Julie Van Puffelen formerly served with Epic as a nurse and project manager. An accomplished project leader and innovator, Julie Van Puffelen understands that keen communication skills are essential to effectively see a project to completion.
The majority of the time a project manager spends on a project is spent communicating, and poor communication can slow the delivery of the final product. Many organizations develop obstacles to good communication, however, which must be addressed by the project manager to ensure team effectiveness.
Political obstacles usually originate from the upper ranks, above the levels at which projects are planned. Project managers need to know who above them, such as senior-level managers, might hold a stake in the project that is not readily obvious. Managers then need to take action to get them to support the project.
Organizational culture can also present challenges. Some companies have cultures of more frequent or less frequent communication, and when multiple departments or multiple companies enter the equation, cultural differences can slow a project down. Project managers need to be aware of how each stakeholder operates, and communicate in ways each group will understand.
A final, similar issue enters in when groups which use significantly different terminology must work together on a project. Different disciplines may use the same terms differently, or be unfamiliar with the other's jargon, leading to incorrect or incomplete communication. Project managers must get all participants in a project on the same linguistic page as quickly as possible.
