Anywhere from 75 to 90% of a project manager’s time is spent communicating – Project Management by Stephen Hartley

I couldn’t agree more after working with a brilliant team to start up the first Shell Eco-marathon Asia, a regional sustainable mobility challenge for university students in Kuala Lumpur in 2010.

Besides working on staging the physical event, the main task was not only about getting students and universities on board for the challenge but also aligning our internal teams from different countries and across various departments so we could all work towards making this event a reality.

Doing something for the first time meant creating something out of nothing. It’s definitely a wonderful feeling to see it all come together in the end and the excitement on the faces of our young competitors, for many of whom this may be their first trip outside their home country.

The biggest challenge for me and also the greatest reward of managing this project was communication. Not merely sharing the information in text, pictures and video but working to engage, persuade and align people from different cultures, backgrounds and expectations towards a common goal.

Stakeholder management is a key part of delivering any successful project. This can be anything from organising a birthday party to successfully delivering a USD$2 million event.

I have been working in different industries over the last 20 years from media, automotive, energy and now Not for Profit. But the same common theme throughout for successful project delivery is good communication delivered through strong relationships of trust.

New media tools allow us to reach and engage our “target audience” but sometimes what is forgotten is that communication delivered through the context of relationships of trust are more effective.

The credibility of the sender and the relationship that he/she has or does not have with you is what actually bridges the gap and engages and persuades you to act or otherwise.

In addition to having a robust stakeholder management and communications plan in place, you need to develop a genuine two-way relationship with whoever you need to reach. That’s a “critical path” in project management and life.