How Communication Management Improves Localization Management Isabelle Fleury ©

Why projects fail? Poor planning Unclear goals and objectives Objectives changing during the project Unrealistic time or resource estimates Lack of executive support and user involvement Failure to communicate and act as a team Inappropriate skills COMMUNICATIONCOMMUNICATION

Communication Activities in the Project Life Cycle DefinitionPlanning / StartExecutionClosure - Project communication - Team communication - Change management - Problem solving - Project documentation - Communication plan - Team building - Kick-off - Client expectations - Project scope - Negotiating terms - Feedback - Post-project- review - Update documentation Structuring phase

Stakeholders and their Interests Project Manager TeamColleagues ClientManagement

Key success factors of Information Management The right information – Accuracy and preciseness – Up-to-date to the right person – All and only concerned persons at the right time – Timeliness – Traceability in the appropriate form

Keeping an overview on projects Work breakdown structure Workflow and schedule Communication plan Financial data: Offer, cost plan, invoices Change log Question-and-answer form Status reporting

Project Documentation: Don’t reinvent the wheel in each project Instructions – CI – Style guide – Localization kit – Terminology guide References, leverage and reuse – PDFs and Website-Addresses – Terminology database and Translation memories – FAQ

Communication Plan: Defining Roles and Responsibilities WHAT is the purpose of the communication? WHAT is the message to be communicated? WHO should the message come from? WHO is the audience? WHEN should the communication occur? WHAT type of communication is most suitable?

Reporting: a Means to an End Goals: – Supporting the achievement of project goals – Facilitate problem solving and decision making Success factors: – Reporting form is adapted to project type – Simple description of information – Concise wording – Easy and quick compilation

We know why projects fail, we know how to prevent their failure – so why do they still fail? The killer is the silence that follows the occurence of one of the main failure factors “Silence Fails” by The Concours Group and VitalSmarts LC, 2005

Benefits of Communication in People Management Consulting and agreement Request for help and support Building and inspiring confidence Motivation: Information as sign of appreciation, feedback

Project Manager in the Lead Role Strategist Consultant Process managerConflict solver Teamleader Moderator Sales Person Punching bag CounselorReviser Negotiator Himself

Key Success Factors in Communication Communication adapted to interlocutor Pro-active communication style Open and friendly communication All parties respected as equals Own personal development

Facilitating the Flow of Information A project manager is an information broker Push or pull? Does it always have to be in written form? Formal or informal? Use of Tools: , TMS and PM-Tools

Specifics of International Teams Different cultures (geography and company) Language barriers Different concepts of time Acceptance and display of emotions Handling of rules and instructions What „Yes“ or “No” mean? Hierarchy and gender Humor

How to Prevent Misunderstanding? Find a common language: – English as lingua franca? – Project terminology – KISS language Choose the right level of abstraction Consideration of cultural differences Account for your own imprint and behavior Foster an open and fair communication culture

Overcome Silences Be attentive and receptive to the team‘s words and mood Discuss and clear ambiguities and concerns Address and solve conflicts fairly and quickly Act brave and confident

How can Communication Improves Localization management? Definition of scope and structuring of the flow of information Smart management of people by means of an attentive, pro-active and adapted communicating attitude

Thank you! Isabelle Fleury Fon: