Communication Plan: Tools and Templates

Communication Plan: Tools and Templates

Clear, concise, accurate, and timely communications is vital for the project manager. Developing the strategy to communicate can vary based on the project manager, the project, and stakeholders. Plan Communications Management “is the process of developing an appropriate approach and plan for project communications based on stakeholder’s information needs and requirements, and available organizational assets” (Project Management Institute, 2013 pg. 289). So how does the manager control communications? By utilizing some tools from the project management toolbox!

First tool, and personally one of my favorites, is the Circle-of-Communications Chart. The circle-of-communications chart identifies and documents the various project roles.  An example is shown below.

This tool identifies that all formal and final communications must go through the project manager, which is situated in the center of the center. Secondly, it identifies all those involved in the project. These members can now visually see they are part of a team. And on this team, communications should be kept internal to the team.

Second tool is the Project Organizational  Chart.

The Project Organizational Chart displays the project’s organizational structure identifying who is working on the project and their roles. This simple tool gives anyone a quick reference on the project team details.

Additional tools that a project manager can utilize are:

1-      Communication Plan Research Guide-  found on ProjectManagement.com, this document is used to “improve the research the project manager conducts to complete a communication plan” (Wynne, 2016). This template focuses on the understanding how communications happen currently and yield insight into effective communication going forward. Here is a link to download the template:

http://www.projectmanagement.com/deliverables/18900/Communication-Plan-Research-Guide

2-      Project Communications Planning- also found on ProjectManagement.com, this template/tool describes “who will speak to whom, why, when, how often and in what format” (ProjectManagement.com, 2016). In addition, this tool also manages project expectations. Here is the link to download this tool:

http://www.projectmanagement.com/presentations/205420/Project-Communications-Planning

There is an abundance of tools and templates available to the project manager. Managing project team members can be challenging. Managing communications is a key fundamental skill the project manager must develop to ensure project success!

Damien

References

Dow, W., & Taylor, B. (2015). Project management communication tools. Renton, WA: Dow Publishing LLC.

Larson, E. W., & Gray, C. F. (2014). Project management: The managerial process (6th ed.). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill Education.

Project Management Institute. (2013). A guide to the project management body of knowledge (PMBOK guide) (5th ed.). Newtown Square, PA: Project Management Institute, Inc.

ProjectManagement.com. (2016). Project communications planning. Retrieved from http://www.projectmanagement.com/presentations/205420/Project-Communications-Planning

Wynne, J. (2016). Communication plan research guide. Retrieved from http://www.projectmanagement.com/deliverables/18900/Communication-Plan-Research-Guide

Project Management: Progress and Performance 

Performance reporting is the “act of collecting and distributing performance information, including status reports, progress measurements, and forecasts” (Project Management Institute, 2013 pg. 301). Before just haphazardly producing reports, the project manager must first establish a project monitoring system. For the project manager to establish a project monitoring system, they must determine what data to collect; how, when, and who will collect the data; analysis the data; and report current progress (Larson & Gray, 2014). This information is then communicated to the stakeholders. However, not all stakeholders have the same level of detail. You wouldn’t have the company/organizational senior leadership sit through hours of project details would you? Of course not. Senior leadership is usually concerned with the major portions of the project such as budget, schedule, and any impacting issues. Likewise, department/project leads would not want a full project overview when they are concerned specifically about their own deliverables. Reports need to be tailored to the audience, or stakeholders in this case.

Here is a common topic format for progress reports (Larson & Gray, 2014):

-          Progress Since Last Report

-          Current Status of Project

§  Schedule

§  Cost

§  Scope

-          Cumulative Trends

-          Problems and Issues Since Last Report

§  Actions and Resolution of Earlier Problems

§  New Variances and Problems Identified

-          Corrective Action Planned

 By gathering the necessary data and inputting into this format, project managers can tailor the delivery to different stakeholders. “A major goal of progress reporting is to catch any negative variances from plan as early as possible to determine if corrective action is necessary” (Larson & Gray, 2014 pg. 459). When compiling information and developing reports, the stakeholders’ engagement is the driving factor in your reporting system. In first developing a project, usually a stakeholder analysis is completed. Stakeholder analysis “is a technique of systemically gathering and analyzing quantitative and qualitative information to determine whose interests should be taken into account throughout the project” (Project Management Institute, 2013 pg. 395). This identifies the “interests, expectations, and influence of the stakeholders and relates them to the purpose of the project” (Project Management Institute, 2013 pg. 395). When this analysis is complete, the level of detail in reports should be tailored to the stakeholders’ analysis results.

So what are some ways to distribute project information?

Here are three ways (Dow & Taylor, 2015 pg. 64-67):

1-      Verbal Communications - This is simply having a conversation with your customers, team members, and leadership team. There is many forms of verbal communication such as in person, telephone, or online meetings (chats). This form can be informal or formal and can convey the level of information needed or requested by different stakeholders.

2-      Written Communications- This is usually the most popular in disturbing project information. Written communications can be by email, formal/informal paper, or by electronic (instant messaging systems).

3-      Visual Communications- This is the form of communications were you present data in graphs, charts, and tables. Sometimes a visual of the project status is all that is needed to convey meaning.

So after establishing HOW you’re going to communicate, the next phase is identifying the project control steps for measuring performance. The project control steps for measuring and evaluating project performance are:

1-      Setting a baseline plan.

2-      Measuring progress and performance.

3-      Comparing plan against actual.

4-      Taking action.

In closing, the project manager has responsibility to control and monitor project progress. This information needs to be distributed to stakeholders utilizing project updates and/or reports as discussed.

Good luck and happy reporting!

Damien

References

Dow, W., & Taylor, B. (2015). Project management communication tools. Renton, WA: Dow Publishing LLC.

Larson, E. W., & Gray, C. F. (2014). Project management: The managerial process (6th ed.). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill Education.

Project Management Institute. (2013). A guide to the project management body of knowledge (PMBOK guide) (5th ed.). Newtown Square, PA: Project Management Institute, Inc.

ProjectManagement.com. (2016). Project communications planning. Retrieved from http://www.projectmanagement.com/presentations/205420/Project-Communications-Planning

Wynne, J. (2016). Communication plan research guide. Retrieved from http://www.projectmanagement.com/deliverables/18900/Communication-Plan-Research-Guide

360-Degree Feedback--Better for Organizational Performance Reviews / Follower Alienation- Effects and Remedies

Hello everyone and welcome back to the next installment of my blog! Today’s blog features two sections; 360-Degree Feedback and Follower Alienation. These two topics are critical for leadership success so let us dive right in to the discussion!

360-Degree Feedback—Better for Organizational Performance Reviews?

Let me begin this section with some personal background information. I have been in a leadership role for over 24 years. My experience spans across for-profit, non-profit, military organizations, sales organizations, and even parent volunteer organizations. This blog will feature my opinion on whether the 360-degree multi-rater feedback is really better than a boss-based assessment. In addition, I will provide my opinion, based on my experience, on whether I would elect to use 360-degree multi-rater feedback.

Before discussing the specifics on 360-degree feedback verse boss-based assessment, I believe it is important to disclose this simple fact—no system will ever be perfect! There will always be those that agree and those that disagree with any performance feedback system put in place. This is just human nature. The key is to do your based, based on knowledge and experience, to perform your leadership responsibilities taking into account what is best for the organization.

“360-degree feedback is a performance appraisal approach that uses input from an employee's supervisors, colleagues, subordinates-and, sometimes, even suppliers and customers” (Pfau, 2002).The basic premise of 360-degree feedback is that “the people who work most closely with an employee see that person’s behavior in settings and circumstances that a supervisor may not” (Pfau, 2002). Now, as a supervisor, it is the primary responsibility to conduct performance reviews. 360-degree feedback is not a tool to simply delegate and side-step leadership responsibilities. This tool is used to enhance and provide additional resources to give an accurate representation of the employee. “Rather than relying on the perceptions or feedback of single individual, the multi-rated feedback derives multiple perceptions from different angles which bring a broader overview of an employee’s performance” (Hosain, 2016). Given in the right format, and under the proper tonality, 360-degree feedback would be beneficial. Let me elaborate.

“The most important aspect to consider when preparing for a feedback session is to routinely observe the performance of the rate” (Air Force Occupational Measurement Squadron, 2007 pg. 266). If the supervisor has the ability to perform routine observations, than this performance perception should be given the highest weight in determining ratings. However, not every supervisor in an organization can observe all their employees, all the time. If this is the case, the supervisor should make every effort to garner the opinion of others around the employee. Of course, before an organization implements such a program, training should be introduced to discuss how to properly provide feedback, whether feedback is positive or negative. In addition, supervisor have to give “weight” to the feedback and take into account other people biases.

I would recommend the implementation of 360-degree performance feedback if situation warrants. If implemented correctly, and with the right intent, 360-degree feedback can be a powerful tool in the supervisor toolbox. “360-degree feedback can be a powerful organizational intervention to increase awareness of the importance of aligning behavior, work unit performance and customer expectations; as well as increasing participation in leadership development and work effectiveness” (Hosain, 2016).

Follower Alienation- Effects and Remedies

Vertical Dyadic Linkage Theory examines how leaders form one-on-one relationships with followers, and how these often create in-groups and out-groups within the leader’s work unit (Lussier & Achua, 2013).  The in-group includes followers with strong social ties to their leader in a supportive relationship characterized by high mutual trust, respect, loyalty, and influence (Lussier & Achua, 2013). Out-group influences followers with few or no social ties to their leader, in a strictly task-centered relationship characterized by low exchange and top-down influence (Lussier & Achua, 2013). So how does this affect unit morale?

Let us analyze this picture above. It shows a sports team with an obvious split. On the one side you have your in-group. On the other, an alienated person in the out-group.  What emotions does this picture conjure up? Does this look like a positive situation for the team? Some characteristics of out-groups include receiving little inspiration, encouragement, or recognition. When a person is treated in such a manner, they will not participate 100% to the team. Alienated followers are; low on involvement yet are high on critical thinking; feel cheated or unappreciated; are capable but unwilling to participate in developing solutions to problems(Lussier & Achua, 2013). Does any of these indications sound positive to an organization? Having members on the team who do not contribute creates negative productivity and lost opportunities. Let us analyze a situation of alienated followers.

The local charter school where I volunteer has only been in operation for a couple of years. During the first year, a Parent Advisory Council (PAC) was created to organize parent volunteers. The PAC organized functions, events, and fundraising activities. Originally, being a new school, the PAC was comprised of only 13 members. As the year continued on, the number decreased to eight. At the start of the second year, my daughter started her enrollment and I volunteered to be a PAC member. What became evident is that the PAC was separated into groups; those that were in the in-group and were personal friends of the PAC president and those that were in the out-group.

The in-group scheduled meetings at their homes and organized functions just within the group. The out-group was never encouraged to attend or participate. What I soon came to realize is that the in-group PAC members treated the organization like a social club and did not have the best intentions in mind. In alienating new parents, a vast resource was lost. Imagine the skills, enthusiasm, and volunteer hours lost by not recruiting additional parents. Imagine the amount of activities and events that could have been achieved had we worked as one unit, not a separated one. So how should the PAC leader treated this situation differently?

An organization is usually created to achieve a mission. Whether it is to sell goods, provide services, or other reasons, an organization is formed for a reason. It is up to leadership to guide the organization to achieve this mission as effectively and efficiently as possible. The leader must act with the organizational best interest in mind. As for the PAC, embracing this concept of leadership effectiveness, the president should have recruited and solicited volunteers to help serve. This solicitation should have been sincere and with the right intentions. The potential new members should have been welcomed, embraced for their volunteerism. In doing so, the PAC president could have recruited and developed effective followers.

