PM592 Week 7 Discussion

7/27/2019 PM592 Week 7 Discussion

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Week 7: Project Management Communication and Information Systems - Discussion

Project Communications (graded)

Good project communication starts with a communications plan. This document is sometimes overlooked because

the project manager feels like he or she knows how, when, and what to communicate so that he or she does not

need to take the time to document it. What do you think of this action (or lack of action)? Have you experienced the

use of a good communications plan? Have you experienced the result of the lack of a communications plan?

Responses

Response Author Date/Time

Communication Plan Professor Orr 6/15/2013 2:01:04 PM

Talking about a communications plan is interesting, but does your company use one for projects?

Regards,

Susan

RE: Communication Plan Tanika Thom as 6/16/2013 1:05:07 PM

I have experienced in 2 companies where the company uses communication plan

but it is rarely ever followed as outlined.

HOA - the president delegates that the information should always be sent from the

secretary; however most of the time the president is the one who does all the

communication and record keeping.This is not the best practice for several

reasons, especially since now the president is no longer apart of the board andholds the majority of the records.

School - The principal communicates the plans to the secretary and delegates that

all correspondents go through the secretary. I have seen many times that most

communication is spoken to others before the secretary has the opportunity to do

her/his job and get the correct communication out. Best practice is to always have

it in writing and keep records for future references. Team leads are sent to training

and are required to come back and deliver what they learned at the training to the

other team members but most of the time information is lost in translation/delivery.

One change that the district has made is making the trainings on weekends so allteachers can attend and receive the information at the same time and not rely on

one person to deliver it back to the group.

RE:

Communication

PlanMaria Ventura 6/16/2013 5:48:19 PM

Modified:6/16/2013 5:54 PM


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Nice post Tanika....

Communication plan or sometimes called coordination procedure is essential for

information exchange and interface relationships between parties involved within the

project. There should be a clear plan that will state how information will be distributed

and shared among team members including the stakeholders as well. This will include

how change management and approval processes will be communicated.

On my prespective, since sometimes team members have access to accurate

information and others dont. It is a key responsibility of project or developmentmanagers to provide regular and consistent feedback, such as status reports, or

meeting notes, where project information can be published. Developing a common

repository for project information to avoid miscommunication and confusion on the team

is also very useful.

For example, for my Capstone class the communication plan is different for different

levels and phases of the project. My group started to meet every Monday after class to

make changes and enrichments for the project presentation that we are working on and

need the assistance of the whole team.

At first, the conference calls were twice a week since the work implementation was

going smoothly. Sharing e-mails is the basic method of our communication... but as thephases progress then we started talking and meet every single day. Most

documentation is stored on the Devry's web site (team area) for all to view and easier to

get approvals when everything is centrally located.

Thank you//

RE:

CommunicationPlan

Espe ranca Rosa 6/16/2013 8:11:06 PM

Great comments Maria!

Certainly, these comments will help us throughout our capstones.

In addition to that, I would say that communication is the exchange or

transmission of ideas or thoughts, flow of information from one person to

another. Communication involves a sender that transmits an idea, information,

or feeling to a receiver. Moreover, communication could be effective or not.

Effective communication could be formal or informal, periodic or as needed,

and verbal or written. An effective communication happens when the receiver

understands the exact information or idea that the sender intended to transmit.

Many of the problems that occur in my organization and many others are

directly related to peoples misunderstandings. This can deteriorate the points

intended to be communicated for the success of the project. There are several

communication types that organizations use or apply during a project. The two

more effective types of communication my organization apply for projects are

Verbal Communication or Face to Face Discussion and Written

Communication.

Regards,

Esperanca


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RE:

Communication

PlanCauretta Bell 6/19/2013 4:28:02 PM

Nice job Maria,

The information exchange and interface relationships betw een parties involved w ithin the

project can be deemed as the communication plan. In the restaurant industry, communication

betw een the managers are extremely important before and after each shif t. you can say thateach shif t is a project on its ow n. Each manager should know w hat is going on before the

shift like;is the checklist completed, number of servers, 86 list, back of house staff shortages,

alcohol shortages, maintenance issues and many more. Without the communication plan you

w ill notice little problems occuring unexpectly throughout the shift.

