Communication

Hello to everyone. I am back to blogging after around 82 days. Actually, I was busy with some of my professional and personal commitments.

First of all, I would like to wish all of you

A VERY HAPPY AND HALCYON NEW YEAR 2009

नव वर्ष २००९ की हार्दिक शुभकामनाये। यह साल आप सब के लिए मंगलमय हो।

And then let’s get back to business. I am starting this year’s blog writing with a very common topic that looks easy and understandable but most of us are not aware of how crucial and difficult this topic is.

Communication – Looks like a very simple word which means the activity of conveying information. But it only looks like a small word. It looks like that we are aware of this word. But can you think of that this is one of the most common reasons for any software failure or project delay in IT industry?

Believe me. I am not kidding. More than 60% of projects delayed or derailed only because of communication, in fact not because of communication but because of miscommunication or no communication. A situation in which miscommunication or the complete lack of communication adversely affects the work as well as the relationships among the people carrying out the work. Good communication is critical to software project quality.

To understand this, let’s define what is communication? It is the process involving the transmission and interchange of ideas, facts, feelings or course of actions. You give, get or share information with others during this process. Whether you communicate orally or in writing, this process essential remains the same. It can also be defined as the exchange of information, ideas and knowledge between sender and receiver through an accepted code of symbols.

Communication can be broadly divided into two categories:

1. General communications: The characteristics are:

• Contains a general message
• Informal in style and approach
• No set pattern of communication
• Mostly oral
• Not always for a specific audience
• No technical vocabulary and grammar.

2. Technical communications: The characteristics are:

• Contains a technical message
• Mostly formal
• Follows a set pattern
• Both oral and written
• Always for a specific audience
• Frequently involves graphics, jargon etc.

Both kinds of communication are important in day to day life. We may say that General communication plays a major role in personal life and Technical communication plays a major role in professional life. But since we are talking about the project failures and derailing, let’s talk about some barriers that hinder us to establish a good communication in our professional life.

Intrapersonal barriers – Wrong assumptions, varied perceptions, differing backgrounds, wrong inferences, impervious categories, categorical thinking.

Interpersonal barriers – Limited vocabulary, Insane state between words and actions, emotions outburst, communication selectively, cultural variations, poor listening skills, noise in the channel.

Organizational Barriers – Too many transfer stations, fear of superiors, negative tendencies, use of inappropriate media, information overload.

I have faced a major failure of a project in my professional life due to communication. It was like someone hit on top of your head without even notifying you. Then only I realized that effective testing and clear communications of results is an integrated part of a project risk-management strategy. And we all are aware that how much important and crucial, the risks in our projects.

By following these guidelines, you can achieve effectiveness in all your communications activities that are technology oriented:

• Be clear with your purpose
• Keep in mind the background of your audience and also your relationship with them
• Consider whether your audience has access to the technology used for communications
• Keep in mind the urgency, duration, cost and facilities while selecting the technology
• Remember that you use technology for speed and efficiency and not for the sake of using it
• Explore all the facilities available in the particular technology you decide to use
• Be familiar with the technology you choose and practice till you become perfect
• Always be ready with an alternative in case of some failure in the chosen technology.

-- Sanat Sharma