Last updated on March 29, 2024

Why is communication in a project so important? Well, when it comes to relaying project updates to clients, it’s crucial to recognize that they likely aren’t fluent in project management jargon. Terms like agile, critical path, earned value, float, scrum, and work breakdown may sound like a foreign language to them. While some clients might be more involved in project oversight, for many managing the project is just a fraction of their responsibilities.

Therefore, it’s essential to communicate in a way that’s clear, concise, and devoid of technical jargon. By doing so, project managers can ensure that clients understand the status of their projects without feeling overwhelmed or confused.

Clients come from various industries – manufacturing, finance, healthcare, transportation – and they’ve hired you for your expertise in project management. They expect you to translate complex project details into language they can understand and convey to their higher-ups.

Remember, your reports might need to be digested by executives who aren’t familiar with project management intricacies. Recognizing and catering to these perspectives is key to fostering effective communication and ensuring that project updates are meaningful and actionable for clients and stakeholders alike.

In a previous post, we discussed how Project Managers should communicate with their own managers and executives when providing status reports. Many of the same principles apply when conveying information to external clients.

Here are the top 3 must-dos for effectively engaging with clients:

Busy clients appreciate concise communication. Incorporating graphs, , or other types of project management charts not only conveys information efficiently but also makes it easier for clients to share within their organization. For instance, presenting data on a Gantt chart with task completion percentages, like in the example below, offers a quick snapshot of project progress.