RE:

Communication

PlanDwayne Grant 6/16/2013 10:36:06 PM

Good Point Tanika,

Companies use a communication plan as a valuable tool to make sure all the membersof the team are on the same page and essential deliverable pertaining to the project are

getting completed in a time manner. I know that this fact was mentioned several times,

and it is about non-profit organizations like schools adopting project management

fundamentals. Education is adopting a system called primary learning communities and

the goal is to manage that 180 to 200 day project called the next school year. A good

communication plan is absolutely essential for having successful communication, and I

can't say whether the communication plan in education is deliberate, but at least we can

say that it is routine.

RE:

Communication

PlanSerge Ndongo 6/17/2013 12:17:53 AM

A good communication plan should serve as a road map, guiding our work

toward specific outcomes (nothing more and nothing less). But as simple as

that may sound, its critical to the company's success. A good plan ensures

that we are doing the right work, pursuing the right goals, and doing it the best

way when there are always other options and choices for the use of the

available resources.

The company I currently work for uses a communication plan indeed. The

presence of the communication plan template here guides the way the project

will be accomplished along with how the communication will be developedwithin all the parties involved in working on such project.

RE: Communication Plan Philip Effiong 6/18/2013 4:43:01 AM

Project communications are a coordinated effort by all team members, from the project managerwho is responsible for the overall message and how it is delivered, to individual team memberswho contribute to the process. Project communications plans follow the basic questions of whowill receive information, what information needs to be communicated, how will information bedisseminated and how often, and finally who on the project team will be responsible for deliveringthe information.


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Often than not , this is not always the case in the organization.

RE: Communication Plan Bruce Foley 6/18/2013 11:18:18 PM

We have one person w ho is in charge of each section or phase of the res toration projects.Those individuals only

report to myself and my partner w ho have the ultimate last w ord and say so.

RE: Communication Plan Herminio Dionisio 6/18/2013 11:45:15 PM

At the heart of many of the top ten reasons w hy projects fail is poor communications. As many as 70% of the

Information Systems/ Information Technology project failures can be tracked back to poor communications. It is not

difficult to plan an effective communications management process, but it seems to be very difficult to execute that

plan. Team members to be truly ef fective, they have to openly communicate w ith one another. For some, that w ill be

diff icult, for others it is simply a matter of practice. Getting information to the correct team members at the right time in

the project usually determines the success or failure of the project. The timing, content, and channel of information

are critical.

RE: Communication Plan Huyen Bui 6/20/2013 6:07:15 PM

For our company, w ith any new launch projects, the main community channel is through email. Then, depends on the

scope of the project as w ell as the responsibility matrix that w e w ill have appropriate communication channel to

those individuals. Each month, w e have a tow n-hold meeting that broadcast to our nation branches and factories.

Those main project w ill have a grand launch during these meetings.

Tools f or Relaying Information betw een

Team Members Professor Orr 6/17/2013 6:19:03 AM

What tools w ould you use for relaying information betw een the team members?

Regards,

Susan

RE: Tools for Relaying

Information betw een Team

MembersVarune Ramoutar 6/17/2013 8:41:22 AM

On some of the projects I have worked on we have used a weekly news letter tocommunicate information to all team members. This can be in hard copy print form or

electronic form emailed to all project participants. This news letter is usually no longer than 4

pages. It contains all major progress statistics, safety bulletins, employee highlight, project

photos and some social articles. It is presented in an informal manner to make it easy and

acceptable for the entire project. It sometimes also contains comics to make the reading

humorous. This tool is very effective because it encourages participants and stakeholders to

read the document and get to know what's going on. Also they are not pressured to feel that it

is an official work document.


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Information between Team

MembersNishan Ragoonanan 6/17/2013 11:09:45 AM

One tool we utilized recently that w e had great success w ith was a blog site that we setup. Team members could

post status updates on tasks they w ere w orking on, voice concerns or hurdles they w ere experiencing, post

successes or results of tests that w ere conducted and on occasion, snapshots of team members in action. We

found this to be very unintrusive (w e w ere suf fer ing from overzealous email use at the time) and a great

communication tool for team members.



MembersDw ayne Grant 6/17/2013 8:43:41 PM

Technology has changed the way we relay information, and there are so many different mediums.

