The Importance of Early Communication

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The Importance of Early Communication

Joe Wynne

January 25, 2010





It’s time for an advanced project manager technique--“advanced” because it makes subsequent tasks and success easier. I’m talking about taking deliberate actions early in any phase to influence the outcome.
Requirements gathering is a perfect example of where you can set the stage for a successful project if the right actions are taken early. In this case, you are setting the stage for a particularly unruly group of actors: the project stakeholders who provide you with subject matter experts.
Stakeholder Concerns & Knowledge Gaps
Those who provide you with experts for the requirements documentation activities will have concerns that distract them from supporting your project:
  • How am I going to handle all the efforts that take up a significant amount of my time?
  • Does this project manager really know how to run this project so that my group is not adversely impacted?
  • Isn’t this project going to take too much time?
  • Are there going to be future staff reductions in my organization?
  • Will I be in my job in 12 months?
To create an environment for success with these stakeholders, you have to communicate early and prove you know what their concerns are and what any previous problems are and that you are already working to make it better.
What to Say to Stakeholders In Early Communications
Depending on your project and culture, these messages may be delivered in e-mails, conference calls, Web presentations, face to face or in some other way.



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