Communication is the single most important element in project management. The more innovative or demanding a project, the more communication is required. In traditional project management methods nearly 75% of the project consists of communication and other related processes.

New ideas and innovation come when people talk, especially when outside the scope of the project. The high value placed on communication is made apparent by the fact that companies in Silicon Valley are increasingly designing offices that enable better communication. Open office plans are designed to facilitate and encourage chance encounters of people from diverse disciplines, backgrounds and departments.

One of the major differences between traditional project management and Agile is that the former tries to channel communication between stakeholders through emails and project management systems. This practice was adopted to ensure that all communication is controlled through predefined processes and protocols in order to make up for the lack of trust placed in employees. From tardiness to fraud, everything can be mitigated if communication channels are limited, controlled and monitored; thus goes the conventional wisdom.
A few consequences of these old communication paradigms are:

• You have to stick to the company hierarchy while communicating. Bypassing this hierarchy is treated as a cardinal sin.
• All communication has to be channeled through tools such as emails and project management information systems for the purpose of archival and documentation.
• You have to be especially careful while asking a question because you are being judged for what you ask, you might be labeled an idiot. You also have to belong to the correct rank for certain discussions.
• Do not raise an alarm unless you’re put on the spot. Let someone else raise the flag.
  Formality is a tool to keep others at bay or they will run over and take advantage of you. Whenever face to face communication is necessary, try to do it in a formal setting.
• Document everything, even if it makes no sense to do so. Nobody is going to read it anyways and the weight of documents (not the code) will show others how professional and efficient you are.
• Agile on the other hand is the complete opposite of the above:
• Agile promotes a flat culture, therefore no hierarchy. Anyone can talk to anyone at any level to solve problems or discuss ideas, as long as it is towards common team goals and there is no personal agenda involved.
• Communication happens face to face or in any way that is convenient. This ensures quick and frequent feedback. This means less deviations and more progress. An unread email can sit there for hours whereas a quick shout out only takes seconds. This is why open offices are gaining ground among tech companies.
• Encourage people to ask as many questions as possible without any fear of being judged. The simplest question can spark a new and innovative idea.
• Informal communication is more open and often more meaningful. It brings people closer and helps them trust each other, even with bad news.
• Documentation is expensive to maintain and update. Only document what is important. Let the actual work (like working software) speak for itself.

In order for an organization to transform into an Agile one, the culture needs to change. People should be encouraged to let go of insecurities that come with face to face and informal communication. Organizations should trust their people to do the right thing. Instead of emphasizing on controlling communication channels, they must invest in educating people to be honest, transparent and truthful.
Without trust, there is no Agile!

#Agile #Scrum #DigitalTransformation #Culture