However, I will still continue with the core communication devices like, phone, email, and

videoconferencing. Email is still the preferred form of business communications, and it leaves a

digit foot print for tracking responses and information.

RE: Tools for

Relaying

Information

between Team

Members

Cauretta Bell 6/20/2013 12:17:48 PM

Techology is an aw esome w ay to rekay and receive information to all team members. Google voice mail

even has the ability to allow someone to leave you a message and you can play back the message. Other

tools are company issued internet and for the resaurant w e have have a tol called hotschedules to help

maintain labor and schedule hours.



MembersEsperanca Rosa 6/17/2013 11:40:50 PM

Modified:6/17/2013 11:43 PM

Hi class,

According to our lecture, a tool for identifying the stakeholders is a stakeholder interface map,which graphically depicts all the key interfaces where communication is required during theproject. We will need to know the requirements of each of the stakeholders.

In addition to that, the article Project Management & Collaboration Tolls on ehow.com website,defines many tools that have been used for relaying information among team members

1) Google Docs

Google Docs is a word processing application that can be accessed from any computer with an

Internet connection. Google Docs allows users to create documents, presentations and

spreadsheets and to share documents with others, who can then view, edit and make

suggestions via user notes. This can be a useful feature for a group that wishes to work on a

project simultaneously and receive instantaneous feedback. You will need to open a Gmail or

Google account in order to sign up for a free Google Docs account.


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2) WrikeWrike is a project management tool that allows multiple users to log onto the Wrike interface at

the Wrike website and collaborate on a variety of projects. Once logged onto the interface, users

can see the current projects that need to be completed, communicate in real time and upload

files. Wrike includes features that allow users to assign different tasks to employees, send

notifications, create timesheets and compile real time project reports. Wrike has the ability to

integrate with Google Docs, RSS Feeds, Outlook and Windows Mobile. Wrike users must pay a

small monthly fee.

3) Creative Pro Office

Creative Pro Office is a web-based account that allows either a single person or a small team to

manage clients and employees, create projects, track t ime sheets and send invoices. Users log

onto their Creative Pro Office account to see a snapshot of projects and important events from the

Creative Pro Office dashboard. Users can keep track of clients by sending invoices, tracking bids,

creating contact information and receiving notices when projects are due. Creative Pro Office also

includes a time tracker to record billable hours and a calendar to take note of important dates.

Creative Pro Office is free to use; register for the service at the Create Pro Office website.

4) DimDim

DimDim is another web-based collaboration tool that can be accessed directly from a web

browser. DimDim works best for long distance meetings but can also serve as a way to relay

information quickly between a team of collaborators. DimDim allows you to log onto the DimDim

interface and share its desktops and screenshots, record events, and use webcams and

microphones with up to 1,000 people. You can also use widgets to notify people of a meeting by

leveraging social media websites and pasting a unique DimDim link that gives them instant

access to your DimDim event. You must pay a monthly fee to use DimDim.

Read more: Project Management & Collaboration Tools |eHowhttp://www.ehow.com/list_6606603_project-management-collaboration-tools.html#ixzz2WXii13vv

Regards,

Esperanca

RE: Tools for

Relaying

Information

between Team

Members

Tanika Thom as 6/18/2013 8:05:33 PM

One tool I notice not mention is "an open mind"; being receptive to

information whether you agree or disagree, like or dislike.

RE: Tools for

Relaying Information

betw een Team

Members

Huyen Bui 6/23/2013 11:51:59 AM

Google Docs is a great sharing tool that all team members can present online and collaborate at the same

time.
http://www.ehow.com/list_6606603_project-management-collaboration-tools.html#ixzz2WXii13vvhttp://www.ehow.com/list_6606603_project-management-collaboration-tools.html#ixzz2WXii13vv


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Personally, I prefer dropbox because it allow s to share large documents

Also, Skype is a great communication tool



MembersHerminio Dionisio 6/20/2013 11:13:49 PM

There are so many w ays now adays that w e can use in our communication and collaboration. The old system of

letters, memos and correspondence through black and white has been replaced by the most advance and reliableemail technology that w e have now . Transmittal are being sent in a matter of seconds w ithout any limitations on the

number of recipients, all at the same time. There is no boundaries w ith regards to time, but the most important of all,

location is not a barrier anymore. Because of the current trend of global operations, virtual meetings are so popular.

