Remember that your business contacts are usually very busy and may not see providing information for project requirements as a priority. Be persistent, but considerate of their situation.
- Ask people when the best times to talk to them are and when it is best to leave them alone (when end of month process is going on, for example).
- Find out their preferred method of communication. If someone never responds to your e-mails try phone calls or stopping by their desk. If they hate interruptions, schedule time to meet or use e-mail.
If you are not getting adequate time with someone you need to talk to, address the problem as soon as possible. Talk to the person about possible times to meet. Address the issue with the project manager and in your status report.
Target your communication to your audience. Busy executives may not read anything except a single page with bullet points. Others will want to read every detail before signing off. Visual people may understand flow charts better than use case descriptions. Don’t use technical jargon or acronyms that your audience is unlikely to understand.
Since time is usually limited, use an agenda for all meetings and follow up by sending meeting minutes to the team.
Always, always have an agenda for meetings and a set of goals for the meetings.
