Anything I’ve read about project management suggests that a project manager should be spending 90% of his or her time communicating. That may seem like too many hours devoted to one activity, but when we consider what communication really encompasses— it’s significantly more than just talking— then it all starts to make sense. Project communication is designing a plan to distribute information, report data, and manage stakeholders more effectively.

Looking at it further, communication is the phone calls we make. It is also the e-mails, memos, letters, transmittals, and documents we send out to the team. It is all the meetings we have to attend. Communication is reporting on the project status, archiving information, and sharing lessons learned. It’s also handling stakeholder issues and concerns as they arise. This is plenty of stuff, so something can easily be misunderstood, and we can become a bit sloppy over time and build bad habits.

So, if we are allocating 90% of our time to this communication thing, and we’re blending several people into the mix, and one of them is the customer, shouldn’t we be building some skills to become really good at it? Of course we should. Here are some approaches to focus on:

Establish a communication plan. Without a plan, information will get unwieldy and teams can easily become overwhelmed. This tool, however, enables us to decide what is critical and what is not. It identifies who needs various kinds of information, the frequency of distribution, methods of conveyance, and the person in charge of getting it out. This plan should also contain the guidelines and ground rules for project meetings, e-mail protocol, status updates, and backup contacts when the main recipient is away. This is also referred to as a RACI diagram— and it designates who is Responsible, Accountable, Consulted, and Informed on a project team.

Create a meeting agenda. If you are going to be leading the meeting, have an agenda prepared in advance. Everyone loathes meetings that seem to go on forever, so prioritize the items that need to be discussed and limit the length of time to be spent on them. If one of the team members has a quick issue, but doesn’t have to remain for the rest of the session, address that first so he or she can leave. Be respectful of everyone’s time— but also of your own— and rein it in when things start to drift. Distribute minutes consistently and, if you are not the author, make sure you check those minutes for accuracy. 

Document, verify, archive, and share. The better project manager you are, the more information you are going to be collecting. The project environment is a busy one and, despite our best attempts, at some point we’re going to forget something— or our client will. E-mails, memos, letters, and sketches are very important project documents that tell the story of what was said and what was decided. Taking the time to confirm a conversation is worth the extra minutes in our day. These records only benefit our firm if they’re easily available and archived in a sensible manner. Project managers also have an obligation to share lessons learned— especially if it helps the team avoid a less than successful outcome in the future. 

Develop skills. Though we engage in it every day without thinking, communication is still an art form we can cultivate to serve us better on our projects. Among the best of these skills is becoming a better listener— so that we correctly digest the messages coming our way. Add to this writing proficiency. If most of what we want to express will be composed in e-mails or memos, using good grammar and a positive tone is essential for a project leader. We have a lot of technology at our disposal, but that doesn’t mean we should hide behind it. If an e-mail has exceeded three exchanges between all the recipients, it’s time to pick up the phone or meet to resolve the issue. 

Understand your responsibility. Thinking about the quote at the beginning of this article, it’s important to realize that just because we hit the send button on our keyboard or made a verbal statement doesn’t mean our duty is over. As the sender of any form of communication, we are responsible for ensuring what we transmission is clear and complete; and for confirming this information has been properly understood by the recipient. That’s no small task and is likely a new concept to most readers, but it will spare frustration later. Simple validation, follow-ups and check-ins should do the trick. The receiver will most certainly appreciate your diligence.

When we think about the day in the life of a project, we make liberal claims that we’re constantly on the phone or sending e-mails and not getting anything done. Our roles require us to be communicating 90% of the time. Thinking about projects now in this context, realize that you are really doing what you’re supposed to be doing— and that it’s not a waste of time— but merely a management requirement.