Notes to the agenda

1. Review of workloads from departmental heads: sales, finance, production and administration

Each department head should present their view of workloads since the reorganization.

2. Work organization

The Training Manager will talk about some initiatives which could be taken to reduce workloads.

Action

The meeting will decide if any action needs to be taken.

BRAINSTORMING

Think over the task and sound your decision, providing with effective arguments.

Your boss asks you to evaluate the potential of a merger with a competitor which both sides have discussed positively. You do a spreadsheet and find that there are major financial benefits to the merger. However, numerous jobs will have to go, including your own, which is very highly paid. Do you:-

A. Come clean, recommend the merger and take whatever fate brings?

B. Paint a black picture and dissuade your boss from going ahead?

C. Recommend the merger but also recommend the creation of a new role for yourself in a sideways move, and take a chance that the merged company will buy into the idea of appointing you to it?

INDIVIDUAL PROJECT / 3-Minute Pitch:

Recent Company Change Management Programs (1 by choice)

Unit 8 THEORY: «The principles of project management»

«A project is a sequence of tasks with a defined beginning and end restricted by time, resources and desired results»

Edward Tufte

Project management is a process of bringing together systems of working, people and techniques to complete a project within set targets of time, budget and quality. Any successful project will have a clearly set targets, clearly defined ownership and responsibility roles, be restricted by a timeline, be supported by senior management of an organization and linked to SMART business objectives, i.e. specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and time-bound.

In any project it is essential to undertake a cost-benefit analysis to correctly assess where available resources used in current business activities are balanced with those required to keep the project running. Projects generally fail because of bad planning, a lack of resources, poor communication, undefined goals and lack of management support.

* Paul J. Meyer describes the characteristics of S.M.A.R.T. goals in Attitude is Everything. [2]

Specific

The first term stresses the need for a specific goal over and against a more general one. This means the goal is clear and unambiguous; without vagaries and platitudes. To make goals specific, they must tell a team exactly what is expected, why is it important, who’s involved, where is it going to happen and which attributes are important. A specific goal will usually answer the 5 "W" questions:

· What: What do I want to accomplish?

· Why: Specific reasons, purpose or benefits of accomplishing the goal.

· Who: Who is involved?

· Where: Identify a location.

· Which: Identify requirements and constraints.

Measurable

The second term stresses the need for concrete criteria for measuring progress toward the attainment of the goal. The thought behind this is that if a goal is not measurable, it is not possible to know whether a team is making progress toward successful completion. Measuring progress is supposed to help a team stay on track, reach its target dates, and experience the exhilaration of achievement that spurs it on to continued effort required to reach the ultimate goal. A measurable goal will usually answer questions such as:

· How much?

· How many?

· How will I know when it is accomplished?

Attainable

The third term stresses the importance of goals that are realistic and attainable. While an attainable goal may stretch a team in order to achieve it, the goal is not extreme. That is, the goals are neither out of reach nor below standard performance, as these may be considered meaningless. When you identify goals that are most important to you, you begin to figure out ways you can make them come true. You develop the attitudes, abilities, skills, and financial capacity to reach them. The theory states that an attainable goal may cause goal-setters to identify previously overlooked opportunities to bring themselves closer to the achievement of their goals. An attainable goal will usually answer the question:

· How: How can the goal be accomplished?

Relevant

The fourth term stresses the importance of choosing goals that matter. A Bank Manager's goal to "Make 50 peanut butter and jelly sandwiches by 2:00pm." may be Specific, Measurable, Attainable, and Time-Bound, but lacks Relevance. Many times you will need support to accomplish a goal: resources, a champion voice, someone to knock down obstacles. Goals that are relevant to your boss, your team, your organization will receive that needed support. Relevant goals (when met) drive the team, department, and organization forward. A goal that supports or is in alignment with other goals would be considered a relevant goal. A relevant goal can answer yes to these questions:

· Does this seem worthwhile?

· Is this the right time?

· Does this match our other efforts/needs?

· Are you the right person?

Time-bound

The fifth term stresses the importance of grounding goals within a time frame, giving them a target date. A commitment to a deadline helps a team focus their efforts on completion of the goal on or before the due date. This part of the S.M.A.R.T. goal criteria is intended to prevent goals from being overtaken by the day-to-day crises that invariably arise in an organization. A time-bound goal is intended to establish a sense of urgency. A time-bound goal will usually answer the question:

· When?

· What can I do 6 months from now?

· What can I do 6 weeks from now?

· What can I do today?

FOLLOW-ON QUESTIONS…

1. Define the process of Project Management.

2. How is it linked to SMART business objectives? Why do projects generally fail?

3. Which are the basic steps of Project Management?

4. What other ways are there of building strong teams (e.g. frequent meeting)?

5. What types of personality and what skills do you think people need to have to work in the oil/gas industry in remote and isolated locations?

Case study «Managing the project»

ISSUE

Advertising agencies are often viewed as nests of creativity, where artistic ideas are converted into business successes. AdLib, a six-person partnership plus associates and 20 employees) have been associated with many advertising campaigns for a wide range of products and services. Recently, however, they have begun to lose their edge. One project for a key client went over budget, another was delivered late. There have also been internal working problems in some of the project teams. The agency needs to reappraise its project management methods to ensure that creative endeavor is matched by organizational requirements. A meeting has been called to discuss the key aspects of project management.

AGENDA

5. The need for creativity

6. Managing time

7. Managing people

8. Overall organization

Дата добавления: 2015-11-14