Analysis: Effective Communication Impact in Project Management

This report investigates the impact of effective communication on project management. The study begins with an introduction to the concept of communication and its importance in project settings, followed by a literature review exploring various types of communication, barriers, and the critical role of effective communication for project managers. The research methodology outlines the approach, including interviews with project managers to gather data. The data analysis section presents the findings, discussing communication theories, plans, and the significance of both formal and informal communication, knowledge sharing, and verbal and non-verbal communication. The report concludes with recommendations for improving communication within projects, emphasizing its crucial role in achieving project success. The report highlights the necessity of effective communication as a key factor for project success.

To evaluate the Impact of Effective Communication in managing project
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

Table of Contents
Chapter 1 Introduction...............................................................................................................4
1.1 Background of the Study.............................................................................................4
1.2 Problem Statement.......................................................................................................4
1.3 Research question and Objectives....................................................................................5
1.3 Rationale......................................................................................................................5
Chapter 2: Literature Review.....................................................................................................6
2.1 Introduction......................................................................................................................6
2.2 Theoretical Literature Review..........................................................................................6
Types of communication....................................................................................................6
Barriers to effective communication..................................................................................7
2.3 Impact of Effective Communication in managing project...............................................8
2.3.1 Communication—Project Management Starts with a Big “C”.................................8
2.3.2 Communication in Project Management and Key Reasons to Improve It................9
2.3.3 Effective Communication: A Challenge to Project Managers................................10
2.3.4 Reasons Why Effective Project Communication is Critical...................................11
2.4 Empirical Analysis.........................................................................................................12
2.4.1 Empirical analysis in the world...............................................................................12
2.4.2 Empirical analysis in the Middle East.....................................................................13
2.4.3 Empirical analysis in Oman....................................................................................13
2.5 Research Gap.................................................................................................................13
2.6 Conclusion......................................................................................................................14
Chapter 3: Research Methodology...........................................................................................15
3.1 Introduction....................................................................................................................15
3.2 Preconceptions...............................................................................................................15
3.3 Research philosophy......................................................................................................15
3.4 Research approach.........................................................................................................16

3.5 Research design..............................................................................................................17
3.6 Research strategy...........................................................................................................17
3.7 Secondary sources..........................................................................................................18
3.8 Data collection...............................................................................................................19
3.9 Interview guide and approach........................................................................................19
3.10 Conclusion....................................................................................................................19
Chapter 4: Data Analysis.........................................................................................................20
4.1 Response Analysis.........................................................................................................20
4.1.1 Respondent 1...........................................................................................................20
4.1.2 Respondent 2...........................................................................................................21
4.1.3 Respondent 3...........................................................................................................22
4.2 Findings..........................................................................................................................23
4.2.1 Communication theories.........................................................................................23
4.2.2 Communication plan...............................................................................................23
4.2.3 Formal and informal communication......................................................................24
4.2.4 Knowledge sharing..................................................................................................25
4.2.5 Verbal and non-verbal communication...................................................................25
Chapter 5: Conclusion & Recommendation............................................................................26
REFERENCES.........................................................................................................................28

Chapter 1 Introduction
1.1 Background of the Study
Communication refers to the information exchange that is taking place between
individual. Communication has been recognised as one of the most important skills of
projects managers (Maqbool et al., 2017). It is the role of project managers to communicate
effectively with the stakeholders who are associated to a particular project. It is crucial for
project managers to be able to communicate with the different levels of management, the
employees or the members of the project management teams, the customers and other
involved parties (Ingvarsson and Strömbäck 2019). Thus, it can be opined that effective
communication is the methods through which the elements within a project can correlate and
operate effectively. Regardless of the nature of operations of an organisation or a project, it
can be said that effective communication is a factor that can help in satiating the needs that
are associated with organisational and operational effectiveness (Hall and Davis, 2017).
Hence, the importance of effective communication has been justified, however, the scope of
the same must be clarified. Effective communication refers to communication that is clear,
precise and to the point. Furthermore, it helps in developing favourable nature of outcomes
when it comes to the development of favourable nature of outcomes. The current study is
being conducted to prove the viability of communication in a project management scenario.
The research will help in proving the viability of communication in the context of project
management. The research will be carried out with the help of interviews of three project
managers who will help in proving the impact of effective communication on project
management.
1.2 Problem Statement
Effective communication is a concept that must be incorporated into every possible
phase of organisational operations (Sadhu et al. 2017). Thus, the latter helps in satiating the
needs that are coupled with gaining favourable nature of outcomes in regardless of the nature
of operations or the activity that an organisation is associated to. The aim of the research is to
identify whether a lapse in communication can hinder the operations that take place within a
project. The importance of effective communication in project management can be critically
evaluated by identification of problems in case an effective communication framework is not
present or not adopted while a project is being carried out (Angelopoulos, Cowx and Buijse
2017). There can be various grounds as a result of which communication can get hampered,

