Question 6 Project Communications ManagementPart A) A project man.pdf

Question 6 Project Communications ManagementPart A) A project man.pdf

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  Question 6 ProjectCommunications Management: Part A) A project manager (PM) should focus on actively managing stakeholders’ expectations. This includes addressing concerns that have not yet become issues and clarifying issues that have been identified. In order to be successful at these tasks, the PM needs to develop interpersonal and management skills. Several important interpersonal skills for a PM are the ability to build trust, resolve conflicts, and overcome resistance to change. Management skills include presentation/public speaking, negotiating, and writing. Pick one of these critical interpersonal or management skills and discuss your personal experience(s) with this skill. Then explain this skill to the class as if you were trying to assist a colleague in better developing that skill. Part B) Reporting performance is an essential part of project communications management. Project managers spend a significant amount of time creating various types of reports. The most obvious forms of reporting are reporting on status, current performance, work to be completed, and approved changes. Based on your experience or cases in the literature, characterize the types of reporting that are required of project managers, the content of such reports, and the frequency of the reports. Solution Part A) Let us Pick Negotiating skill from Management skills. Let us know briefly about negotiation before knowing further. Negotiation is a strategic discussion that resolves an issue in a way that both parties find acceptable. In a negotiation, each party tries to persuade the other to agree with his or her point of view. Negotiation is essential to healthy professional relationships. Learning how to merge the wants and needs of the group and build mutually viable solutions is key to a healthy, happy work life. Personal experience with Negotiation skills: 1) Preparing for the negotiation: Before you actually start any negotiation take a few moments or a few weeks, depending on the importance and complexity of the negotiation, to prepare for the negotiation session. a. Separate facts from assumptions. I usuall try to Understand about the situation and what I assume to be true. b. Validate facts. Sometimes facts change. I will make sure information is current. If I can't do this, I will consider the unverified facts to be assumptions c. Validate assumptions. Assumptions should be validated by third party confirmation or simply asking the other person if they are valid.
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  d. Test assumptions.Assumptions that can't be validated need to be tested or discarded. Erroneous assumptions can impair an otherwise sound negotiating strategy. I will not set myself up for failure relying on an invalidated assumption because I like it or it helps my case. e. Adjust your strategies. Using the newly acquired information, I will make sure initial strategies, objectives and goals are still appropriate. The new information can often change strategies and on occasion can obviate the disagreement altogether. 2. Identification of the problem: It is very essential to establish what the issue is before trying to resolve it. Often arguments occur because me and the other person are discussing different issues not apparent to one another. 3. Selecting the participants. Both me and the other person are entitled to add or object to a potential participant in any negotiation. How the two sides populate their teams usually will have an impact on the outcome. Among other things you should try to keep people out of the negotiation who tend to inflame the situation. 4. Researching the participants. Once I and the other person have established the people to be involved in the discussion/negotiation I will assess who The other person has on his or her team, why they were added and what position they are likely to advocate. The other person's selection of co-negotiators will indicate the areas he feels are important to his position or the areas he feels he lacks expertise. 5. Meeting the Participants. When the participants first get together to start the negotiation there is usually a short period of time when people meet each other and get settled. This is an excellent period during which i would take the measure of everyone about to take a seat at the table. I will observe who are comfortable and who appear uneasy. I prefer to participate in casual conversations to determine the interests and backgrounds of the other person's co-negotiators. I will make sure my advocates are comfortable and ready. The most attributes of Negotiation to make it successful are: 1. Negotiate Towards a Win-Win Outcome: This stage focuses on what is termed a 'win-win' outcome where both sides feel they have gained something positive through the process of negotiation and both sides feel their point of view has been taken into consideration. A win-win outcome is usually the best result. Although this may not always be possible, through negotiation, it should be the ultimate goal. Suggestions of alternative strategies and compromises need to be considered at this point. Compromises are often positive alternatives which can often achieve greater benefit for all concerned compared to holding to the original positions. 2. Agreement: Agreement can be achieved once understanding of both sides’ viewpoints and interests have been considered. It is essential to for everybody involved to keep an open mind in order to achieve an acceptable solution. Any agreement needs to be made perfectly clear so that both sides know what has been decided.
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  3. Discussion: Duringthis stage, individuals or members of each side put forward the case as they see it, i.e. their understanding of the situation. Key skills during this stage include questioning, listening and clarifying. Sometimes it is helpful to take notes during the discussion stage to record all points put forward in case there is need for further clarification. It is extremely important to listen, as when disagreement takes place it is easy to make the mistake of saying too much and listening too little. Each side should have an equal opportunity to present their case.