ADS specializes in using Ruby on Rails to build advanced, scalable, database-backed web sites for organizations of all sizes. Find out more at our website.

Mirriam-Webster defines communication as “a verbal or written message,” and “a process by which information is exchanged between individuals through a common system of symbols, signs, or behavior.” Communication is an active process. It requires the sender to ensure their message has been understood, and it requires the receiver to ensure that they have understood the message correctly. This is where email can at times fall down, and tools like IM, Campfire, and the phone come back into play.

We successfully use Unfuddle as our main project management tool, and as the main interface between our clients and the development team. The messaging and comment systems work great. Sometimes though, a conversation in comments can get out of hand and a five minute phone call clears things right up. Sometimes, it is easier for a client to articulate in the spoken word what they cannot put well into written words, such as descriptions that add value to user stories. A spoken conversation also takes the mind reading out of the equation as we can lay all the cards on the table. We can have the true back and forth that helps to ensure that we understand what the client is asking us to do.

When in doubt, ditch the digital and hop on the phone.

Related Posts

• Blogs: The Point
• Let Reality Guide Your Project
• Transparency Comes from the Top