During the early days , w e use only the method of teleconferenc ing, meeting by talking, but at present time, not only

that w e can talk to them but w e can also see them even to the most remote areas anyw here in the world.

Collaboration is so important in global operations, and there are many tools and techniques that w e can utilize to keep

our team members updated on how the project progresses.



MembersBruce Foley 6/20/2013 11:22:08 PM

Modern problems are solved by modern conveniences. The main tool used in communication is of course the cell

phone. Along w ith that, there is also email and texting to help w ith our communications concerns. Any

communications how ever should be established at the beginning of a project w ith a communications plan.

Ensuring People are Getting and Using

the Information Profess or Orr6/18/2013 7:35:09 AM

Good comments I agree that some tools can be too passive. How do you make sure people are getting (and using) the

information?

Regards,

Susan

RE: Ensuring People are

Getting and Using the

InformationEspe ranca Rosa 6/18/2013 11:39:22 AM

Hi Professor and class,

Communication is the most efficient and effective way to maintain people informed during a

project.In order to ensure people are getting and using the information, the PM has to make sure that all

the stakeholders and people involved in the project are getting the information they need in an

adequate manner using specific programs or softwares such as MS Project, web-based tools or

applications, etc. The PM has to monitor and control our communication plan to have the

necessary information ready and make further decisions. In Addition, the best way to make sure

everyone is getting informed; we need to communicate using the benefits of the tools we are

using. For instance, the PMIS is frequently supported by a software system that is controlled and

monitored by the project manager and can be shared among people. The use of the software is a

high quality communication way that contains all the project information.

Regards,


8/17



Esperanca



InformationNishan Ragoonanan 6/18/2013 11:45:26 AM

I think the f irst s tep in ensuring the people use the information they're given is getting them the right information they

need to do the job at hand, be it a status update, delay in schedule, resource allocation etc. If w e bombard our entireproject team w ith mass emails sent to huge project distribution lists, it's not long before emails start to get overlooked,

status updates are neglected and vital information is lost. A good communications plan is the foundation for ensur ing

the right people are given only the information they require ensuring they w ill pay attention to w hat's important to their

role in the project.

RE: Ensuring

People are Getting

and Using the

Information

Cauretta Bell 6/23/2013 9:03:08 PM

There are many tools availabke to insure that the infornation about the project gets to theclient/management. One of the most ef fective w ays to get the update across are status meeting. Not only

w ill meetings be effec tive but having access to the project progress tool. Sending reports on a w eekly

basis or bi w eekly basis to infprm the stakeholders aboit the progress if the project.



InformationMaria Ventura 6/18/2013 5:09:23 PM

Modified:6/18/2013 5:10 PM

Hello class,

I think the PM should make periodic inspections to make sure that the information is being used

correctly. Regular project meetings and project reports will help the PM to see if the information is

actually being understood and used the intended way. People can have different ways of seeing

things and what may be understood by one person may not be so clear, or may mean something

totally different, to someone else. So, the PM should take on the duty to perform project meetings

and collect project reports to make sure everybody is on the right track.

Thank you//



InformationMary Hart 6/18/2013 5:37:09 PM

I find that a PM may also monitor the effectiveness of the project communication plan as verifying

that the intended user is getting and using the information.

Adjustments to the communication plan may be required and also the presentation of information

in order to make them understandable by all users, hence effective.

The lecture suggest as best practices that "The project team should be a part of the planning as

with other parts of the project plan. Stakeholder who are to receive the communications should


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also be asked about their communication requirements and expectations."

The text suggests that "The communication plan should be distributed to the project team and

discussed before the project begins. To make sure that everyone understands the forms of

required written communication and the content and format of each, the plan should include

example of good and bad documentation from previous projects." (p.455)

References:

Lecture week 7

John M Nicholas/Herman Steyn, Project Management for business, Engineering, and Technology, 3rd Edition,2012

RE: Ensuring

People are Getting

and Using the

Information

Varune Ramoutar 6/18/2013 7:28:13 PM

Mary makes and excellent point on the communication plan.