or there can be barriers to effective communication. Barriers such as language, perception,
personality, physical and many more can assimilate barriers in effective communication
(Fashiku 2017).
1.3 Research question and Objectives
Considering the above problem statement, the research question for this study was
“what are the impacts of effective communication in a project?”
The objectives of this study were:
a. To understand the concept of communication in a project
b. To evaluate the importance of communication skills of project managers
c. To evaluate the importance of communication skills of team members who are
involved in a project
d. To identify the challenges as well as needs of a project for ensuring effective
communication
1.3 Rationale
The objectives that have been laid down in the above section help in developing
understanding regarding the effectiveness of communication when it comes to managing
projects. It is important to identify the scope of communication as that helps in determining
the factors that through which effective communication can be realised. The elements of
effective communication determine some of the most important aspects and hence must
addressed and scrutinised extensively. Apart from analysis of the elements of
communication, it can be said that it is important to analyse the effectiveness of
communication skills of the project managers as the latter is responsible for key nature of
operations when it comes to smooth nature of the project (Stoyanova et al. 2019). The
members of the team within project management should also be evaluated in order to gain
effectiveness in development of an assimilated effort. Finally, the challenges should be
identified as it will help in identification of the issues that can help in mitigation of the issues
that can potentially hinder the nature of operations of project management.

Chapter 2: Literature Review
2.1 Introduction
Communication refers to the to-and-fro interaction of individuals or two parties
(Grove et al. 2019). Thus, it is be said that the aim of communication is to transfer
information from one party to another. Communication generally involves the processes with
the help of which the motives of the company can be satiated (Bordia and DiFonzo, 2017).
The sender sends information through a channel with the help of which certain information is
communicated to the respective parties. Project management deals with various phases.
Furthermore, there are various parties who are associated to the project management
initiatives. It can be said that the various parties associated to project management should be
able to establish grounds of communication with each other that can helps in satiation of the
needs of effectiveness in project management. The following sections will critically analyse
literature associated to the viability of effective project management will help in developing
understanding regarding the communication issues that can affect project management.
2.2 Theoretical Literature Review
Types of communication
There are various types of communication that can be considered while interacting
with individuals regardless of the nature of the communication that is being considered (Ling,
R. and Campbell, 2017). It can be said that there the nature of communication should be
carried out in accordance with the needs that have been established. Furthermore, it can be
said that it is the aim of communication to ensure that a certain fact is communicated to a
specific party in an effective manner. Furthermore, it should be ensured that the aim of the
communicator to ensure that the most appropriate style of communication is being applied.
Hence, the aim of communication is to select the most appropriate medium with the help of
which a particular message can be communicated to the desired recipient. The nature of
communication that is to take place in a friendly setting would be different than in situation
that are characterised a by a formal set up. It can be said that individuals should be able to
select the most appropriate style of communication with the help of which the needs
associated to the transfer of information can be satiated. There are various types of
communication. According to Cao et al. (2018), communication can be broken down into two
categories; one is based on the style of communication while the other is based on the nature
of communication channel that is used while communicating. On the basis of style of purpose

of communication, communication can be broken down to formal and informal
communication. Based on the nature of the communication channel communication can be
broken down into non-verbal communication and verbal communication.
Verbal communication can be broken down to oral communication and written
communication (Reddy 2018). Verbal communication is the most basic type of
communication that an individual is subject to. Furthermore, it is the type of communication
that can be deemed to be most popular and as a result people are used to this type of
communication. Oral communication can take place with the help of speech (Kumar et al.
2017). It can take place either through face to face exchange of words. It can also take place
over a distance with the help of telephones, etc. Written communication can take place with
the help of mediums such as written text on paper, e-mails, text and many more (Longcamp
et al. 2019). Non-verbal refers to communication without the use of words or text (Zantides
2016). It is a type of communication that comes in handy when no words or written
documents are to be used to communicate. The nature of communication that is taking place
should be determined by the scenario. Communication needs to be different depending on the
requirement of the setting. It is the aim of communication to satiate the needs that are
associated to the development of the factors that helps in gaining favourable nature of
outcomes in terms of satiation of the needs of communication. Hence, the latter should be
effectively determined and studied.
Barriers to effective communication
Communication is an important factor that needs to be considered when it comes to
the success in being able to communicate the motives of an individual or a group of
individuals. Thus, it can be said that one must be able to ensure that the needs associated to
communication must be fulfilled in order to ensure that the actual motives of the company
that helps in ensuring that the motives of the company are being fulfilled. However, there are
some issues that can hinder the nature of communication that takes place. The nature of
communication is hindered as a result of the barriers to communication. Hence, it is
important to identify the barriers to communication that helps the parties involved in
communication mitigate the issues that might hinder the nature of communication needs in
the organisation. There can be various barriers associated to effective communication and it
can be said that they must be mitigated as soon as possible to ensure that the needs for
communication are being fulfilled. Following are the barriers to effective communication
(Baird and Norbury 2016).

