Communicating effectively can minimize the opportunity for confusion or misinterpretation of your message. In the midst of project tasks and looming deadlines, your approach, when communicating to and with your team, can affect the success of the project. According to Portny, et al, the chances for misunderstanding and hurt feelings, project managers should do the following:
• Confirm in writing the important information that was shared in informal discussions
• Avoid having an informal discussion with only some of the people who are involved in the topic being addressed.
This week, my Project Management class was given a communication scenario involving an email correspondence, voicemail message, and face to face interaction between Jane and Mark. Jane and Mark are both working on sections of a project, and Jane requires information that Mark is gathering to complete her report. In reflection of the scenario, the following questions will be addressed:
1. How did your interpretation of the message change from one modality to the next?
2. What factors influenced how you perceived the message?
3. Which form of communication best conveyed the true meaning and intent of the message?
4. What are the implications of what you learned from this exercise for communication effectively with members of a project team?
Emails can, in some instances, have an air of informality, and that is the impression this email gave me. In addition, the tone of an email can be misinterpreted by the receiver. Jane’s correspondence noted her regret to bother Mark, but it was passive in her request for the data/report she needed to complete her work before her deadline. The voicemail had more of a tone of urgency and formality. It is less likely to be ignored, overlooked, or forgotten, as emails sometimes are. The face to face modality was more direct and interpersonal. Mark could not avoid the necessity of Jane’s need for his report. Though, some parts of the interaction seemed as passive as the email, with Jane seeming more concerned with interrupting Mark than on the pressing deadline she was facing.
My perception of each modality was affected by the tone of each communication. The email was too informal, the voicemail was direct, clear, and concise, and lastly the non verbal cues Jane was giving in the face to face, deterred me from seeing the importance of her need. In my opinion the message and true meaning was conveyed best in the voicemail message.
The ability to communicate well, both orally and in writing, is a critical skill for project managers (Portny, Mantel, Meredith, Shafer, & Sutton, pg 357). What I took note of most is, your communication with project team members is critical for success. Effective communication will reduce obstacles, confusion, and “rework”. If you are unable to express important data, key phases of the project, or project details and deadlines to your team, there is no possible way for a project to potential succeed or succeed without glitches. When aspects of the process lag or fall behind, laying blame or responsibility to certain individuals can be a blurred task, especially when the success of the project is ultimately the responsibility of the Project Manager. Jane would surely miss her deadline if her communication of her need was left in the context of her email and potentially her face to face interaction.
Reference:
Portny, S.E., Mantel, S.J., Meredith, J.R., Shafer, S.M., Sutton, M.M., & Kramer, B.e., (2008). Project management: Planning, scheduling, and controlling projects. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Thursday, September 22, 2011
Thursday, September 15, 2011
Learning from a Project “Post-mortem”
Background
A few years ago, when internet safety began to be a rising hot topic amongst law enforcement and children’s services agencies, my employer (a child abuse pre entered into a partnership with our state’s Attorney General’s Office and a notable Cable provider (local). Our agency and the AG’s Office jointly received grant funds from the State to provide internet safety education and awareness to middle and high school students. The local cable provider had a national campaign on internet safety as well. The three entities determined that an Internet Safety Summit for high school students, from across the state, would be the best route to spread the safety message quickly and to the largest audience. Each stakeholder brought certain key aspects to the partnership, law enforcement, technology, and child abuse prevention. The project (Internet Safety Teen Summit) was to produce a 1 day summit for an estimated 350-400 teens, with workshops/trainings, Keynote speakers, group activities (including visiting the State Capital to discuss legislation), and lastly, a culmination event.
What contributed to the project’s success or failure?
The entire project had a timeline of six months from concept to completion. When we initially held a planning/kick off meeting, everyone felt prepared for and understood the tasks required for the project. There were problems that could have potentially caused the project to fail. For starters, each stakeholder had a team assigned to the project, and each team worked at different speeds. Those, including myself, assigned to the project at my company, were managing multiple products at the same time. All too often, there may be a tendency to place secondary job assignments, such as project work, on the back burner, and they are not completed as scheduled (Murphy, 1994). Communication was problematic, with calls and emails not being responded to in timely manner, and multiple planning meetings had to be rescheduled due to time conflicts. Each team worked independently for most of the project until we neared the completion deadline. At that point, we were working at a frantic pace to finalize and complete tasks that should have been reviewed earlier in the process. The project, though, with its many problems, was completed with great results. The evaluations gave great insight into “rework” needed in the content, planning, and coordination of the project for the following annual events.
