The Art of Effective Communication

     All three of these communications methods are effective.   One thinks it may depend on when and what order they are conveyed.   The project that they are both working on is divided into several parts and when each is completed, each piece will bring a well-organized puzzle to life.  Communication is important in any project. There are two forms of project communications as noted in our reading Communicating and Documenting Project Progress (Portny, p. 357) 

•    Formal Communication – preplanned and conducted in a  

                                                  standard format in accordance

                                                  with an established schedule.

•    Informal communication – Occurs as people think of 

                                                   information they want to share.

All three of these examples are clear and well understood in order to deliver the communication needed to keep all team members updated on the projects.

Email

     Written information cuts down on confusion, mistakes or errors.  It also serves as a reference when needed.

     If the email is sent out first it may seem to be just a request for the report.  However in this case the email seemed more out of frustration and a last minute plea for Jane to get the report she needed from Mark in order to finish her project on time.

Voicemail

      This can be effective as a follow up to either an email or a face to face communication.

      In this example Jane is trying not to be demanding but wants to sound firm in her request.  

Face to Face

     One thinks that face to face is the most effective way of communication as both parties are standing in front of each other communicating verbally.  This can allow for a clearer form of communication as if there is any misunderstanding it can be cleared up at that moment instead of playing either phone or email tag with each other. 

     By Jane coming to Mark’s cubicle, it allows Mark know that this is important and it is an issue that needs to be handled right away.  Jane’s body language also portrayed a firm but not demanding message about needing Mark’s report a.s.a.p. in order to finish her portion of the project.

     The only down fall to voicemail and face to face communication, is that there is no type of paper trail of a conversation to reference by when needed. 

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.

   Learning from a Project “Post-mortem”

    This past summer I decided I was going to try my hand at a gardening project.  I wanted to start my own vegetable and herb garden.   I thought it would be a piece of cake.  Dirt, seeds, planters, Miracle Grow and water, all the tools this city girl needed to start a vegetable and herb garden.

     I wrote down which herbs and vegetables I wanted to grow, tomatoes, Bell peppers, Oregano, Rosemary, Garlic Chives, and Pineapple Sage.  Then I made a list of items I would need.  I then decided where I would plant this garden.  I started with oblong containers for the herbs and vegetables to start.  I started the planting process.  I put the potting soil in the containers, and then the seeds in the containers marked for them.  Next I added the Miracle Grow, more dirt and finally the water to start the growing process.

     All was starting to go well; I watered every day, made sure there was plenty of sunlight for the plants.  I felt very proud of myself when I started to see the seeds sprouting.  Once the tomato plants were big enough I transplanted them into my planter to grow them upside down. 

     After the sprouts and transplant of the tomatoes is where it all withered.  I could not figure out why my plants were dying.  So I did what I should have done while in the planning stage, I did some researching and reading.  I found out that I transplanted my tomatoes way to soon and drowned my herbs.  Come to find out herbs do not need to be watered every day.  Now my peppers grew for a little while.  Those three that did grow were very small.  I learned that the next time to plant them in bigger containers, less watering and to let nature do what she does best.

How does this apply to project management?

     Well in this case I wore all but one of the hats:  I was the client, ID and the PM. The only hat I did not wear was, that of Mother Nature, who is the SME that I forgot to consult on this project.  I did not conduct a thorough research of what I was about to do.  By not having the complete and proper planning strategy resulted in a failing project.  This year I am going to retry this project and hope that I have better luck with it.  

     As I read The Project Management Minimalist, I found myself lingering on a section stating Three Good Reasons to Take That Risk:(Greer2010)

·         Reason 1 – You’ll grow

         I did.  I learned and grew in knowledge of what I was doing and             what I needed to accomplish my goal.

·         Reason 2 – You’ll create something new or amazing

        “Most new or amazing creations are the result of taking risks...”

·         Reason 3 – You’ll become inspired, connect with your source,             your God or the universe and acquire new energy.

        I did become inspired by nature, closer to God in thought of how 
        he created everything around me.  The new energy came from 
        being inspired by having a hand in growing healthy vegetables     
        for my family.

Greer, Michael  The Project Management Minimalist: Just Enough PM to Rock Your Projects!

https://class.waldenu.edu/bbcswebdav/institution/USW1/201260_02/MS_INDT/EDUC_6145/Week%202/Resources/Week%202%20Resources/embedded/pm-minimalist-ver-3-laureate.pdf