I think that regular communication meetings and follow up are essential to ensure thatteam members are getting information and using it in a way that the project intends,

Audits are a normal practice of following up to ensure that the project is doing

what the plans state should be done e.g. on my project I was in charge of the

construct-ability program. This is where meetings are held with work group leads to

ensure that what they are designing can easily be constructed (hence construct-

ability). The project had a specific construct-ability plan where ideas on

constructability could be submitted by any team member and then reviewed by a

panel and then implemented and reviewed once again. Part of this process was to

maintain a tracking log where the status of each idea submitted could be seen. I was

audited several times to ensure that the log was up to date and that the process was

working as it should and that participants of the program were receiving the

information and using it the way it was intended.

RE:

Ensuring

People are

Getting and

Using the

Information

Tanika Thomas 6/18/2013 8:13:03 PM

One method I used with my team after all agreed was "REPLY"

that you received the information. There have been many of times

when too much time is wasted on repeating information that have

been given and should have been read. After sending out

correspondents, follow up with a phone call or text message to

remind team members that something needs to be read/their

attention. Many of times technology have failed for one reason or

another so allowing one the benefit of the doubt by just simply

following up with reminder, can help reduce those failures.


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I have witness people logging off when messages/replies are sent

that needs immediate attention and attitudes have flown off the

handle due to lack of knowledge of what happen. "I just saw you

online and sent you a message, why didn't you reply?" When

actually the person was shutting down or something...



InformationDwayne Grant 6/18/2013 10:21:06 PM

If you are sending information via email you can use a read receipt. However, the method for

making sure that people are getting the information is good old fashioned follow-up and follow-thru.

No matter what medium you used to disseminate information follow-up with a phone call to make

sure the information was received. The final thing you could do if the site is close is drop in to see

if the information was received and the appropriate action has been taken.

RE: Ensuring People are Getting

and Using the Information Philip Effiong6/19/2013 4:26:24 AM

According to our lecture for the week, procedures must be established to gather and evaluate key

project information

1. Update period length and communicate to project personnel.

2. Gather information from project participants.

3. Accumulate data.

4. Analyze results.

5. Distribute information.

6. Prepare to answer questions; gather additional information.

7. If necessary, insist on more frequent reviews, communications, meetings, and so on.

Progress Activities

a. Incorporate formal phase or milestone reviews as part of project plan.

b. Encourage functional areas to address variances early, outside of regular meetings and

reports.

c. Require objective feedback on progress regularly.

d. Communicate status with customer, project team, and functional areas.



InformationHerminio Dionisio 6/20/2013 11:28:52 PM

Effec tive communication means that the information is provided in the r ight format, at the right time, and w ith the right

impact. If you w ill noticed the last phrase "w ith the right impact" it means to say that the information as relayed has

been received and implemented. Without this result, there w ill be an issue if the message has reached the recipient,

or it may reached them but the information is not implemented or w as not understood. In cases like this, rec ipient

acknow ledgement is very important every time w e sent information to any of our team members. This w ay, the

sender is assured that the message w as received by the recipient.


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InformationBruce Foley 6/22/2013 5:54:05 PM

There is only one w ay to ensure that the communications tools are being used, and that is to hold periodic meetings

or checks at pre-designated intervals. These communications checkpoints should be set forth at the beginning of the

project by the PM and enforced by the PM. There should also be a protocol in place for emergency communications.

Structure for Update Meeting Professor Orr 6/19/2013 8:21:10 AM

More good responses. How w ould you structure an update meeting for project stakeholders? What w ould be on the agenda

and w hat presentation tools w ould you use?

Regards,

Susan

RE: Structure for Update Meeting Maria Ventura 6/19/2013 9:46:20 AM

Hello class,

Successful meetings use structure. Procedures and structure help groups perform significantly

better in meetings. Meeting structures are the solid foundation upon

which effective meetings are built.

The structure for update meetings for stakeholders will vary from project to project depending on

the technology available among all the stakeholders. Ideally, a face-to-face meeting would be

preferable, but that is seldom possible. Videoconferencing can also be used, but clients seldom

have compatible capabilities. The most effective tool for updates has been teleconferencing.

The Project Manager usually just schedules a conference call on a toll free line. This allows even

those not in the office to participate.

However, unless there is some sort of white boarding or similar presentation software available to

everyone, this makes showing figures difficult, so some planning is required.

