and complexity of the project). Using a template (such as the one shown in Table 7.4) ensures that a constant format and consistent information is being communicated. Don’t forget to add a section to your status report on recent lessons learned! Post your status reports on the collaboration website or in a shared folder for easy access by the project sponsor, project team, management, and other key stakeholders. Make sure that your stakeholders are receiving current information in the status reports, and not getting status reports with outdated details. The timing of your status report distribution should be outlined in your project communications management plan. The benefit in consistently using status reports is that they help answer the question, “Where are we on the project?” for everyone involved.

Kanban Board

The Kanban board is becoming a more common tool, particularly for agile project teams. Basically, it communicates what tasks need to be done (to do), what is being worked on (in progress), and what has been done (completed). There may be other elements you include on your Kanban board to fit your needs. Figure 7.5 shows an example of a simple Kanban board. Each task is represented by a “card” and the card moves across the board as the work progresses. Consider it a visible status report or a different, more visual way to communicate workload on the project. The benefit is that it is a great visual to show to do, doing, and done. It also helps in showing how much work is waiting to be done, the need to establish priorities, and visibility on problems (or work that is stalled or blocked).

Table 7.4 Status report template

Figure 7.5 Example of a Kanban board

As with other tools, there is often software available to create a digital version. You can create a digital Kanban board or use a physical Kanban board. Use whatever method works best for your project team. The key is that the board is visible and current!

Presentations and Templates

Presentations

Tools such as face-to-face presentations, interactive webinars, podcasts, or videos provide an excellent opportunity for communicating project information. This is a time to use your presentation skills and facilitation techniques when presenting key project information. Graphs, charts, photographs, and stories can create very powerful and impactful images. The benefit is that you can engage the audience (see Chapter 3) and reduce uncertainty (see Chapter 2) by directly addressing any project questions or concerns.

Templates

There is a template or form for just about everything! Don’t spend your time creating a form from a blank sheet of paper or screen. Find a template, modify it, then use the same template for similar interactions. The benefit in using a template is that it provides consistent messaging and branding to support your project communication. Spend your time on the communication content, and not on creating, designing, and redesigning a form.

Dashboards

Dashboards are an excellent communication tool to show a high-level overview of your project or multiple projects. They provide an opportunity to communicate key project information or a quick comparison of projects and the status of each. Figure 7.6 is an example of a project dashboard. Consider it an at-a-glance view of project status and high-level project information. The benefit in using a dashboard is that it is flexible depending on what information you choose to include and can be customized based on the needs of your stakeholders. Dashboards can also be used to keep everyone informed of how the project is progressing.

Meetings

Face-to-Face Meetings

Invest the time and money to have at least one face-to-face meeting for a project team, especially at the beginning of the project. Face-to-face meetings are critical for all teams. Research shows that “when teams are unable to meet face-to-face—even once—they are less able to handle cultural differences and to understand and appreciate one another.”¹¹ Don’t underestimate the power and benefits of face-to-face meetings. They are crucial to project and team success! The downside of face-to-face meetings is the difficulty in getting everyone scheduled to attend at the same time, and the costs that may be associated with them. However, there are greater costs when face-to-face meetings are not held.

Figure 7.6 Example of a project dashboard

Stand-Up Meetings

Quick stand-up meetings are also an excellent communication tool, especially for agile project teams. Stand-up meetings are just that: participants stand. They do not sit down. The meeting is short and focused. In agile practice, stand-up meetings typically occur daily and last no longer than 15 minutes. In traditional or hybrid teams, these meetings may occur weekly and last longer. Regardless of the duration, the benefit of stand-up meetings is that they are consistent, short, and focused. It is an opportunity to quickly identify problems, prioritize items, and provide support where needed. Make sure that you have established ground rules for your stand-up meetings (see Appendix E).

Meeting Outcomes

When working with teams and conducting meetings, it is essential to communicate the meeting outcomes, goals, or intentions. Meeting outcomes should address the intended goal for the meeting, and expectations of what will be accomplished by the end of the meeting. Include the meeting outcomes on the meeting agenda and distribute the agenda well in advance of the meeting time. The benefit in clearly stating meeting outcomes is that everyone knows that their time and input is valued and respected, and can come prepared for focused discussions.

