Getting the Right Information to the Right People on Time

I’m sure just about every project manager can think of examples of where projects have gone off the rails due to miscommunication or not getting the right information.

As projects grow in scope and complexity, the need for tools to help manage communications has become an integral part of delivering successful projects. Projects keep getting bigger and bigger, with more and more stakeholders located all over the globe, speaking many different languages, with many cultural differences – at no other time in history has there been a greater need to collaborate and work together effectively. Regardless of where individuals reside, effective and timely communication must occur for the successful implementation and completion of projects.

Interface Management on capital projects is all about making sure that communication is handled in a way that minimizes risk and provides appropriate visibility to help deal quickly with problems when they do arise.

Interface Points

An interface is any point of connect between entities working on a project. Interface points might fall into any of these categories:

Tangible or Hard Interfaces

Physical connection such as a structural steel connection, pipe termination, or cable connection for example.

Intangible or Soft Interfaces

Any exchange of information such as design criteria, clearance requirements, security access (SIMOPS, etc), public relations, etc.

Execution interfaces

These occur when different parties conduct their scope of work in series with interfaces that are dependent upon each other or simultaneous when concurrent activities impact each other (such as shared systems – telecom, etc)

Contractual Interfaces

Mismanaged, these interfaces can negatively impact the cost and schedule of the project.

A properly implemented interface management process helps ensure proper communication and transparency between the various stakeholders. Failure to properly manage interfaces can lead to the failure of projects. Poor interface management can cause significant delays in commissioning and lead to extensive re-work. Interface management is key to ensuring that a project is on time, on budget, and meets safety requirements.

Who, What, When, How?

In the article “Latest Trends in High-Impact Interface Management Programs for Projects“, I outlined the importance of communication – one of the key components of an interface management program is to plan how communications will be conducted between various parties. Stakeholders have to know what information to communicate, how to communicate this information, and when to communicate it – this is the who, what, when, and how of effective interface management.

Spreadsheet-itus

On a typical capital project with hundreds or even thousands of possible interface points, the number of potential communication channels, and the number of ways things can go wrong is mind-boggling. It is very important to track and monitor transactions and, if deliverables are not being met, have the ability to determine the reason for the delay, understand where the delay has occurred, and ultimately correct the problem.

The reality is that matters of communication have often been taken for granted in capital project environments. There is an expectation that sufficient communication and information sharing will simply occur – but those kinds of assumptions don’t line up with reality.

Establishing a communications plan that addresses the who, what, when, and how of communication is essential. Trying to do this using traditional tools such as spreadsheets and email, no longer ‘cuts the mustard’. These tools do not provide the level of auditability, control, or real-time up-to-date information required for complex capital projects.

When implementing capital projects, the effects of missed interface points will likely lead to schedule delays, missed budgets, miscommunication between contractors, and errors in scope deliverables.

As pointed out in my previously linked article, “Even the most sophisticated spreadsheet will not properly document the distribution of information to support projects of this nature. The project team, including external contractors, must use sophisticated tools and processes to monitor and control communications related to interfaces. Otherwise, information is lost, forgotten, or simply not documented or shared.”

Administration of interfaces without an overall view of the project is an insufficient response to the risk associated with interfaces. Tools like Coreworx Interface Management drive best practices in interface management to help project teams meet their communication requirements. More and more organizations are investing in a fully integrated interface management solution and approach to address interface-related risk.

There will always be effort involved in putting together an effective communications plan to manage interfaces, but the good news is, there are tools available today to help when dealing with increasingly complex projects.