Linguistic barriers: These are barriers in communication that arise out of differences that
exist in the languages that each of the parties communicate in. It implies to the differences in
the languages spoken by the individuals as a result of which there arises problems in effective
communication.
Physical barriers: Physical barriers implies blockages concerning the views of the two
parties. This implies to blockages such as wall s between people and similar examples.
Furthermore, the distance between individuals might be deemed to be barriers as a result of
which the information might not be effectively interchanged between the individuals.
Cultural barriers: Differences in terms of cultural belonging shapes that ethical framework
and structure of norms of the individuals. Thus, differences in norms and values might lead to
changes in understanding the issues that helps in sustaining the motives that might be derived
as a result of communication. As a result of the difference in cultures of individuals there
might be certain behaviours that might be deemed to be appropriate for one individual but not
for the other party in the process of communication. Example: There are differences in dinner
etiquettes in Australia and that of Japan.
Interpersonal barriers: There might be differences that contributes to the misunderstanding
that can exist between the individuals. Hence, individuals might not be willing to share
everything with everyone which ultimately leads to barriers in communication. Difference in
the personality of individuals and difference in perception of the individuals can contribute to
the hindrances that can be experienced when it comes to effective communication in
organisations.
Organisational barriers: Different organisational structures and difference in the
communication framework of organisations can lead to barriers which can contribute to the
hindrances in organisational effectiveness. Issues such as filtration of information and false
representation are issues with the help of which the actual information that was to be
communicated might not be communicated.
2.3 Impact of Effective Communication in managing project
2.3.1 Communication—Project Management Starts with a Big “C”
The word communication has a Latin Origin. The word has been derived from
communis which is the Latin iteration which means common (Dean, Medak and Jandrić,
2019). Thus, it can be said that communication is an aspect with the help it is ensured that

both the communicator and the receiver are at same ground in terms of the information that
they know and share. The importance of communication is such that a lapse in
communication can lead to loss of accuracy as a result of which there can be loss in terms of
accuracy of information. It can be said that project management is an assimilation of
activities that require effective communication from each of the assimilated components.
Thus, it can be said that communication is an essential part of project management as it is
without communication that project management cannot start. There are various phases that
needs that are associated with project management. The phases of stage management are
collectively known as project life cycles (Biggins, Trollsund and Høiby 2016). It can be said
that project management must be able to incorporate communication as it is with the help of
communication that the motives in the project can be sustained. It can be said that poor
communication can have negative impacts on the success of projects throughout the life of
the project. Thus, it can be said that the communication is an integral part of communication.
There are various steps that must be ensured in order to ensure that communication is carried
out effectively in the organisation with the help of which the aim of the communication can
be satiate; identification of the communication requirements, identification of external
requirements, identification of potential factors that helps in gaining favourable nature of
outcomes that helps in sustaining the outcomes which would assist in accordance of the
motives that have been laid down by the management.
2.3.2 Communication in Project Management and Key Reasons to Improve It
Effective communication is a factor that determines the success of project
management. It is with the help of effective communication that the project managers are
able to effectively identify the aspects that needs to be focused on in order to gain
effectiveness in management of the issues that must be catered to effectively in order to carry
out effectiveness in the management of projects. The main aim of communication is to be
able to develop favourable relationships with the help of which the aim of the company in
accordance with development of favourable relationships can be satiated. It is the role of the
project managers to be able to develop and identify channels of communication with the help
of which the help of which there is likely to be development of a favourable relationship with
all the parties associated with the project. There are various factors of non-verbal
communication that must be incorporated to ensure that the project is being carried out in an
effective manner. Components such as effective understanding and identification of
techniques related to communication. Furthermore, there are factors such as the way of

