In this post we will be diving into the topic of project communications management. More specifically we will be looking into the role of soft skills in IT project management and the importance of good communications as a means of achieving project success. We will also talk a little bit about some keys to good communication. As a new project manager you are probably not familiar with how important soft skills are in this profession but it is so much more important than you might have thought coming into this.
Soft Skills in IT
When it comes to IT, most people just think of the hard skills, like programming and other technical skills, that it takes to be good at the job. While these are important skills to have to do your job effectively, they are not the only skills needed. That is where soft skills come into play, these can be things like teamwork, conflict resolution, communication skills and many others. The IT field is constantly changing and that makes communication all the more important because of the gap in technical knowledge between the users of a product and the developers of said product. This is also important because as a developer or project manager you will have to have good communication skills to be able to talk to your peers in different departments about the project that you are working on. And you will have to communicate technical jargon in a way that is understandable to your business colleagues.
While it is important to develop these skills to be able to communicate with people outside of your team, it is equally as important to have these skills to be able to communicate effectively with people on your team. Conflict is something that will happen no matter what on any team and it is important that people on the team know how to handle disagreements and it is even more important as a project manager that you would be able to lead those discussions well and keep the team on the right track to success.
Good Communications Leading to Project Success
“The most important non-technical skills are problem solving, team work, listening, the ability to adapt to new technologies and languages, time management, the ability to transfer knowledge to application, multitasking, verbal communication, the ability to visualize and conceptualize, “be the customer” mentality, interpersonal skills, understanding business culture, inter-team communication, and give and receive constructive criticism” (Schwalbe). That's a long list of skills that are needed while working in a team and it’s important as a project manager to be able to help your team develop these skills even further. Lets just take one of them for an example.
If there is a person on a development team and they are not able to handle constructive criticism well, imagine the impact that could have on the overall success of the project. If that one person's work is not up to the standard that it should be and a team member or the project manager comes to them to give some constructive criticism it might ruin that relationship. And after that relationship gets ruined it is hard to integrate that person back into the work that needs to be done for the project. Then imagine that since the team member can’t be integrated, they are let go and then you need to bring in another person halfway through the development process that is not familiar with the work that is being done. Can you see how this would be a huge problem for the team? Making sure that the people on your team can communicate well is super important and will only help the project that is being worked on and also future projects.
Keys to Good Communication
Focusing on Group and Individual Needs: Something that is important to understand as a project manager is the preferences that individuals and the group have for communication. Each person has different personality traits that will affect their preferred method of communication. Take for example you wanted to give a team member praise for something that they did on the project. “Most introverts would be more comfortable receiving that praise in private, while most extroverts would like everyone to hear about their good work” (Schwalbe). While you might be able to assume what some might prefer, it is safer not to because every person is unique and might prefer something that you wouldn’t expect. As a project manager you must be aware of not only your own communication preferences but also the communication preferences of those on your team. And if that means individually asking each person what they prefer, then that is what you must do.
Formal and Informal Methods for Communicating: One thing that is not as thought about in this space is informal methods of communication. Emails are pretty highly used in project management and for good reason, it is an easy, quick, and reliable way to get information to a group of people. But informal methods of communication, such as face-to-face conversations, are something that a lot more people prefer when trying to build relationships, or just get a feel for how the project is going. A lot more can be conveyed in person than can be conveyed in a formal email. Good communication needs to have a good mix of formal and informal communication, but that often means a lot more informal than you may think. As a project manager you should have conversations with your team members, whether it be about the project or not, to help build trusting relationships.
Distributing Important Information in an Effective and Timely Manner: People have a tendency to put off bad news until the very last minute even if it is very important news. And even when they finally communicate that news, it might be in a lengthy email which could have a lot of information in it. When reading this email, team members might get confused and not understand what this news means to their specific part of the project. This is why IT teams will commonly have meetings every day, or at the bare minimum once a week. This allows people to hear important information about the project and how it might pertain to them.
Setting the Stage for Communicating Bad News: When communicating bad news, it is important that you put it into the context of the project. You should know how this problem will affect the team members, the project, etc. That way, you will be able to communicate that effectively with your team and also you can recommend steps to mitigate whatever problem may be occurring. This could help there not to be any panic within the team and allow for a smooth conversation about the problem.
These are just some of the ways in which soft skills are important in IT and also some keys to good communication. Hopefully this information was helpful to you and you will be able to apply this to your teams to make the best environment possible. Good luck!
Sources:
Schwalbe, Kathy. Information Technology Project Management. Available from: Yuzu, (9th Edition). Cengage Learning US, 2023.
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