Stories

Stories use a narrative format to relate a specific project experience or example. One of the oldest forms of human communication, stories simulate experience rather than just conveying information. The benefit in using stories is that stories tap into stakeholders’ emotions as well as their minds, which provides deeper engagement. Stories show us what has happened to others in similar projects, which helps reduce the uncertainty of what could happen in the current project. In the right situation, such as an initial project team meeting or a conversation with an unsupportive stakeholder, stories can be one of the most effective tools in your communication arsenal.

Talents and Strengths

Natural ability is mentioned in the Merriam Webster definition of tools. What is our natural ability? The Gallup organization and their Strengths philosophy defines natural abilities as “the ways in which a person naturally thinks, feels, and behaves.”¹² Natural abilities include our talents and our strengths.

What is a talent? It is a natural ability that a person is born with.

What is a strength? It is taking a talent and enhancing it by investing the time and effort to grow one’s skills and knowledge through learning and practice. This occurs over a person’s lifetime. A strength is the developed ability “to consistently provide near-perfect performance”¹³ in a given activity, including the activity of project communication.

Martha Buelt, author and a Gallup-Certified Strengths Coach, explains that when project team members understand their own talents (natural abilities), they can better communicate what they need in order to maximize the use of their own talents and strengths on the team. Furthermore, when each team member can understand and articulate their own talents, team members are better equipped to develop their strengths. (Remember that developing a strength means taking a talent—something you do well naturally—and investing time, skills, knowledge, and practice to turn that talent into a strength.)

How each project team member develops their own specific communication strengths will vary depending upon the person’s talents and the opportunities available to them for developing their talents into strengths. The following are general examples of project team members who are engaging in the process of developing and using their communication strengths on their project teams:

Project managers have a responsibility to create an environment in which team members can become more aware of the collective communication strengths of the team. Furthermore, project managers can facilitate the assignment of tasks based on each team member’s talents and strengths, maximizing the team’s communication strengths toward project and team success. The benefit in using our natural abilities (talents) and developing our talents into strengths as an effective project communication tool is leveraging what we do best!

Be Knowledgeable. Be Curious. Be a Learner.

With all of the technology and tools available to us, and the associated marketing and buzz that comes with them, it can be easy to think that the right tool will solve all of our project communications problems. Wrong. Even when you have the right tool, you still must use it—and use it effectively. A hammer won’t pound in a nail by itself. You must do the work.

Regardless of the type and level of skills you and your project team members have in using communication tools (technical, facilitation, presentation, storytelling, writing abilities, etc.), it is important to keep your skills sharp. As new project communications tools are released and existing tools evolve, it is important to keep learning. As project teams and stakeholders become more diverse and global, it is important to learn new cultures. Learn new words. Practice new ways of communicating. Being on a project team is about the learning experience. Take advantage of this learning opportunity.

Growing your knowledge to effectively use the communication tools on your project is 100 percent in your control. However, keep in mind that tools are constantly changing, and so are your project communication needs. If a tool is no longer effective or not working for you and the team, discuss it together and make the necessary adjustments. Just because we have a tool does not make us good communicators.

Putting It into Practice

Here are a few practical tips, fun activities, or useful ideas for how you can implement the concepts in this chapter into your project environment. Note that ideas listed in one type of team may be adapted to other teams. Be creative. Use these as a starting point. Add your own ideas to build your communications toolkit.