Effective followers (Lussier & Achua, 2013):

-          Are high on critical thinking and involvement

-          Are not risk-adverse nor do they shy from conflict

-          Have the courage to initiate change

-          Serve the best interest of the organization

-          Tend to function very well in self-managed teams

-          Complement the leader’s efforts and can be relied upon the relive the leader of many tasks

The irony is that, after the PAC drove away any potential volunteers to help, at the end of year they complained of burn out and lack of activities. In essence, they were their own worst enemy.

Damien

References

Air Force Occupational Measurement Squadron. (2007). Professional development guide- AF pamphlet 36-2241. Randolph AFB TX: US Air Force.

Hosain, S. (2016). 360 degree feedback as a technique of performance appraisal: Does it really work? Asian Business Review, 6(13), 21-25.

Lussier, R. N., & Achua, C. F. (2013). Leadership: Theory, application, & skill development (5th ed.). Mason, OH: Cengage/Thomson South-Western.

Pfau, B. (2002). Does 360-degree feedback negatively affect company performance? HR MAgazine, 47(6), 54-60.

Reviewing PMI® Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct—How Can PMs’ Act Ethically?

Hello Blog Fans! Welcome to another week and another topic! This week we dive into the world of ethics. Okay. Admittedly, this is not the most exciting topic for review. However, I would argue that ethics is one of the MOST important topics to discuss (and can lead to some lively discussions!).

 

 http://blogs.ubc.ca/kaijanz/files/2014/09/picpicpic.jpg

Just open any newspaper, journalist magazines, or watch television news broadcast to see how ethics has been a plaguing problem across all industries. Here is a quick review of PMI®’s Code of Ethics.

The PMI® Code of Conduct sets the expectations for practitioners in the PM community.  “The Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct is divided into sections that contain standards of conduct which are aligned with the four values that were identified as most important to the project management community” (Project Management Institute, 2006). These four values are (Project Management Institute, 2006):

1-      Responsibility- is our duty to take ownership for the decisions we make or fail to make, the actions we take or fail to take, and the consequences that result.

2-      Respect- is our duty to show a high regard for ourselves, others, and the resources entrusted to us. Resources entrusted to us may include people, money, reputation, the safety of others, and natural or environmental resources

3-      Fairness- is our duty to make decisions and act impartially and objectively. Our conduct must be free from competing self-interest, prejudice, and favoritism.

4-      Honesty-  is our duty to understand the truth and act in a truthful manner both in our communications and in our conduct.

In addition, each section of the Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct contains both aspirational standards and mandatory standards. As the names imply, aspirational standards are those that practitioners strive to uphold. Mandatory standards are set, firm standards that must be followed (Project Management Institute, 2006).

Armed with the above information, how useful are the PMI® Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct in helping someone decide what behavior is appropriate and inappropriate?  Apparently, this must be a common question as PMI® has devoted another document to help. “This PMI Ethical Decision-Making Framework (EDMF) document describes steps that can be used to guide an individual in the project management profession through a process to make a decision when confronted with an ethical dilemma” (Project Management Institute, 2016).

In essence, EDMF describes 5 steps (and associated sub-questions) is intended to be used as a guide for critical thinking throughout the ethical decision-making process, it is represented as a sequence of questions and sub-questions to stimulate the user beginning with the recognition and assessment of the issue, and ending with a decision and action. Here is a pictorial of the 5-Steps (Project Management Institute, 2016):

PMI® Ethical Decision-Making Framework

Corresponding with the 5-Steps are the questions you can ask for each.

As PMs, why is ethics and standards important? The answer basically comes down to teamwork. PMs are essentially completing an activity with others. In order to be a leader, the PM must establish trust in building relationships. No trust, no followers! And trust requires the PM is act ethically. No ways around it. If the leader cuts corners, lies to stakeholders, or acts in other unethical ways, the team will lose trust and the project will probably fail.  “Wise leaders understand that a shared and credible statement of the organization's ethical standards must complement a shared recognition of the leader's ethical beliefs” (O'Brochta, 2012).

