By Samson Ademola
Every project, whether big or small, has stakeholders: beneficiaries, donors, partners, and even your team. All these groups need to be aligned and mobilised for a project to succeed. Communication is what brings them together.
This thought came to me last week while reflecting on how much communication has helped me navigate challenges in project management.
Let me share one experience. We were preparing for an event at one of my former organisations. Correspondence had gone out to all the resource persons, and we had received confirmations. Less than 24 hours to the event, a colleague rushed to my desk, visibly unsettled. I could hear someone shouting on the other end of her call.
She passed the phone to me. The caller, still angry, expressed her frustration. I apologised and calmly tried to understand the real issue.
It soon became clear that what she described as the problem was not the actual issue. Just before ending the call, she said, “Thank you for the way you spoke to me. Please, what is your name?”
Then came the real question: “Is there provision for payment?”
She had an expectation that was not communicated in the initial correspondence. I assured her that we had made provision for an honorarium.
That moment reaffirmed my belief that project management is not only about timelines and deliverables. It is about people, emotions and expectations. Communication bridges that space.
Can project management truly succeed without effective communication?
I often see communication as a project on its own. It can be simple yet layered. Every communication starts with an objective: what do you want to achieve, and what exactly should be said? A person may have a wide range of information at any time, but saying everything can be like pressing the ‘spoil button’.
A communicator knows what to say and how far to go. Just as importantly, they know what not to say. They understand perspective, the interests and expectations of others. That is why every message should be refined and reviewed for perception, context, tone, posture, expectations and intent.
It is the same logic behind why grant proposals are framed around “our asks” and “your gains.” They speak to mutual interest.
This is what successful project managers do. Yes, they manage timelines and budgets, but they also manage stakeholders’ perceptions, expectations and understanding.
The Project Management Institute identifies communication as one of the ten core knowledge areas, because projects do not fail only for lack of planning but for lack of clarity.
Project management and communication are, in truth, Siamese twins.