Project Governance & Communication

Many think communication and change management as something to consider near the end of a project, when in reality, they are essential to implement from the beginning. If you bring in a change manager at the end, its usually to fight fires and re-engage a fatigued audience. So for your next project, don't underestimate the power of stakeholder buy-in and well-informed staff. After all, people believe in what they help build. Not only does it give them a sense of ownership, they will understand their role moving forward more intimately. Get this part right, and you'll be able to sit back and watch your project flow seamlessly into the new business as usual.

Usually when you resource a project, you will have a team with various disciplines. So, when a business approaches me, sometimes they get concerned with my career history and certifications. Am I a project manager? Am I a change manager? Am I a program manager? Am I an analyst?

The answer is... all of the above.

Not everyone can appreciate these skills simply complement each other. Understanding change management makes me a better project manager. Understanding programs, makes me a better project manager. Being able to conduct analysis, makes me a better project manager. And understanding projects makes me a better... (well you get the idea). Like reading books, travelling or studying, it widens your vision; and there is nothing I love more than frameworks and methodology. Tried, tested methods, best practices and international standards are there to free you. When others find themselves in panic inducing moments, I can take these tools and transform those very moments into opportunities.

My process is simple, after I have researched, consulted and analysed current state, I go into planning and implementation mode. But I not only break things down into budgets, schedules and scope, I consider where I can leverage dependant and inter-dependant projects, I see things through streams and tranches, I help others with strategy and build business cases... but most importantly, I make a point of understanding my audience. That's why you will often find me at coal-face, sitting amongst the staff (and not just in meetings with executives and ministers). I want to know the very people who I am doing this for... after all, what good is change if its not for them?

But how do you do it effectively? Well, if you haven't really deep-dived into project governance structures and project communications before, this article provides some practical steps/frameworks for you (I'll even throw in some examples).

Where to start

I hate to tell you this, but the first port of call... is developing a plan (noooo, paperwork!) While you may be more used to the all-too-familiar project plan, the communications plan is the opening act to sound change management activities. And when you realise how it plays a vital role in any project, you'll wonder how you ever did without it. There are a number of ways a communication plan can be structured, but here are seven key steps to follow:

1. outline the objectives
2. define the audience
3. decide what information is needed
4. set key messages
5. understand who is best to communicate
6. agree methods and frequency
7. measure success and improve.

So, lets go through these steps in more detail.

1: Outline the communication objectives

At a fundamental level, communication objectives are there to support the business in achieving its stated goals. Providing clarity as to where the project is going and what it needs to achieve. Ideally, all objectives should be SMART, that is Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Time-bound. An example of this is as follows:

2: Define the audience

Now, you have defined the communication objectives, create a list of who needs to receive project information. Typically, this would involve:

• project sponsors and executives
• key stakeholders
• project teams
• external vendors/consultants
• relevant internal departments.

As everyone on the list is affected (or could affect) the project, take the analysis further with a RACI matrix by defining who is:

R = Responsible?= The person who performs the work.?

A = Accountable?=?The person ultimately accountable for the work or decision being made.?

C = Consulted?= Anyone who must be consulted prior to a decision being made and/or the task being completed.?

I = Informed?= Anyone who must be informed when a decision is made or work is completed.?

3. Decide what information is needed

Different people need?different information?to contribute to the project. Tailoring information also saves time for the recipient. Think about what your audience needs to know, individual communication styles, and what has or has not worked on past projects. The project manager is responsible for:

• Stakeholders:?Feedback on deliverables and advice on project risks or blockers.
• Project sponsors/executives: Regular updates on tasks and risks.
• External Vendors: Status reports, including any delays.
• Relevant internal departments:?Updates such as budget changes, new requests, or resource availability that could impact your project.

4: Set key messages

Key messages are so important to an organisation. Its not just an effective way to communicate what you want people to know or understand; but its essential if you want to achieve your communications objectives and support business goals. They also provide executives, staff, and anyone else likely to be communicating about the project a good point of reference.

“It helps if you all sing from the same song sheet.”

I mean, could you imagine how 'bad' it would sound if you didn't?

Typically, any organisation would have two sets of key messages – one overriding set of messages that are applicable to all audiences, and a second set of messages specific and relevant to one or more target audiences. In the development of key messages consider:

1.????What are the most important things you want to be understood about the project?

2.????What is your business aiming to achieve in the year or years ahead?

3.????What other initiatives or events are going to be the focus for this year?

Key messages for each stakeholder group - it is important to determine what key messages will be used to address specific concerns and issues in relation to the different stakeholder groups. This is done to ensure that communications are relevant to them.