So how does a PM know if they are acting ethically? Admittedly, the mandatory standards are almost cut-and-dry, black-or-white. Examples of these would be to not break policies, rules, regulations, or laws. However, aspirational standards can be a little “gray”.  One example, as provided by author Andy Jordan, is:

For example, I know of a professional services organization that wanted to include a clear statement that they would never lie to a customer about the status of their project. That led to a discussion about whether omitting information was a lie, and by extension, only answering questions asked rather than volunteering information. (Jordan, 2016)

The answer isn’t always clear, but the practice must be consistent. I am a big advocate of standards. As PMI® states:

“We believe that we can advance our profession, both individually and collectively, by embracing this Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct. We also believe that this Code will assist us in making wise decisions, particularly when faced with difficult situations where we may be asked to compromise our integrity or our values” (Project Management Institute, 2006).

No one is perfect. Not every decision we have to make is popular. However, standing by our values and ethics of the profession helps ensure integrity and honor while serving as team members and leaders in our profession. 

Damien

References

Jordan, A. (2016). How do you know you're behaving ethically? Retrieved from http://www.projectmanagement.com/articles/318674/How-Do-You-Know-Youre-Behaving-Ethically-

O'Brochta, M. (2012). The leader's choice--five steps to ethical decision making. Retrieved from http://www.pmi.org/learning/library/leaders-choice-ethical-decision-making-6031

Project Management Institute. (2006). Code of ethics and professional conduct. Retrieved from http://www.pmi.org/~/media/PDF/Ethics/PMI-Code-of-Ethics-and-Professional-Conduct.ashx

Project Management Institute. (2016). Ethical decision-making framework. Retrieved from http://www.pmi.org/about/ethics/code

What's the deal with Kick-Off Meetings and Meeting Minutes?

Hello fans! Welcome back to my Blog—PMGT 502- Effective Communications for Managing Projects.

Last week we discussed PM Communications Tools, this week we discuss the dreaded “Meetings”!

Yes, this week’s discussion is on meetings, specifically kick-off meetings, and meeting minutes.

As mentioned last week, I am a PM novice. Though never a “formal” PM, I have worked various projects in my day. In addition, I have many, many years’ experience with meetings in government, aviation, real estate, and non-profit industries. And no matter how many times I have experienced it, it never ceases to amaze me when leadership has questionable styles.  Let us be frank, some managers never really have a set plan or agenda for any of the projects they do…they just wing it.

“The project kick-off meeting is the official start of the project” (Dow & Taylor, 2015 pg. 111). It is during this time that the scope, goals, and objectives are explained and agreed upon by the stakeholders. “This ensures that everyone has the same information about the project, at the same time, so that everyone can focus on what the team has to deliver” (Dow & Taylor, 2015 pg. 111).  So how can such a common sense, critically important concept be overlooked? Here is an example of a project in which there was no kick-off meeting.

During my time as a volunteer at the local charter school, it was known that the school desperately needed a new playground set. The current playground set was improperly installed, failing to meet recommended manufacturer installation guidelines for height and hardware. In addition, the playground equipment was not age appropriate for the grades utilizing the playground during recess and after-school activities. End result was students receiving injuries daily. The board of directors, along with school staff, initialed a project to replace the equipment, including plans for fundraisers to pay for the new equipment and labor. During inception, the project planners did not take into account all stakeholders.

The parents’ advisory council (PAC) is a committee that organizes all volunteer parents and guardians. Without notification or information, the PAC was in the dark. The PAC, feeling something needed to be done about the playground, instituted their own plan of fundraising efforts. The result was two units of the same organization competing against each other for the same end project. If, at the beginning, the Board and PAC, along with other stakeholders, would have participated in a kick-off meeting to discuss the playground project, I believe the issues of the project would have been prevented.

