Here’s a tool that can save you a lot of pain. If you’ve struggled with communication, it will help you. Unless you’re a hermit living alone in the woods, you need partners in life. We all have them. If you get married, your spouse becomes a partner in so many areas. Ministries and businesses involve partnering. We need better training in how to partner.

Think about the people you’ve partnered with. How did your partnership go? If we fail, it is usually because of poor communication.

Too often, I’ve taken short-cuts in communicating with partners, assuming that our mutual trust would be adequate. And that has sometimes resulted in breakage. My partners deserved better.

Good partnership is biblical. Jesus prayed for unity amongst his followers before he died (John 17). Paul had partners wherever he traveled. He referred to it frequently. For example in his letter to the Philippians: “Because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now.” (Philippians 1:5)

Who are your key partners? Take the time to communicate these 5 elements* of the projects you share and then to update them as they change. In so doing, you’ll honor your partners. They’ll want to work with you in the future as they see the way you ensure clarity and alignment.

Project Success Communication Tool

Projects have pre-established time frames. But change is inevitable along the way.  By checking in on changes, we avoid dysfunction and stay aligned.

Results/Expectations – What & how measured including milestones (I expect to accomplish the following….).

Guidelines – Principles & procedures (I will follow these as I go forward…)

Resources – Include an analysis of constraints. (These are the resources I know I have access to and the ones I feel I need…)

Accountability – Who I report to and how frequently we touch base. (I’ll know we’ve succeeded by following this evaluation process…)

Consequences – What happens if we win or lose? (If desired results are achieved or not achieved.)

Plans lose their relevance unless they are regularly updated.  The more closely team members work together, the more they need to communicate about their understanding of factors impacting their role as they change. Good communication keeps them from stepping on one another’s toes or allowing balls to drop.

* For more about this concept, check out Stephen Covey’s 7 Habits of Highly Effective People and his discussion of win-win agreements.