talking, the postures involved, the appearance, body language of the individual, expressions,
sounds that are emitted and the proximity of the individuals from the receiver of the
communicated information (Guerrero, Andersen and Afifi 2017). Hence, it can be justified
that there are various factors of non-verbal communication that must be carried out in order
to gain effectiveness in operations. Moreover, there are some steps that must be ensured
within the framework of the project as it helps in bolstering the competency of
communication concerned with the said event. There are various steps to must be
incorporated in the project management in order to ensure that the project is being able to
carry out with the help of which the aim of the company is being carried out in an effectively
in term.
Keeping the members of the team informed about the concerned issues, with the help
of which the aim of the company can be satiated. Relaying the information that helps in
educating al the embers of the project about the viability of the project and the necessary
information with the help of which the main motive of the project can be sustained
(Watanabe, Yasuda and Matsuura 2019).
All the stakeholders associated to the project helps in carrying out the information
with the help of which the aim of the project can be sustained. This determines the viability
of the issues that are being carried out in accordance with the operations of the company.
Receiving information is also a vital step that is associated with the success of the event as it
ensures all the stakeholders associated to the project are being informed about the project.
Identifying and discussion of the problems helps in identification of the issues which could
potentially hinder the nature of operations of the project. It should also be coupled with
timely change. If one is able to ensure that the changes are being carried out in accordance
with the changes in the project as it will help in ensuring that the spirits within the team are
kept fresh. It also ensures that there is continuous improvement that is being is carried out
while the project is being carried out by the organisation. Thus the aim of the company can be
capitalised in an effective manner and it is also ensured that the project is being carried out in
a manner that can be deemed to be effective in nature.
2.3.3 Effective Communication: A Challenge to Project Managers
It can be said effective communication is a challenge to project managers. There must
be communication that must be established by project managers. It not only determines the
effectiveness of operations of the project with respect to the degree of effectiveness of the

sources that are incorporated within the project. It has been found out that regardless of the
nature or the type of project, it comes down to the project managers to establish
communication with the help of which the aim of the company regarding the success of the
project can be determined. Thus, it can be said that the importance of communication is such
that there should be extensive interest invested in the same so that the important information
can be communicated to each and every required party. However, it has been found that the
task of management of a project is deemed to be such a gruelling task and often there arises
gaps within the communication frameworks that exists in the project. Projects are deemed to
be ineffective if the project manager is deemed to be a failure in terms of communication.
There are various reasons as a result of which a project might can be deemed to be a failure.
Two of the key reasons are; the situations that are constantly changing and the incapability of
the employees to communicate. Changing situations is a problem that is the most common
problem faced by project managers. For example: Even few years ago Java was the most
common form of programming language that was used by IT companies in terms of
development of programs and applications that helped the companies in gaining favourable
nature of outcome with the help of which the companies developed programs and even
websites. However, the latter cane be considered obsolete now as there are various
programming languages that have been developed. There are programs that have been
developed to treat and develop new programs. Among various program developers, it is
Python is a technology that has gained prominence. Hence, there could be project that need to
incorporate the use of programming language that helps in gaining favourable nature
outcomes with the help of which the company can gain effective nature of outcomes
(Sivaraman, Sriram and Sarathambekai 2019). Thus, the people who were used to developing
programs with the help of Java were facing difficulties. Such a change should be
communicated by the project managers with intentions of easing the shock that the
employees would be subject to. Hence, project managers should be capable in terms of
communication with the help of which they are able to ensure that the motives of the project
are being recognized.
2.3.4 Reasons Why Effective Project Communication is Critical
Regardless of the nature of project, it can be said that there should be effectiveness in
terms of communication regarding a project. Project management should include a
framework of communication. It is with the communication that there is success in the
achievement of the projects that is being carried out. Hence, the importance of project

management communication is critical in nature. Following are the reasons why project
communication can be deemed to be critical in nature;
 It helps in identification of the status of the project: As mentioned earlier there are
various phases associated to project management. Thus, one stage can be completed one
by one or can commence simultaneously (Zarei, Sharifi and Chaghouee 2018). Presence
of communication in project ensures that the strategies can be informed to the people who
matter. The outcomes of project management must be communicated to the project
manager. Thus, presence of communication within the project helps in ensuring that there
is effectiveness in terms of management of the project.
 It ensures that the right information is received by the right individual: There are
various levels of a project. Thus, there needs to be the presence of effective
communication as it ensures that it is clear where certain information needs to be passed
on to. Thus, the aim of project managements can be satiated when the necessary
departments are able to identify whether certain issues are being effectively dealt with by
a particular part of the whole project.
 Effective collaboration between the members of the team: It can be said collaboration is
the method with the help of which the aim of any operation can be satiated. The nature of
communication is determined by the nature and urgency of operations. Collaboration is
bolstered with the help of communication and it is with the help of communication that
individuals are able to effectively identify the needs that are associated with the
development of sustainable outcomes as per the expectation of the project manager and
the project as a whole.
 Accuracy in information: Communication is crucial when it comes to delivering
information in an accurate manner. Accuracy in information helps in gaining favuourable
nature of outcomes with the help of which the necessary individuals can get informed
about the activities that they need to associated themselves with. Furthermore, accuracy in
information increases the chances of potential success of the project.
2.4 Empirical Analysis
2.4.1 Empirical analysis in the world
There are various issues that must be considered while carrying out project
management in a global context. There are various grounds on which the effectiveness of
communication is determined. The need for communication in projects helps in sustaining the
outcomes that are expected from projects. Regardless of the nature of the project, it can be