The most common problem faced by people working on projects is ‘Communication problem’. There are many communication problems that can occur on a project resulting in delays and mis-communication of information and mis-use of resources.
There are various ways in which information and knowledge can pass between project stakeholders in the most effective way. This information flow needs to be managed effectively. Effective communication is very important to the Agile way of working.
Communication can happen in many different ways as people interact differently during different situations. Like an Email notification to the team informing about an event or meeting. or a workshop to brainstorm and resolve an issue.
PRINCE2® identifies different communication channels as follows:
- The written word
- Visualization (video)
- Verbally, by telephone
- Verbally, face-to-face
The PRINCE2 Agile® approach to communication:
In order to achieve the effective & productive communication on a project, it is important to set up rules for compunction Like the most appropriate time or using the appropriate method
Communication problems need to be proactively addressed by the project manager. A high level guideline or rule for communication are:
- Face-to-face communication should be favored as a faster and clearer channel
- Technology and the level of formality needed by project needs to be assessed
- There is a role for the written word but it has disadvantages
- A project manager or team manager needs to be aware of how a team is communicating
- Communication needs to be organized and planned.
PRINCE2 Agile® gives a lot of importance to communication because in order to succeed with PRINCE2® in an agile environment effective communication is essential. When communication links are weak or they break down in an agile context, it can be very damaging for the project.
1. Choosing the most appropriate channel:
It is very important to choose appropriate channel communication. One of the most effective ways to improve communication is to convey a message at the right time to right people with the right media. The type and frequency of communication need to be agreed by the project management team and the level of formality agreed. PRINCE2®’s communication management approach helps us to manage this.
2. The difficulties with the written word
Most of the time information in the form of the written word is a formal way of communication but human beings find it difficult to process if the volume of information is more.
If the team keeps on communicating with formal media of written word … like an email instead of verbal or other media, then teams time and energy takes a toll affecting the Team bonding and Soul.
3. Getting the right blend
PRINCE2® stresses on the point that document only when necessary. It also describes management products as ‘information sets’ and not documents. As an agile team needs to work faster due to the iterative and adaptive nature of agile, extensive use of face-to-face interaction, visualisations and workshops or video is needed. But this does not mean there is no place for formal or written communication. PRINCE2® ‘s Management products like Business case, Plans tailored according to need and scale of the project need to be used to record decisions and information with Face to face Communication.