You know the sayings:

“The most important thing about project management is communication, communication, communication.”

“Project managers spend 90% of their time communicating.”

So with all this communication going on, why don’t our project teams always have a clear vision of what needs to be accomplished and when, how each day’s tasks fit into the big picture, and how task interdependencies affect the scope and the schedule?

It’s a matter of competition. With too much information, too many changing priorities, and too much multitasking going on, project team members are lucky if they remember to eat lunch.

So what’s the answer? We need to improve communication, cut through the clutter, and make sure our teams are focused on what’s important. The best way to do that is in an interactive discussion where we can confirm the message has been heard and then discuss and resolve any conflicts.

In short ... a meeting.

But the last thing any of us needs is another meeting!

Enter an idea from the agile development movement called the Scrum meeting. The name comes from the game of rugby, where the team huddles over the ball prior to beginning play.

The metaphor fits. A Scrum meeting is a 10 or 15 minute “huddle” where the team gathers every morning to set the priorities for the day and make sure everyone has what they need. Making it a stand-up meeting is a good way to keep it short. Speaker phones can connect remote team members. The meeting should be at the same time every morning, if possible, and it shouldn’t be optional. Timeliness should be strongly encouraged.

If you want to give it a try, tell your team you’re trying something new for the next two weeks. If it works, you’ll keep on doing it. If it doesn’t work, you’ll stop. Bringing the team into the trial process helps build commitment to your goal of improving project communication.

The first few Scrums will probably be awkward, and it will take people a while to get used to a meeting that actually starts and ends on time. But if you stick with it, you might find it really focuses the team on the day’s priorities and helps resolve issues before they get too big.

You might see some other things happening, as well. The team might actually start functioning more like a team. Team members might actually take the initiative to contact one another directly to resolve issues and get help. And the “heartbeat” of the team, previously synchronized to long, boring, weekly meetings, might actually speed up to where priorities are being determined and goals are being achieved every day.

It’s worth a try.

Now you know enough about Scrum meetings to put them into action. But if you’re interested in reading more, see Ken Schwaber’s book Agile Project Management with Scrum, or check out the Agile Alliance Scrum article list.

Copyright © 2007, David J. Williamson, MBA, PMP