Communication

Communication plays such a vital role in the success of any project. This role of communication most times falls directly on the project manager. Portny et al., (2008) states “the key to successful project management is effective communication—sharing the right messages with the right people in a timely manner. Through communication people exchange and share information with one another, and influence one another’s attitudes, behaviors, and understandings” (p.357). The message that Jane communicated to Mark carried different meanings across different modalities of communication. Even the message was the same, the modality directly impacted how that message might be received. Jane chose to communicate informally in person, over the phone and formally over email. The message was the same, but the best option that Jane chose was over email for a variety of reasons.

            When Jane communicated informally in person, Mark might have been working on a project or preoccupied with something before Jane walked up. Also a key point to understand is that just because something is shared in person doesn’t always mean it will be understood or applied (Portny et al., 2008). Jane would also need to document that informal conversation she had with Mark, which could have been done, but it is much harder in an informal meeting. The phone call was a good approach, but it was hard to see and document the words she was trying to communicate.

            If Mark is as busy as Jane suggests, then she needed to adjust her communication to fit the person  (Portny et al., 2008). This is why email was the best approach. In the email Jane explained “what” she needed, “why” she needed and “when” she needed the missing report. The tone was respectful, but also assertive to keep the project moving in the correct direction. The written form of communication was also able to also allow the recipient space to form a response, which will minimize the chance of miscommunication.  Portny et al., (2008) states that, “to minimize the chances for misunderstandings and hurt feelings, project managers should do the following: Confirm in writing the important information that was shared in informal discussions” (p.357).

Resources

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.

Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (n.d.). Practitioner voices: Strategies for working with stakeholders [Video file]. Retrieved from https://class.waldenu.edu

The role of the Project Manager

The crucial Role of the Project Manager:

A few years ago I was indirectly involved in implementing a new database system that would help people store, use and track information more accurately and effectively. Our small team held many meetings, downloaded all the needed software, tested out the product and felt confident that this new database would be a great tool for the company. Our small team of three was fairly new to the company, so we wanted to make a good impression on upper management and help other employees do their jobs with more efficiency. After months of preparation and working out the glitches in the system we decided to share our new system with the upper management and send out this new database tool to company for them to use. At first, the staff was impressed and so was upper management, but soon questions and concerns started to pile up. Have you thought about this? Why wasn’t I considered in this design? Who authorized this project? How do you plan to evaluate and implement this product to outside clients? Our team knew after the first couple of questions, that we had made a great mistake in how we handled and conducted this project because ultimately nothing was implemented by the staff. There were many factors that led to the project’s downfall, but two factors I can identify clearly. First, the project manager failed to involve key stakeholders from the start and second, the group lacked a clear implementation plan and ultimately didn’t plan for resistance.  

Remembering this project and what I know now about the project manager’s role I can see how the project manager at the time never involved key stakeholders from the start of the project. Greer (2010) states that, “if you don’t involve all stakeholders in an active and engaged fashion from the beginning, you are likely to suffer the consequences of rework when they finally figure out what you and your project team are up to…. and they then take action to leave their mark on it!” (p.10). Rework was exactly what our team had to face after we introduced the project. It is crucial from the beginning before the project begins to diffuse the unclear issues about the project. Greer (2010) states “it’s best to do this as a team, in order to avoid conflicting interpretations of deliverables later as they are being created” (p.13). Even though our team was on the same page, we needed an outside viewpoint that could help our team course correct.

Another key issue that we learned in the post-mortem analysis was to always plan for resistance during implementation. Our team should’ve understood the resistance we faced, but an unclear implementation plan caused this confusion. The resistance that our team encountered showed itself in two primary forms. The first form of resistance that we faced was a lack of understanding and buy in from the staff about the project itself . The organization had a vision to strategically transform the staff through this database, but each employee at the organization didn’t even understand the vision they were trying to cast. The staff resisted because they didn’t understand the need to change and they were unsure of what the change could mean (Hitt, Miller & Colella, 2009). This lack of understanding also led to the second form of resistance that our team encountered, which was a loss of trust (Beach, 2006). When our team didn’t involve upper management and the staff within the change process it created a self-preservation culture and a loss of trust was fostered. As Lee (2008) clearly points out that “when managers hoard information, or tiptoe around the truth more employees must read between the lines for the real messages and their true intent” (pg.24). When our team was faced with these forms resistance, we were surprised because we didn’t anticipate it.  Anderson (2010) clearly notes that the “most fundamental mechanism for sustaining a change is a regular meeting during which team members can come together to share results, perspectives, and opinions” (p.306). Our team, not only needed to meet together, but we needed to include the right people into those meetings from the onset.

Resources

Anderson, D. L. (2010). Organization development: The process of leading organizational change. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, Inc.

Beach, L. R. (2013). Leadership and the art of change: A practical guide to organizational transformation. (Laureate Education, Inc., custom ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, Inc.

Greer, M. (2010). The project management minimalist: Just enough PM to rock your projects! (Laureate custom ed.). Baltimore: Laureate Education, Inc.

Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (n.d.). Practitioner voices: Overcoming ‘scope creep’ [Video file]. Retrieved from https://class.waldenu.edu

Lee, T. J. (2008). Actions speak loudly. Communication World, 25(4), 24-28.
Retrieved from the Walden Library databases.

Hitt, M. A., Miller, C. C., & Colella, A. (2009) Organizational Behavior:A Strategic Approach (2nd ed.) by John Wiley & Sons Inc.