Communication Clements

WRITTEN COMMUNICATION

Meeting Agendas

Meeting Minutes

Immediate actions required e-mail, Project Manager or person requiring immediate action, Person responsible for action,

Progress Reports

Communication can make or break a project. "Much of project management is about talking and listening to the project team." (Gido & Clements, 2012, p 396.) Because communication is so critical, it is important to set communication expectations and guidelines in a communication plan.

The communication plan should contain both verbal and non-verbal forms of communication. Verbal communication may involve meetings, presentations, telephone calls, voicemail, and walk-by cubicle or hallway conversations. Probably the most varied source of verbal communication is the meeting. The following gives a listing of meeting types and their purpose:

Project Kickoff Meeting - this meeting may also be referred to as the project orientation meeting. This meeting is intended to manage expectations, inspire the team, and set the tone for the entire project (Gido & Clements, 2012, p 360.)

Project Status Meeting - this meeting is usually led by the Project Manager and involves all or some of the project team members. The purpose of this meeting is to inform the team about the status of the project, identify any issues or risks, and to identify and assign action items. (Gido & Clements, 2012, p 402.) Staying on top of the project is important so that potential issues can be addressed early on.

Technical Review Meeting - the purpose of this meeting is to review the performance of a product to determine if it meets specifications or customer requirements

Problem Solving Meeting - the purpose of this meeting is to quickly address an issue or problem rather than waiting until the next project status meeting. Typically the person with the problem calls the meeting. (Gido & Clements, 2012, p 404.)

Progress Review Meeting - a periodic meeting intended to review the accomplishments of the project and the current status. It also may include progress made toward resolution of a previously identified problem, problems or potential problems since the previous report, planned corrective actions and milestones to be expected at the next period. (Gido & Clements, 2012, p 414.)

Non-verbal forms of communication (mostly written or electronic) include follow up communication based on the above meetings to document meeting minutes, action item logs, risk management tracking, updated project schedules and progress review reports. Another form of non-verbal communication includes input to the project from the project team members, and may include updates on work completed, costs incurred, resources utilized, potential issues and/or problems.