Working in unison, the school, as a whole, could have taken advantage and shared common resources, fundraiser efforts, and available sponsors to get the project done. Furthermore, including vendors (external stakeholders) in the planning could have helped established realistic budget and time estimates to have specific objectives/goals for the project. This playground project failed before it was truly implemented, and it was because of lack of communication between stakeholders that would have been prevented had we partaking in a kick-off meeting.  

Okay, that was an extreme (but common) example of what I deal with in my non-profit capacity. Expanding upon some best practices failures, let us review the concept of meeting minutes. So what are meeting minutes? “The official record of the proceedings of a deliberative assembly is usually called the minutes…” (Robert, Honemann, & Balch, 2011 pg. 468). Not all organizations utilize a formal meeting record keeping system. The question is, why not? In my humble opinion, based on my experience, there are a few reasons why an organization would not have meeting minutes.

The first reason is that meetings are looked upon as necessary evils.  People often feel meetings are worthless, time-wasting endeavors often forced by leadership. If this is the attitude of those involved, it is no wonder nobody would take the time to make an official record of this activity.

The second reason I feel no records are officially kept is transparency. Leadership or other stakeholders do not feel comfortable or confident in their decision-making. This usually means, in my experience, that decisions are made but not supported or acknowledged if the situation goes off track. By not having an official record of the meeting, there is no forced accountability of those involved. As farfetched as this opinion may seem, this was actually my experience in the military during my final years. Unfortunately, there are some leaders (not all, just some) that care more about their own careers than taking care of the unit under their responsibility. These are the leaders who only accept credit when a project goes well, and passes the buck when a project goes wrong. I can speak endlessly of the responsibilities of leadership and ethical management, however, I will save that for another blog! Thus endeth the sermon.

Lastly, I believe the simple reason meeting minutes are not kept is unfamiliarity. Though information or training is provided or found easily, individuals within organizations may not know how to implement a simple record keeping system or feel one is not needed. This was the case with PAC (as referenced above). When I first volunteered with PAC, I found that the meetings were never preceded with an agenda nor were they followed by release of meeting minutes. Volunteer leadership simply felt they did not need meeting minutes. This has since been rectified, but it is anyone’s guess for how long it will stay.

So why would an organization considered implementing a formal meeting minutes record keeping system? What advantages does this system offer?

The first reason records should be kept is to have an official record that a meeting did take place, when it took place, and who was in attendance. This provides historical record for the organization. Second reason is to document decisions, objectives, and goals met. During the course of the meeting, some productivity is hopefully accomplished. This needs to be reflected in the minutes. Third reason to implement meting minutes is to document the next steps. During the course of the meeting, future objectives and goals can be identified. These objectives need to be track for accountability. Who is supposed to do what by when? Identifying the “To-Do” list can re-enforce the importance of accomplishing tasks and moving the organization forward. During the next meeting, usually it is standard practice to review previous meeting minutes. These previous minutes can be used to set the agenda for current meeting by identifying open tasks and timelines. Instituting an organized, formal meeting minutes system is an organizational best practice!

This week, we discussed meetings and how failing to incorporate a project kick-off meeting can be hazardous to the health of the project. Showcasing kick-off meeting importance, I provided an example of how not having a kick-off meeting caused a local charter to school a desperately needed playground. After which, we discussed meeting minutes and some reasons why organizations may not use them. In addition, we discussed some advantages of why an organization should implement a meeting minutes system now.

I would like to express my gratefulness and gratitude to my readers! I encourage and appreciate all feedback for this topic and suggestions for future projects!

Damien

References

Dow, W., & Taylor, B. (2015). Project management communication tools. Renton, WA: Dow Publishing LLC.

Robert, H. M., Honemann, D. H., & Balch, T. J. (2011). Robert's rules of order: Newly revised (11th ed.). Philadelphia, PA: Da Capo Press.

Exposure to New PM Communications Tools

Hello and welcome to my blog—PMGT 502- Effective Communications for Managing Projects. For over 20 years I have served in the military and been lead on many projects. However, not until I retired and began my Master’s coursework at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University have I been exposed to the “formal” project management (PM) field. As I am a novice, with little to no formal experience, all the tools and techniques I have learned are based in education and little experience…so far anyway!

