It is often the simple ideas that can turn out to be the most useful, specifically a PMO and / or project contact list.
It is a fact that it is the people that make a project successful (or not). While skills and ability are very important, it is probably even more critical for success that they are able to quickly and efficiently communicate with each other. Therefore, there is a lot to be gained by the PMO helping to make the communication as easy as possible.
The PMO should take the lead and make sure that each of the projects and PMO have up to date contact lists of the resources working on the projects and PMO. A way of doing this is to use a simple table in a word processor or spreadsheet document.
The document should contain the following information:
- Name (first and surname)
- Role / Capacity
- Project / Workstream (if applicable)
- Telephone Number
- Mobile Telephone Number
- e-mail Address
- Location
If at all possible try to fit all of the information on a single sheet of paper. Obviously if there is a lot of names, use more than one page as opposed to using font size 4 that no one can read!
Make sure that the document is circulated to all team members and that it is stored in a central location such as a shared directory, intranet, Sharepoint site, etc.
It is important that the information is kept up to date. The PMO should ensure they have a process to periodically review the contact list and update.
Another good tip is to request that all project and PMO team members add their role and contact details into their e-mail signature. It is very frustrating when somebody wants to call on the back of an e-mail but finds the telephone number is not at the bottom of the e-mail.
While a couple of very simple and common sense tips, they will greatly help the productivity of the team.
For more details, take a look at the blog post on Project Communication.