Which parts of the PM process, if included, would have made the project more successful? Why?
When considering the PM process, in my opinion, the Define and Perform phases would have made the project more successful. The success of a project depends on how clear and accurate the plan is and whether people believe they can achieve it (Portny, Mantel, Meredith, Shafer, & Sutton, 2008). What we considered planning, more or less, would have been a mixture of the Conceive and Define phases. Too many areas were left un-clarified. Though the end result was a great event and accomplished the objectives and goals of the project (to an extent), much more could have been accomplished.
References:
Portny, S. E., Mantel, S. J., Meredith, J. R., Shafer, S. M., Sutton, M. M., & Kramer, B. E. (2008). Project management: Planning, scheduling, and controlling projects. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & sons, Inc.
Murphy, C. (1994). Utilizing project management techniques in the design of instructional materials. Performance & Instruction, 33(3), 9-11. Copyright by John Wiley & sons, Inc. Used by permission via the Copyright Clearance Center
A few years ago, when internet safety began to be a rising hot topic amongst law enforcement and children’s services agencies, my employer (a child abuse pre entered into a partnership with our state’s Attorney General’s Office and a notable Cable provider (local). Our agency and the AG’s Office jointly received grant funds from the State to provide internet safety education and awareness to middle and high school students. The local cable provider had a national campaign on internet safety as well. The three entities determined that an Internet Safety Summit for high school students, from across the state, would be the best route to spread the safety message quickly and to the largest audience. Each stakeholder brought certain key aspects to the partnership, law enforcement, technology, and child abuse prevention. The project (Internet Safety Teen Summit) was to produce a 1 day summit for an estimated 350-400 teens, with workshops/trainings, Keynote speakers, group activities (including visiting the State Capital to discuss legislation), and lastly, a culmination event.
What contributed to the project’s success or failure?
The entire project had a timeline of six months from concept to completion. When we initially held a planning/kick off meeting, everyone felt prepared for and understood the tasks required for the project. There were problems that could have potentially caused the project to fail. For starters, each stakeholder had a team assigned to the project, and each team worked at different speeds. Those, including myself, assigned to the project at my company, were managing multiple products at the same time. All too often, there may be a tendency to place secondary job assignments, such as project work, on the back burner, and they are not completed as scheduled (Murphy, 1994). Communication was problematic, with calls and emails not being responded to in timely manner, and multiple planning meetings had to be rescheduled due to time conflicts. Each team worked independently for most of the project until we neared the completion deadline. At that point, we were working at a frantic pace to finalize and complete tasks that should have been reviewed earlier in the process. The project, though, with its many problems, was completed with great results. The evaluations gave great insight into “rework” needed in the content, planning, and coordination of the project for the following annual events.
Which parts of the PM process, if included, would have made the project more successful? Why?
When considering the PM process, in my opinion, the Define and Perform phases would have made the project more successful. The success of a project depends on how clear and accurate the plan is and whether people believe they can achieve it (Portny, Mantel, Meredith, Shafer, & Sutton, 2008). What we considered planning, more or less, would have been a mixture of the Conceive and Define phases. Too many areas were left un-clarified. Though the end result was a great event and accomplished the objectives and goals of the project (to an extent), much more could have been accomplished.
References:
Portny, S. E., Mantel, S. J., Meredith, J. R., Shafer, S. M., Sutton, M. M., & Kramer, B. E. (2008). Project management: Planning, scheduling, and controlling projects. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & sons, Inc.
Murphy, C. (1994). Utilizing project management techniques in the design of instructional materials. Performance & Instruction, 33(3), 9-11. Copyright by John Wiley & sons, Inc. Used by permission via the Copyright Clearance Center
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