The Importance of Communication
By Jacaranda Bill
vWorker.com Worker
When I first started taking projects on vWorker.com, I passed through a typical period
of lurking; poking around and looking at all the details for various projects. I
was even reading the comments from workers to employers and vice versa, in their
online resumes. It seems to me that there was a word that was present in most of
the comments: "Excellent Communication", "Good Communication", "Communication is
superb".
It is clear that many people were evaluating someone by his/her communication
skills. Being a hardcore worker for many years I always believed that I must be
judged by the final outcome of the project. In vWorker.com, I discovered that this is
partially true. A great implementation of a project will make the employer accept
the project 100% but if the communication is pour during the development of the
project, neither the employer nor the worker would like to cooperate again. Good
communication will ensure repeating work between the same employer and worker.
I strongly believe that the secret of successful projects is "Communication"!
If the employer and the worker can communicate well, the project is only a matter of
time to finish. Communication doesn't only mean that both parties have to speak
the same language. It means more than that. It has to do with the wealth of
information that is exchanged between them. Communication must be fluent, clear
and enriched with meaningful information.
Many projects have failed to be completed and went to arbitration because the
employer and worker failed to communicate efficiently. Here is an example from my
own personal experience. During the development of a project, the employer was
constantly sending me short, cryptic e-mails. I always had to reply back and
clarify even minor details. Chatting with him online wasn't proved useful
either.
He didn't really know what he wanted. Sometimes, when he replied to my long
e-mails it was hard to read his replies because he didn't even use paragraphs to
separate my text from his. When I finished the project, I got a 10 and a nice
comment but only I, knew how hard it was to complete it. It was a nightmare.
Most of my time on the project was spent trying to communicate with him. I
estimated that I spent double the time that it was worth for this project. Do
you think that this was an extreme example? Think again. It is very possible to
happen to you if you fail to communicate.
Employers must clearly specify their needs before they post a project. You don't
have to be a system analyst in order to do this efficiently. Write as many
details as you can and give examples. Workers are not magicians. They can't guess
what you want. During the development, constantly comment on the work. Always
check the various steps and make sure that you are moving into the correct
direction. Praise the worker if he finishes a nice tricky part of the project.
Most workers are take pride in their work. Reward them if they take the extra
mile for you.
Workers must have patience. Employers aren't always experts in technical terms.
Don't use technical lingoes to show off. It is better to explain things in
simple words, one step at a time. In the long run this is going to save you
time. If the employer has a strong technical background about the project then you
can use the appropriate terminology. During the development, keep a constant
communication flow. Be sensitive about the employers needs. Don't keep him in the
dark about what you are doing. It is always a good idea to send daily short
reports even for the smaller projects. This will assure that you are on the
right track.
A successful project completion depends on many factors. "Communication" is the
most important one. You can't go wrong if you make a lot of effort to
communicate the best you can.
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