In his official statement announcing the federal government's National Innovation and Science Agenda in December, Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull spoke highly of current opportunities for Australian companies. Mr Turnbull noted that our businesses and research organisations were among the best in the world, however in some key areas, we were falling behind.

One area singled out by the Prime Minister was collaboration, an aspect of Australian business where there is plenty of room for improvement. In the field of project management, few things are as important as an effective communication strategy.

Making it as easy as possible for you and your colleagues to communicate and collaborate on new projects is vital, and can make all the difference when it comes to completion. So how can your project management techniques be improved?

Have a clear communication process in place

If you are working on a project with a reasonably large number of people, it's important to be sure that everyone's on the same page from the get-go. The cornerstone of a cohesive process is communication - it's no good having a plan if not everyone is able to follow it. 

"A good communication process keeps stakeholders engaged and project teams motivated," says Graham Colborne, manager of capital and projects at mining company Barrick Australia-Pacific. In fact, a study by the Project Management Institute found that one in five business projects are unsuccessful in the US due to ineffective communications.

Having a comprehensive and consistent communications platform available to your entire project team can be the most essential element, helping you to achieve success on time and on budget.

Having an effective communications platform is essential for project management.

Make yourself available to clients

Chances are, if you're working on a new project, it's all in aid of providing a better service to your customers. How do you find out what you can do to improve your operations? By being available to speak to your most important clients on a regular basis. 

With Fonality's Heads Up Display system, you can not only manage your communications with your team, but with your customers as well. Incoming calls can simply be dragged and dropped to transfer to another member of your organisation, and mobility options mean you can take calls on the go. Plus, by setting up your most important clients as contacts in HUD, you can easily contact them from anywhere as well.

Before you get started on your next major project, make sure your communications solution is up to the task. Give Fonality a call today, and experience the efficiency of a well-managed communication system first hand.