Transition from an Average to a Great Project Manager

I am a strong believer in the power of communication. Communication begins with listening... project managers must spend at least 50% of their communication time listening to their audience. As a project manager you must listen to your customer and stakeholders to understand their actual needs, listening to your project team so that you are truly aware of what is going on and understand the true state of the project. Only then the project manager should share their perspective and decide on how and what message to deliver in their communication.

Over many years of my experience on managing large complex IT projects one common key element that I have seen come across loud and clear is that most project failure and client dissatisfaction can be associated with unsatisfactory or limited communication by the project manager. If proper communication has not been delivered, expectations are not set appropriately and often that leads to disappointment, as not everyone was on the same page. If the project manger and their delivery team(s) are unsure of customer expectations then the project will never be successful. If the project team does not know what their tasks are or how to accomplish them, then the entire project will come to a grinding halt. If you do not know what your project team is/or not doing then you would be unable to monitor accurate project progress.

As project managers you must maintain regular and accurate channels of communication with all levels of the project team and stakeholders. It is critical to ensure the smooth flow of information from the project manager and sufficient warning of risks and changes to enable early assessment and resolution. To transition from an average to a great project manager you must strengthen and practice effective communication.

"Excellent communication skill is the basic ingredient of a great project manager – Bhusan"