Effective communication for project success

Abstract

Purpose – The purpose of this review is to look at some of the common mistakes made related to communication within a project and how those mistakes can be avoided. Communication in projects is a critical factor in a project’s success. Many times, project teams forget some basic rules for communicating with their stakeholders. Design/methodology/approach – The approach of this paper is to provide a general overview of common themes in the project management literature related to communication within projects. Findings – While communication failures in projects are caused by many factors, the project team ultimately bears the burden for ensuring successful communication within a project. There are several common causes of communication failures. Thankfully, there are also some simple things that project teams can do to lessen the likelihood of miscommunication. Research limitations/implications – As this is a general overview, this article only explores the more commonly experienced issues related to project miscommunication. Originality/value – By observing some relatively easy to remember questions and concerns related to communication, a project team can be more effective in communicating with their project stakeholders. Effective communication will generally lead to better outcomes and, therefore, a higher likelihood for overall project success.