Conquer the Project Communication Conundrum

My favorite project-related formula explains clearly why as a team grows, it gets harder to keep everyone "on the same page."

# possible communication channels = n(n-1)/2
where n = the number of people on your team

In other words, if there are 3 people (n=3), there are only 3 possible communication channels. (Hint: picture drawing as many lines as possible between 3 points - you get a triangle – only 3 paths).
Increase the number of people (or points) to 5 and suddenly there are 10 communication paths.
Increase the number of people to 10 and WHOA, there are a whopping 45 communication paths!

No wonder keeping everyone on the same page is so hard!

What's the answer to managing this communication channel explosion? A few thoughts that may help:

1. Divide the work into "bite-size chunks" that small teams can work on (for those of you from PMI-land, this could equate to work packages in your WBS)
2. Collocation (yes, I spelled it right) i.e., physically getting everyone to work in the same room for the duration of the project; with collocation, communication is:
• Faster - less meetings are needed - just turn your chair around or walk across the room
• Easier (to keep everyone on the same page) - everyone can hear everything and jump into a conversation in midstream if the message seems wrong
• Better - as people get to know one another because they are "living" in the same space, they learn how to more effectively communicate with one another
3. Build and follow a communications plan (see also my post from 10/03/2005, Project Communication Handbook & Tools)
4. For people who can absolutely not be in the same room, first, get to know one another in person (highly recommended although not always possible); then use the phone and instant messaging to keep in close contact
5. Schedule time for team fun! (Highly important!) People that have fun together perform better and are more willing to communicate. We are human after all.

Hopefully these ideas are helpful to you and your project. Let us know your tricks for conquering the project communication conundrum!