Interpersonal and Communication Skills in Project Planning (Essay Sample)

The Importance of Interpersonal and Communication Skills in Project Planning
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Introduction
The subsequent step after the conception and initialization of the project is the project planning phase. This phase being the second stage of project management practice incorporates the procedure of laying out the tasks to be accomplished, determining the cost of performing the outlined tasks, developing a schedule, and determining the resources to be marshaled to accomplish the task at hand. Fundamentally, the project planning phase is the cornerstone of the entire project. Without this phase, the whole project is doomed to failure. As such, this stage involves brainstorming among the teams with all the individual team members making a contribution to the successful fruition of the project. Therefore, during this stage, interpersonal, communication and leadership skills are crucial as they are relevant to conflict management, team building and relationship building.
Interpersonal and Communication Skills in Project Planning
Communication and interpersonal skills are important because they build relationships and promote teamwork. According to Alam et al. (2010), a project manager’s ability to communicate has great influence on how the teams execute their various tasks especially in the project planning phase. This ability to communicate and interact with the team members promotes a strong relationship and teamwork from all the members involved in the project. Thus all the members are in a position to voice and be recognized for their contributions which leads to a highly motivated workforce that is ready and willing to work with others for the successful completion of the project. It is natural for individuals to associate with others in order to come up with better and more efficient ways of accomplishing various tasks. As such, with effective communication, team members often achieve their highest potential when they freely ask for recommendations or counsel from others in the team.
Communication and interpersonal skills assist resolve disputes easily and also prevent conflict from arising. Ng and Walker (2008) observed that disputes are inevitable and are primarily brought about by restrictions in schedules and budget, power struggle due to an overlap in duties, as well as the varying learning curves of the team members. Communication skills are thus crucial in resolving such disputes in the planning phase. The ability of the project manager to manage his temperament and know the appropriate time to raise or lower his voice, when to confirm, object or contribute, and which words to use for maximum effectiveness will reduce miscommunication that often leads to disagreements and disputes. Furthermore, according to Stagnaro and Piotrowski (2013), it is the responsibility of the project manager to supervise all tasks and resolve conflict. Thus, leaders in all contexts must be able to effectiv...