Internal / External Communication

One key trait of a successful Project Manager will be to know the level of communication the stakeholders expect and to deliver on expectation.  Too much communication is not healthy or efficient.  If everybody is updated continuously on everything then nobody is able to focus on what they need to get done.  This also produces noise in the project, diluting the important communication that needs to be seen by key stakeholders.

However, too little communication will result in people not feeling informed about the status of things that affect their scope or even cause increases in cost.  For instance, if a piece of equipment is late and that information is not shared with the test site, there may be unnecessary rental or site occupancy cost incurred by tying up the test facility.

A good Project Manager will know the right balance here, making sure that everybody gets the information they need to know.