Communication is one of the most overlooked aspects of work life. Yet, the true secret behind a successful project — and effective project management — boils down to just one thing: effective communication.
In professional life, it’s not your technical expertise but your ability to present your work that often sets you apart. As long as communication is clear and strong, most other problems eventually find their solutions.
I can’t speak for other industries, but in engineering, communication is a serious issue. One reason is that many engineers are drawn to the field precisely because it allows them to avoid social interaction. As a result, they tend to downplay the importance of communication and view life solely through the lens of results: I did it. It’s done.
Engineers often do what they do because they love it. This passion pushes them to strive for excellence — but also leaves them dissatisfied with their own output. Naturally, they don’t care much for project requirements, budget constraints, company politics, or business objectives. If they’re working on something product-focused, they see it as the core of the project, dismissing everything else as unimportant noise. If a task involves communication but lacks technical detail, they either ignore it or postpone it. And yet, nothing moves forward without communication or marketing. The very projects they’re working on exist because of these things.
Another challenge is the assumption that everyone thinks like them — that everyone understands technical details, remembers discussions, and devotes their full attention to the engineer’s work.
For project managers, these mindsets can be among the biggest obstacles. If the project manager has a technical background, all decision-making, external communication, and technical liaison tasks might be dumped on them. If they don’t have a technical background, understanding the process and extracting relevant information from a sea of technical jargon takes time and patience. If you ever felt like grabbing a machine gun and mowing down the entire office — you’re not alone.
From my experience, two fundamental problems stand out:
1. Poor Framing of Progress Questions
One common mistake project managers make is asking the wrong question about task progress. Asking “When will this be done?” or “We need this finished by X, can you make it?” often leads to a useless or angry response. A more effective approach is to understand the task — even at a high level — and ask “What’s left to do?” Then estimate the timeline based on the remaining work. This way, you guide the expert toward a more meaningful answer.
What may seem like a simple question to you could be complex for them. At my own workplace, someone once took three days to answer “When will it be done?” They dropped everything, did extensive analysis, wrote pages of documentation, and then vented their frustration over wasted time. The question was simple — but everyone interprets it differently. Some feel pressure, others respond clearly.
Another real example: a junior project manager once asked, “How hard can it be to send an email?” Well, it can be very hard. Preparing technical details, finding the right words, overcoming language barriers or lack of confidence, aligning with project expectations — all these things matter. When asking for updates or pushing for action, it’s critical to consider the complexity of the task involved.
2. Lack of a Communication Plan
This is really the core issue. While subject-matter experts can and should speak directly with their counterparts on the customer side, this informal approach often results in key information getting lost. Similarly, the mindset of “We talk face-to-face all the time, we decided this verbally” causes important decisions to disappear into thin air.
Then during meetings, you’ll hear someone say, “Remember when I said that while we were getting coffee in the kitchen?” Half the team stares blankly. The speaker assumes it was crucial, and therefore memorable. The listener has no clue what was said.
To avoid this chaos, you need a well-planned and well-maintained communication structure:
- Who talks to whom?
- On which platforms?
- How often?
- How are joint sessions managed?
- Who gets which reports?
- What information is relevant to whom?
Answering these questions up front prevents so many future issues.
Examples of “Trigger” Comments and How to Handle Them
- “Didn’t you see the email? I added you last time.”
→ The average person checks an email within 10–45 seconds. If they’re busy, they might not even remember reading it. - “I didn’t see the meeting invite.”
→ Did we agree on this at the start of the project? Did I send the invite? Did you accept it? Then no excuses. - “I missed the meeting. I was really busy.”
→ So is everyone. You’re not the only busy person on Earth. - “Should I CC you?”
→ If it concerns me, yes. - “Should I CC people on vacation too?”
→ Yes. They shouldn’t have to dig through files like archaeologists when they return. - “Who should I send this email to?”
→ Your mom? Just kidding. We built a team, responsibility, and communication matrix at the start — use it. - “I uploaded the files to the cloud — didn’t you see them?”
→ No. Did you notify anyone? - “Am I supposed to do engineering or deal with all this?”
→ Both. You’re responsible for the work you produce. - “Everyone already knows we’re taking a different approach on this.”
→ Did we discuss it? Agree on it? Get customer approval? Document it? If not — no, no one knows. Make sure they do.
Final Word: The Project Manager’s Role
The project manager’s job is to prevent all of this. At the start of the project, they should share the communication plan with everyone and get full buy-in. Later on, when questions arise, they should point back to that original plan.
A well-structured communication strategy is the hidden force behind smooth projects. It doesn’t just make things easier — it makes success possible.
bahadirhancicek 
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