I will say, as I develop the knowledge in PM, I have used the information to help local non-profits get organized and re-structured. With just a handful of tools in my tool belt, I have managed some extraordinary results. However, I will save that for another post!

This post will be focused on a new tool I have learned in my course PMGT 502- Effective Communications for Managing Projects. In addition, I will discuss working in a virtual team environment and some activities, tools, and techniques used to help benefit virtual teams.

CIRCLE OF COMMUNICATIONS CHART

As I begin my journey through PMGT 502, one of the first tools I was exposed to is called the Circle of Communications Chart. The chart “identifies the resources you will work with throughout the life of the project; it’s a simple chart to create; and effective when used on projects” (Dow & Taylor, 2015 pg. 65). Now, if you have any PM experience, you know there are many documents used in the preparation and execution of projects. All of which are important, but nothing makes such a dramatic statement as the Circle of Communications. Let us look at an example provided by William Dow and Bruce Taylor, authors of Project Management Communication Tools (Dow & Taylor, 2015 pg. 65):

Circle of Communications Chart- Software Project Example

As you create the circle chart (specific to your project methodology) the first step is to identify your resources and your resource (group) leads. Centered in the middle is the PM (you if you’re lucky!) and circling around are your resource/group leads. In essence, this powerful chart identifies instantly that the PM is the circle of all incoming and outgoing communications. This sends the message to all team members and stakeholders: the PM controls the communication flow of the project!

Easy to create. Easy to explain. Easy to incorporate into your project communications plan. The Circle of Communications, in my opinion, is an invaluable tool that I will utilize on my projects!

Working in A Virtual Team Environment

Though I am new to the formal PM industry, I am no stranger to working on teams. My 20+ years in the military prepared me for all types of challenges when it comes to cementing a high-producing team. The term that comes to me is Esprit de Corps. Esprit de Corps is defined as the “devotion and enthusiasm among members of a group for one another” (Air Force Occupational Measurement Squadron, 2007). In basic terminology, this was the trust and respect a team built over time by working with each other. There are different ways to form esprit de corps, with face-to-face communications being the easiest. When face-to-face doesn’t present itself because of geographically separated work centers, other tools and techniques are available.

One such tool is the simple telephone. As a one-on-one communication tool, this is usually thought of as an “informal” conversation unless agreed upon otherwise. This is probably the simplest, with extended capabilities of conference calls. Conference calls take on a new dimension as now the conversation is now involving several people. In this aspect, the conference call is usually considered a formal form of communications.

Now, in this modern day era, we have additional tools available to us. There may be times where you want to have a conversation, with several people, and be able to show your computer screens for such items as charts, graphs, or slides. By utilizing online meeting software, this is possible. “For global project teams, technology narrows the gap among team members and lets everyone feel connected” (Dow & Taylor, 2015 pg. 65).

Incorporating simple tools such as telephone, conference calling, and/or online meetings could greatly enhance your team’s Esprit de Corps and effectiveness!

This post focused on a new tool introduced in my course PMGT 502- Effective Communications for Managing Projects. This tool, named the Circle of Communications, can give a great visual representation of the communications flow for the team members and stakeholders of any given project. In addition, discussion was made about  working in a virtual team environment and some activities, tools, and techniques used to help benefit virtual teams. These tools and techniques were telephone, conference calling, and online meeting software.

As I continue my journey through PM courses and hopefully, employment in some capacity utilizing these skills, I will post some interesting tidbits of information. Interesting to me at least! Please feel free to leave a comment or feedback. Until next time!

Damien

References

Air Force Occupational Measurement Squadron. (2007). Professional development guide- AF pamphlet 36-2241. Randolph AFB TX: US Air Force.

Dow, W., & Taylor, B. (2015). Project management communication tools. Renton, WA: Dow Publishing LLC.