Developing communications tactics for each stakeholder group -?a project communication plan would define exactly how a project will communicate key messages to each priority stakeholder group. In planning, consider the most effective platform and method of communication and engagement. Below is an example:

Governance

5: Who is best to communicate

The hierarchy of a project is not dissimilar to the hierarchy of an existing business unit, division, or organisation; and communication is inherent of that structure. An example of project hierarchy is as follows:

Maintenance of the hierarchy during a project is more important than people realise. With each person understanding their roles, responsibilities, and boundaries. It also provides a level of certainty within the organisation that things are very much the status quo. Familiarity and consistency of who delineates information is understated in its importance. Here is a typical example of roles and responsibilities/governance applied to a project:

What is YOUR part in communicating the project?

For the project to be successful, to minimise impacts to staff and to make a smoother transition to BAU, it is important throughout the lifecycle of the project that directors continue to direct, managers manage, and leaders lead. The only instance where a project or change manager would delegate or provide instruction is if that person/team is responsible for a deliverable. For the most part, the project manager has the responsibility for the schedule, budget, and scope of the project with communication limited to managing the expectations and escalating risks and issues to project executives and gathering of updates/information from staff that contribute to the project. This can extend to arranging and facilitating meetings and workshops but should still be seen as hands off to normal operations as possible. A change manager manages change by providing strategy, testing, and training as they embed the new normal.

A proven application of project governance, its internal/external reporting streams and how it could be applied to a project is as follows:

The above diagram may not be what you expect, as it is not uncommon for businesses to believe the project manager or change consultant should handle all communication in regard to the project (up, down sideways and everything in between). This makes sense, as they are usually the best source of information for the project and should know the project status and considerations intimately. They are also key in developing strategy and planning around how the project is communicated. And yes, they can conduct all project communication but surprisingly, they are not the best person to relay information to a wider audience.

Why is that?

While it can be confusing, fortunately, there has been a number of studies and change methodologies which report that not only are multiple sources ineffective when communicating change but adding an additional reporting stream to an existing hierarchy often works against the business. Some of the factors to consider are:

• staff can find it jarring having yet another person telling them ‘what is’
• an external party cannot understand and apply the finite machinations and operations that only seasoned leaders know
• without social transactional history and overall lack authoritative positioning, messaging direct from project or change managers can inevitably fall short of their intent
• messages would have to be vetted by management/executives to align with company protocols and strategic vision
• staff relish consistency and familiarity (wherever they can find it) in times of change
• unspoken variables such as ‘trust’ and ‘change resistance’ impede effective communication.

So, who is the best person to communicate about the project?

Below is a graph from the change experts Prosci depicting stakeholders prefer to hear messages from two key people in an organisation:

1. the sponsor of the change (person at the top) - business issues and reasons for change
2. their immediate supervisors (such as managers and team leaders) - the personal impact of the change

6: Agree on methods and frequency

There are many platforms to choose from, each have their own pros and cons and should be considered according to the risks and limitations of each. In relation to timing, an effective tool is the communications calendar, it gives an ‘at-a-glance’ list of all the things needed to be achieved in a communications plan and by when. This ensures project managers can see what’s coming up and start planning with sufficient warning. It also works to ensure that there is no overlap between key events and activities. A high-level example of such a calendar is depicted below:

7: Measure, assess and improve

Even if a plan is implemented, it is prudent to continually review and, if necessary, adapt key messages, communications tactics, and timing to be more effective (but don't... for the love of god... do this continually throughout the project. You can't control everything in a project, but don't let your uncertainty or short attention span infect others). If you want to do it right, this can be achieved by utilising the continuous evaluation methods such as:

1. in-person interviews to get a feel for how they view the project and what the issues are. Identify if they have noticed a difference with communications and do, they feel it is effective and capture suggestions for improvement. This can be done by the project/change manager or consultant
2. provision of questionnaires at workshop, forum or session asking for feedback
3. monitoring the mood of the unit or issues of relevance. You may wish to request team leaders to keep a watch in their area
4. online surveys to provide rating in terms of performance across a number of key measures. This information will provide a benchmark to measure against in future years.

Keep in mind when evaluating effectiveness, some people simply do not like change, so expect detractors. A good change manager knows how to listen, while a good project manager knows how to keep things on task. But you can be both. With effective communication and change management, you will not only win more people over, but if you listen... you will see opportunities to make outcomes so much better. Widen your vision... read more books (it's cheaper than travelling, and Kotter and Prosci are a good read).

I hope you have found this article to be useful. If you would like more information, you can contact me (the author) through my LinkedIn profile.