Communication Competencies of Project Managers for Project Success

Introduction and Background of the Study

Successful implementation of projects depends on many variables, including the project manager’s several skills and competency levels (Flannes & Levin, 2005).  Key amongst these skills and competencies is interpersonal communication (Awan, Ahmed, & Zulqarnain, 2015). The progression of any project to its successful completion is hinged on how effective the stakeholders communicate. But while many studies like (Flannes & Levin, 2005) assert that communication skills or competencies are fundamental in project management, no specific studies have been conducted to assess the extent to which interpersonal communication skills or competencies are essential in the successful implementation of projects. Therefore, this study’s focus will be to develop interpersonal communication skills for a project manager in ensuring the success of a project. It is important to note that this paper’s interpersonal communication skills refer to communication and communication to multiple stakeholders. Moreover, in this study, the importance of interpersonal communication skills in the project’s planning stage is also analyzed in a communication strategy to related stakeholders.

Research Aim and Objectives

The study aims to evaluate the extent to which project managers’ interpersonal communication skills can influence the project’s success. In this regard, the study will discuss the role of interpersonal communication in enhancing project implementation. The study also focuses on discovering how the project manager can use contact to promote several deliverables in the project. The study equally intends to evaluate the implications of external and internal communication in successfully implementing projects.

Based on the fact that project implementation relies on the composition of the project implementation and management team, the study intends to discuss the communication style in different team members and how the project manager can effectively involve his communication skills to ensure that the project implementation team consisting of different team members in terms of culture, can effectively manage to ensure the success of the project. Conclusively, the study intends to develop a clearer understanding of how the project manager can influence the communication management process to promote the success of the project. This entails giving a detailed discourse on interpersonal communication techniques and the cross-cultural considerations and limitations in communication within the context of project management. Thus, the research question aimed to be addressed in this research is;

Do the good interpersonal communication competencies of the project manager guarantee the successful implementation of projects?

The following research objectives are developed in line with the research aim.

Research Objective 1: To explore the past literature related to project managers’ interpersonal communication competencies/skills and project success.

Research Objective 2: To identify the impact of project managers’ interpersonal communication competencies/skills on the successful implementation of projects based on past empirical studies.

Research Objective 3: To find the importance of good communication planning for effective communication and successfully implementing projects.

Research Objective 4: Evaluate the implications of external and internal communication in the successful implementation of projects.

Research Objective 5: To develop a clearer understanding of how the project manager can influence the communication management process to promote the success of the project.