Why do projects go wrong #8

Lack of effective communication with stakeholders.

The greatest strength of professional Project Managers is often their greatest weakness. They are often chosen because of their obsessive ability to stay focussed on task. Particularly in capital infrastructure projects with multiple integrated work packages and interdependent tasks, the Project Manager needs the ability to direct the work package tasks in a timely manner with the right attention to detail to ensure the project benefits are achieved, without unnecessary chit chat.

This is fine when things are going well. This task focussed approach continues to have many merits when things start going awry, when a firm hand on the tiller is needed to steer the project back on course. But when things happen that are more difficult to correct, when agreed tolerance levels are likely to be exceeded, or could cause an adverse impact to one of the project stakeholders, this obsession with task to the detriment of people skills, can cause the project to go wrong. This obsession with task could prevent effective communication with all stakeholders.

This is where the great Project Manager can distinguish themselves from the good.

Whilst a clear communication strategy for your project will assist, a Project Manager with an instinctive ability for timely, positive, concise and sensitive communication with all stakeholders will keep your project on track. For such communication to be effective when most needed, the great Project Manager will have been developing stakeholder relations from the start. By doing so, the difficult conversations that will be necessary when the wheels start falling off, will be so much easier.

For the task oriented Project Manager this may not come naturally. It might seem that precious time is being wasted on unnecessary communication. There may be a tendency for them to be blind to the dividends that such good early communication will pay off in the end.

So what to do? Recognise that your tendency to focus on task, can be detrimental to developing and maintaining relationships with stakeholders. Realise the benefits of early communication when things are going well, to earn the trust needed when things start going wrong. And work on it.

What other strategies have people developed?

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Other posts in this series

• Why do projects go wrong #1 - misunderstanding of what a project is
• Why do projects go wrong #2 - no common understanding of purpose
• Why do projects go wrong #3 - lack of leadership
• Why do projects go wrong #4 - inappropriate transfer of risk
• Why do projects go wrong #5 - scope creep
• Why do projects go wrong #6 - overly optimistic budgets
• Why do projects go wrong #7 - lack of agreed success criteria