Communications in Project Management, Essay Example

The communications department used to carry out its operations in isolation with little or no interaction with other departments within Quixtar. But after the appointment of Beth Dorman as communications director, the communications department now works closely with other departments to create and implement more effective strategies and communication tactics in order to achieve business goals. This approach has also allowed communication department to offer custom information solutions to different stakeholders. The communications department has also been encouraging more people including account executives to engage in the planning process instead of merely implementing solutions.

The communications department also realizes that project management requires certain skills and in addition, there is a learning curve involved. This is why it has been offering formal training in project management to employees at all levels with Quixtar and has been taking an incremental approach to project management implementation. Gilann Vail-Boisvenue, Communications department’s management team member, has created a three-to-five plan to help account executives transition to project management.

One of the primary factors behind the success of project management at Quixtar was an absolute commitment at the management level. The management team members didn’t only themselves attained project management certification but also committed significant resources to support organization wide project management initiative. This sent a strong message to the subordinates and motivated them to achieve project management certification as well.

The management also provided financial incentives to the subordinates by aligning salary standards with project management job descriptions. In addition, the management provided detailed guidelines regarding the project management implementation which ensured that everyone was on the same page and aware of their individual and team-related responsibilities. The communications department has even created a seven-step project management methodology and put it on the company’s intranet. The project management methodology makes it simpler for anyone in the company to determine whether a proposed fits in within the company’s objectives and goals.

This methodology has not only improved operating efficiency by significantly reducing the time gap between an idea and project implementation but has also given more authority to the employees. As long as the projects fit in with the company’s strategic goals, the employees have the option to create an action plan and determine processes by themselves. It gives employees the room to implement creative solutions as long as they improve the performance of the overall project, without being bound by rigid rules that may create waste processes in some projects. By empowering the employees, the communications department has further strengthened employees’ commitment to the success of company-wide project management implementation.

The communications department at Quixtar has done a great job of implementing company-wide project management but it could have taken few other steps to further improve its initiative. One step could have been gathering information and data from customers to better understand their needs and expectations because the more the company understands its customers, the better would be the projects designed to serve customers. The communications department could also setup a support center to provide guidance as well as answer questions should anyone have questions regarding project management within the company.

While the management did show support for project management, it didn’t take steps to create two-way communication channels with the subordinates. Thus, the communications department could create dual-way communication channels between the management and the subordinates. Such communication channels will not only improve company-wide communication but may also generate valuable feedback and ideas for the management since employees are closer to the action, and thus, often quicker at identifying opportunities and threats.

The communications department could also take steps to develop a central informational management system where best ideas from the projects could be managed. while the project management has been implemented on a company-wide scale, no steps have been taken to collect best practices as well as mistakes that should be avoided in the future. Information management system will not only allow employees to learn from each project but also share ideas with each other.

The communications department could also develop a network of mentors that guide new project managers to help them learn quickly. This may help significantly reduce the learning curve of new project managers. This will also be a great way of transferring experience of senior managers to junior managers and develop future leaders of the company. The communications department could also create peer support groups which would not only encourage more employees to seek project management certification but also improve working relationship among the departments. Peer support groups may become informal sources of feedback and ideas that the management could take advantage of.