Communication is Key....

We were asked to view the same message three different ways: an email, a voicemail, and in person. Here are the thoughts I had after viewing each message:

Email: Message seemed pretty clear that Jane needed Mark’s report in order to complete her portion of the project by the deadline. Did not really seem like she was frustrated at this point, just sounded like a reminder to him even though she knows he is busy. She did state that she knew he had meetings all day, and that if he did not have the report done that if he could let her know when he would have it or if he could at least send the data if it was not done. Overall I thought it was a friendly reminder to Mark that Jane wasn’t trying to be pushy but really needed his information.

Voice mail:  The exact same message was conveyed about what Jane needed. The tone in her voice was light and friendly, there seemed to be no sign of anger or frustration. She was just stating the facts that she understands he is busy but she has her own deadline to meet and needs his information to do so. As I sat after hearing the message I did not feel she was being pushy or rude.

In Person: Jane walked over to Mark’s cubicle and again the content of the message was the same. There was no doubt this time that she was being friendly and understanding as you could see her relaxed posture, and also hear the tone in her voice. She just needed his information as soon as he could get it to her.

After viewing the exact same message three different ways it really shows you how different methods of communication can bring across the exact same message in different ways.  Although in the end it seems like I had the same understanding of what Jane was saying, after each example my confidence in what I was getting from Jane increased. I was pretty sure after reading the email she wasn’t mad, even more sure after hearing her voice, and positive after seeing her in person.  This is a great example to show us that even though technology is awesome, and it makes things easier, it is not always the best way to communicate. If your only communication to your teammates is through email you are leaving the door open to miscommunication about the underlying feelings behind a message. To you it may seem simple and straight forward because you are busy and just jotting down what you need to know from the person, but to them it could come off that you are mad at them or even that you don’t necessarily see them as a person, just as someone who needs to get something done for you. The best way to communicate important information is always going to be in person. That way they can read your body language and hear your voice and will know exactly what is being asked of them without having to try to figure out if you  are angry or not.  As a PM you can also read the facial expressions, tone, and body language of your team member to make sure they understand, or see if they are stressed and/or confused about the project. 

As we continue to read, communication is so important when it comes to the success of a project.  “The key to successful project management is effective communication- sharing the right messages with the right people in a timely manner.” (Portny et al, 2008, pg.357). Even though it is much faster to shoot someone an email, or leave them a voicemail (which is better than an email), the most effective way to communicate is going to be in person. This way you are also forming a better relationship with your team members which will only make a positive impact on your project. In the end it is going to be more beneficial to see that person face to face, even using technology this is an option today.

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.

The things we learn in Undergrad...

Back in undergrad our class was assigned to design a lesson plan that utilized technology.  The big ideas were up to us as an individual group, but we had to choose from several different objectives. Once our projects were completed we had to present them to the class and teach the class full of college students the lesson and allow them to use the technology based instruction that we created.

What a disaster this was.  Our group had a great idea in theory but none of us had enough technological knowledge to put it in play the way we had envisioned it.  Add to that the fact that several of our group members commuted to class and lived an hour away and were unwilling to meet up on campus to get anything done together. Given our situation we divided up the tasks, where obviously in order for the project to come together and be successful the pieces needed to fit back together in the end.  In the end, it did not work even close to the way we had imagined. The game we put together did not have a specific theme throughout, even with font and graphics. Some group members did an awesome job while others just threw things together.  Our presentation was all over the place because we weren’t aware of what the other group members had done (the ones that refused to meet outside of class), add in the fact that some group members did not complete their section at all.  Overall it was an embarrassment to stand in front of the class that day.  Thankfully the professor graded the project individually so those of us that did participate and met outside of class time did not receive a failing grade, but it definitely left a bad taste in my mouth about group work in a college setting from there on out.

There are a lot of things I know now that I wish I knew then, that lovely hind sight being 20/20.  I think the biggest thing that we are learning about being a PM that would have helped this project be more successful is the selection of team members and the role of those members.  If we would have talked a little bit more before actually assigning different sections of the project we would have realized that a few group members were going to be a problem and we could have assigned those people smaller portions that would have been easier to fix when not done properly.  Murphy says it the best when stating “The selection of an appropriate project team is crucial to meeting the goals of the program.” (Murphy, 1994, pg. 9).   He also talks about how there should be three to eight members with distinct roles including project manager, instructional designers, subject matter experts, end user, and an instructor. (Murphy, 1994).  Obviously for my particular situation we would have had all these jobs, but I really think it would have made a huge difference if we had a project manager and a couple people that were able to meet on campus be the instructional designers. From there jobs could have been delegated to those that could not meet but it would have been way more organized because the several people that were able to meet would have one theme going and be able to get the others on board with an organized plan. It would have also been helpful to comb the group to see if anyone felt comfortable with the technology and could serve as a SME.  

Being more organized in the beginning and forming roles for certain people rather than just cutting the project into sections could have saved our group a lot of stress.  It would have also given us the chance to have put together a better product, and been able to have fun with it.

Resources

Murphy, C. (1994). Utilizing project management techniques in the design of instructional materials. Performance & Instruction, 33(3), 9--11.

Hello EDUC 6145 Classmates

Hi everybody! Looking forward to working with you all this semester.

My name is Stephanie. I currently teach for an online school (K12 Services). I teach online Math classes to students who are struggling in Math. I love working from home, especially since I have a 6 month old baby boy. I must admit working full time, being in grad school, and being a first time mom is a lot to handle but so far so good :)

Steph