Using project communication tools
Traditional project teams	• At the start of team meetings, have each participant share a new feature or approach they have found useful with one of the team’s project communication tools. • Designate an area, wall, or room where project information can be posted. Visuals can help the team stay focused on important details of the project. • Traditional teams often benefit from colocation. Where this occurs, encourage impromptu problem-solving as a group. It can be extremely effective in not only solving the problem, but also in communicating issues and creating awareness of potential issues.
Agile project teams	• While the tools are important, remember that you are the best communication tool on agile project teams. It is the team and their interactions that make agile teams successful. • Using stand-up meetings helps agile teams focus on what will be accomplished each day. This can significantly increase team collaboration and problem-solving. This level of communication also quickly builds trust. • Continually look for and use simplified tools in working with agile teams and stakeholders. Spend more time on the message and connecting, and less time on using the tool.
Virtual project teams	• Using technology to communicate is crucial on virtual teams. Make sure that everyone has easy access and the necessary knowledge to effectively use the technology tools. Invest in training, coaching, or technology super-users so that technical expertise is easily available. • Interview team members about their technology experiences. Ask them what communication tools they like and why, and what tools they don’t like and why. Post the results. This will jumpstart your efforts in selecting tools that everyone will use. • Ensure that the virtual team doesn’t rely solely on asynchronous communication tools. Plan regular phone or video meetings with the team, and encourage them to use the phone or video chat to connect with one another frequently. • Using chat tools allows team members to pop in (much like popping over to someone’s cubicle) for a quick question. This is an effective way to simulate face-to-face interaction and can facilitate quick problem-solving and team cohesion.

Summary

When exploring different communication tools, it is best to start with why we need the tool, then how the tool can meet those needs, then what specific tool we should use. With the vast array of communication tools available, many of which are constantly changing and being updated, it is critical to establish (and prioritize) criteria when selecting project communication tools to best fit the project, team, stakeholder, and organization needs.

Selecting the right tool is as important as knowing how to use the tool. Make sure that your project communications toolkit is actually being used. If you need education, training, or coaching, get it. If a project communication tool is not working well, discuss it with the team and make the necessary adjustments. Your communication tools should be an asset to help your project communications, not a burden.

As we noted at the end of Chapter 2, trust is a critical factor in project success. Trust is not built just by using a tool. You must choose tools that meet the communication needs of stakeholders, and then use them to deliver the right messages to the right stakeholders at the right time—thereby building trust. Tools alone do not create good project communications.

Key Questions

Notes

  1. Gupta (2008), p. 3.

  2. Merriam-Webster Online, https://www.merriam-webster.com/ dictionary/tool.

  3. Sinek (2009), p. 37.

  4. Harrin (2015).

  5. Harrin (2015).

  6. Smith (2012), https://www.imedicalapps.com/2012/05/synchronous-asynchronous-communication/.

  7. DuFrene and Lehman (2016), p. 49.

  8. Duffy (2019).

  9. Tumlin (2013), p. 32.

10. Project Management Institute (2017), PMBOK^® Guide, 6^th ed., p. 711.

11. DuFrene and Lehman (2016), p. 17.

12. Rath (2007), p. 20.

13. Rath (2007), pp. 18–20.

14. Buelt Consulting, LLC, http://www.talentstrength.net.

References

Buelt Consulting, LLC. 2019. “Strengths-Based Talent Development.” https://www.talentstrength.net/, (accessed July 22, 2019).

Duffy, J. August 22, 2019. “The Best Project Management Software of 2019.” PC Magazine, https://www.pcmag.com/roundup/260751/the-best-project-management-software.

DuFrene, D. D. and C. M. Lehman. 2016. Managing Virtual Teams, 2nd ed. New York, NY. Business Expert Press.

Gupta, S. 2008. Communication Skills and Functional Grammar. New Delhi, India: University Science Press.

Harrin, E. December, 2015. “Buyers’ Guide for Beginners Selecting PM Software.” ProjectManager (blog), https://www.projectmanager.com/blog/buyers-guide-selecting-pm-software.

Merriam-Webster OnLine, s.v. “tool,” https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tool, (accessed July 10, 2019).

Peters, T. J. 2010. The Little Big Things: 163 Ways to Pursue Excellence. New York, NY: Harper Collins Publishers.

Project Management Institute. 2017. A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge. 6th ed. Newtown Square, PA: Project Management Institute.

Rath, T. 2007. StrengthsFinder 2.0. New York, NY: Gallup Press.

Sinek, S. 2009. Start with Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action. London, England. Penguin Books Ltd .

Smith, R. L. May, 2012. “Synchronous vs Asynchronous Communication and Why it Matters to You as a Doctor.” iMedicalApps (blog), May 23, 2012, https://www.imedicalapps.com/2012/05/synchronous-asynchronous-communication/.

Tumlin, G. 2013. Stop Talking, Start Communicating. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill Education.