Project Information and Communication Management, MSPM1-GC 2010.200 Take-Home Mid-Term Exam (please be concise in your responses): | |
| 1. | The communication plan contains criteria/inputs that answer the ‘What’ and the ‘How’. Please explain the differences between the ‘What’ and the ‘How’ and give 2 examples of each. (12 points)
‘What’ refers to the information supposed to be communicated through the plan. The primary objective of the plan is to give the relevant stakeholders some piece of information. Without the information, then the communication plan will be worthless (Florkey et al. 2007). An example is passing around information on the methods of limiting the spread of covid-19, which is a world pandemic. The ‘how’ refers to the method of information dissemination. The channels supposed to get used in passing across the information are an essential aspect of the communication plan because. The ‘how’ also answers the means of soliciting feedback from the intended audience. An example of the ‘how’ is through the creation of short videos for people and adverts. Feedback will be through watching the reported cases daily from the WHO website.
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| 2. | What are the intended goals for stakeholder identification, and why is it important for project management communication? (12 points)
Stakeholder identification is essential because it helps in determining the people that may get affected by the project or those people that may affect the project. Through their identification, proper efforts shall be put in place to ensure that the project goes on well with minimized disturbance. The three levels of stakeholders are the ones actively involved in the project, the ones whose interest gets affected, and departments that have an influence on the project deliverables (Vos, and Achterkamp, 2006).
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| 3. | Global Red Books Publishing is a competitor to the famous Global Green Books Publishing company. Red Books has hired you to design techniques to establish, promote and reinforce ‘accountability’ across the organization borrowing from project management principles. What would you advise and how would you sequence your recommendations (what would you do first, second, third, etc)? (12 points)
The first step would be to get clear direction from the management to get a clear view of its vision and mission. Secondly, I will share the accountability principles with the middle management of the organization. I would then encourage personal accountability to individual employees. The fourth step would be to share the accountability aspects with the different departments and work units. I would then encourage accountable performance management. Finally, I would advise them to use cashless systems as they are prone to less negativity and monitor their measurement. |
| 4. | What are some ways you would recommend dealing with a disruptive member of the meeting we called ‘The Tank’. ’The Tank’ is a person who dominates a discussion or issue by brute force of personality. When they present, they speak as an authority. When dealing with a project and defining new solutions, these types of people can be destructive to the process of open discussion and consideration of alternatives. (12 points)
The first way would be to listen to him to establish the cause of the disruptive nature. Secondly, advising him to be clear and stay to the point is essential. Advising him to stay professional while tracking his record is also vital. Making them stay professional is key in dealing with the disruption that may come in the process of open discussion to achieve the targeted objectives. Shutting them down would not solve the problem in the long-term because the same case shall happen in the subsequent discussions. |
| 5. | We discussed project management governance structure. What value does the Program Management Office (PMO) provide? List 5 items. What is the difference between the Steering Committee versus an Executive Committee? (12 points)
The Program Management Office defines standards for project management to ensure that the projects get to run in a repeatable and standardized way. It helps in providing decision support for information, despite the fact that it doesn’t make decisions itself. It ensures that any business change in the organization gets done in a controlled way. It also offers support to project management teams. PMO provides support for resourcing and funding (Letavec, 2006). An executive committee consists of a small group that has ties within the leadership and can often meet on small notices to address some vital issues that affect the organization. It has powers to act on the board’s behalf. The steering committee decides on priorities or an organization’s order of business, and it has the sole responsibility of overseeing the general process of the business. |
| 6. | Cyrus is a project manager who is responsible for facilitating an upcoming executive meeting to discuss the merits of a new business case and proposal for project scope. The executives are known for constant disagreement, talking above each other, and lack of alignment on decisions. What advice would you give Cyrus in meeting management? (12 points)
Cyrus should put into mind the ethics and directions of chairing a meeting. He has to take up the full responsibility of giving each person time to express themselves as others listen. Everyone should get a chance to express his views. Through this, the underlying problems might get addressed. He should also let them know that he is the chairman of the meeting, and a person should only talk when asked to. Having full control is critical. |
| 7. | What is typically the first step in the Project Communications Management Plan (PCMP) process? Why? (12 points)
The first step is reviewing the PMBOK. Going through section 10.2.3.1, one gets the whole oversight of the Communications Management Plan. One can print a copy of it to make it available t his desk for future reference. The reason is that PMBOK is a universal standard for project management, and it brings out detailed requirements that are important in project communication. |
| 8. | Why is project communications a key part of project management? What are some tools that allow project managers to become more effective in their role? (12 points)
Communication is vital because a project team is made up of different and diverse people performing specific tasks. The group of people has to communicate and work together to achieve a given deliverable. There arises different activities on a daily basis, a factor that makes communication vital. Some of the tools that make project managers effective are Gantt chart, status table, calendar, PERT chart and mind map.
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References
Florkey, C. K., Halsell, V. M., Hunter, K. R., Joglekar, M. M., & Martin, R. B. (2007). U.S. Patent No. 7,245,932. Washington, DC: U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.
Letavec, C. J. (2006). The program management office: establishing, managing and growing the value of a PMO. J. Ross Publishing.
Vos, J. F., & Achterkamp, M. C. (2006). Stakeholder identification in innovation projects. European Journal of Innovation Management.