In project management, communications management outlines the processes and procedures needed to ensure that information and data are properly collected, stored and distributed across the project team throughout the project’s life.
In this guide:
Communications management plan and process.
There are three primary steps in the communications management process. These are:
- Plan communications.
- Manage communications.
- Control communications.
1. Plan communications.
Before you can start planning communications, you need to identify your stakeholders. Internal stakeholders may include the project manager, internal teams and sponsors. However, external stakeholders may include clients, end-users, subcontractors and suppliers. Your communication will vary depending on the stakeholder, so it’s essential to start your strategy with a strong understanding of those involved.
A communications management plan allows you to organise your project’s communication strategy effectively. It should document communication requirements throughout the entire lifecycle of a project.
Some of these requirements include:
- Cadence: How frequently are updates going to be sent out?
- Audience: Who will project communications be sent to? Is there a different group for different types of communications?
- Purpose: Will progress reports go out at each milestone? Will change requests be shared with all stakeholders?
- Channel: What channels will be used for communication? Consider what collaborative platforms would best facilitate your team, especially if you have hybrid or remote members.
The communications management plan should include as much detail as possible. This ensures there are clear and understandable expectations and all stakeholder communication is smooth.
2. Manage communications.
Once all stakeholders have agreed on the communications management plan, the project manager needs to ensure that project communications follow those guidelines. The communications plan should be seen as a living document throughout the lifecycle of a project changes must be communicated to the project team so that everyone is aligned.
Project managers are responsible for fostering effective communication with in-person, hybrid and remote teams. It’s important to hone soft skills, such as empathy and active listening, to build rapport and maintain effective collaboration in virtual settings, too. Effective collaboration platforms, like Adobe Workfront, are key for these situations, allowing real-time sharing and updates so all team members feel equally involved and part of the team.
3. Control communications.
Not all stakeholders’ input is needed in every project detail. To stay efficient, only include stakeholders in communications when necessary. Create sub-groups of stakeholders that need to receive certain communications. For example, this could include updates on project status and project performance or analysis of risks and costs.
Effective communication control streamlines project management and saves leaders and team members from getting irrelevant updates and emails that distract them from other tasks. It’s also important to continually evolve communication strategies based on stakeholder feedback to ensure that their communication preferences are being met.
Project management communication trends.
Keeping up with industry trends is essential — technology constantly evolves and teams are becoming increasingly geographically diverse. Artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning, including breakthroughs like generative AI and large language models (LLMs), are now commonplace in project management. It’s more important than ever to embrace these technologies within your teams. From automating tasks to generating reports, content or even meeting summaries, the power of AI, especially LLMs, can save project managers time and streamline operations.
Project management trends are constantly evolving as teamwork patterns change. Here’s an overview of key project management trends for project managers to be aware of:
Generative AI’s role in project management.
Generative AI’s long-term opportunity is $4.4 trillion in added productivity growth potential for corporations, according to McKinsey.
Here are some examples of how AI can be utilised within project management:
- Increase productivity and efficiency. Initial applications of AI in communication management are enhancing the productivity and efficiency of project managers.
- Mitigate risks. AI and machine learning open doors for advanced predictive analysis. This allows project managers to identify risks and bottlenecks earlier on and come up with mitigation systems.
- Optimise resources. AI and machine learning algorithms can optimise resource allocation, which can help projects stay on schedule and budget.
- Streamline tasks. AI can automate routine and mundane tasks, so workers can focus on strategic and creative solutions.
- Content creation. Platforms such as ChatGPT are being increasingly used in content creation and even stimulating project scenarios, allowing for learning opportunities.
- Translation. AI can also be harnessed to translate communications for global teams, summarise or extract information from lengthy documents and tailor content for specific stakeholders.
The capabilities of AI could extend even further. Chatbots are frequently seen in customer service situations, but this could be expanded into project management systems. AI-powered chatbots could be utilised to handle routine stakeholder enquiries, respond to frequently asked questions and personalise the delivery of project updates based on individual preferences. This could improve stakeholder communication and engagement. It would also allow project managers to avoid spending as much time managing high volumes of communications.
AI Assistant has the tools and capabilities to take your communication management to the next level, offering in-app solutions and suggestions in natural language. It can help your communications through:
- Summarising documents.
- Finding instructions for work processes.
- Generating or checking formulas.
It’s important to recognise that to implement AI successfully, organisations must ensure that the data AI has access to is of high-quality and is up to date to ensure accurate insights.
Communication tools for project management.
Project management communication tools need to facilitate seamless collaboration across teams and provide a centralised location for all communications. Example platforms include Adobe Workfront, JIRA and Asana. Here’s an overview of some of the top recommended communication tools for project managers:
Manage project communications with Workfront.
Work management software provides the most effective method of communication management. Instant messaging platforms and email are good supplemental communication tools. Work management software solutions offer a centralised location that automatically houses all stakeholder communications throughout a project, ensuring that everyone remains aligned.
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