Emailing the participants an agenda the necessary displays so they can be discussed over the

phone is necessary.

The structure of the meeting, in general would be like this:

1. Discuss the agenda ( estimate times for each agenda item )

2. Discuss any solutions or answers to issues or questions brought up previously

3. Update on progress, or lack thereof and reasons for the lack

4. Discuss any changes to cost, schedule or scope

4. Ask stakeholders for information needed to complete the project

5. Allow stakeholders to ask questions

6. Discuss plans going forward and necessary action items

7. Close the meeting with an agreed upon date for the next meeting with suggested agenda

items.

Successful meetings have a format. Knowing what will be happening in the meeting creates a

sense of comfort. A format that is the same for every meeting allows the group to quickly take

care of critical, mundane business, leaving the majority of the time to work on important agenda

items.


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Thank you//

RE: Structure for

Update Meeting Varune Ramoutar6/19/2013 12:17:33 PM

Maria, Excellent post.

To add I would say that stakeholder meetings should be held on a regular schedule

and at major milestones e.g. first Monday of every month and end of each quarter.

Presentation tools would include power point presentations that indicate the project

progress, items of concern and project highlights. Also actual hands on viewing of

the project could take place e.g. visit to project site or review of programming code

etc. Sharing of photos can also be included. Test reports could also be reviewed to

show the progress of the project.

Also each meeting would be formally minuted. The minutes would state the names of

the attendees along with their responsibility and organization they belong to. Also

each item discussed would be listed with a summary of the discussion, actionsrequired, required completion date and person responsible. The meeting minutes

would then be circulated to all the attendees as well as other persons that require it.

RE:

Structure

for

Update

Meeting

Mary Hart 6/19/2013 3:01:35 PM

Modified:6/19/2013 3:13 PM

Maria and Varune, excellent posts.

On this matter the text gives use guidelines for the content of the progress report as:

- A brief statement summarizing the project status.

- Red f lags items w here correc tive action has or should be taken.

- Accomplishment to date, changes to schedule, and projections for schedule and cost at

completion.

- Current and potential problem areas and actions required.

- Current cost situation and cost performance.

- Manpower plan and limitations. (p. 458)

From experience I would suggest w hen informing in a meeting the topic "Current and potential

problem areas and ac tions required" the PM should prepare in advance an action plan for

problem solving, as Upper management w ould ask for these. Most times this is the opportunityto get his/her in-sight of the problem situation, hence approval, denial or changes.

Reference:

J. Nicholas / H. Steyn, Project Management for Business, Engineering, and Technology-

Principles and Practice, 3rd Edition, 2012.

RE:

Structure

for 6/19/2013 11:13:03 PM


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Update

Meeting Chukie Okunzua

Structure of stakeholders meeting with depend on whether it a

formative evaluation meeting or a summary evaluation meeting. If it is

a formative evaluation meeting the meeting may take an informal

approach that is convened as needed or a formal and scheduled

approached at key project milestones. The key functions of these

meetings is to identify deviations from the project plan and effectquick corrections. The agenda will be the project progress, current

and anticipated problems and the oppotunities identified.

In a summary evaluation meeting where the project has been

completed the stakeholderts will be receiving report of what

happened and what results were obtained. This is a formal meeting

with clear agenda formal written report.

RE: Structure for Update

Meeting Philip Effiong6/21/2013 7:46:50 AM

To be an effective project manager, prepare for every project status meeting by checkingwith each of your key project team members before the meeting. If youre managing theproject correctly, youre in close contact with team members throughout the week, andthere should be no surprises during the project status meeting. Surprises can undermineyour ability to manage the project and cause team members to lose confidence in you.

Detail project review. A detail walk-through will always generate questions or provide

insight on the projects pressure points that youll need to cover in the status meeting.

Identify the bottlenecks: Ability to identify the projects bottlenecks and develop

options to eliminate them..

Prepare a list of key points: Attend the meeting with a list of key points to discuss with

the entire team or an individual. Lead by example. Your preparedness transfers over to

the team and will reinforce the need for each member to be prepared for status meetings.

RE: Structure for Update

Meeting Herminio Dionisio6/22/2013 1:14:11 PM

Project update meeting are normally held on a fix day and time to assure each attendees mill not miss the regular

once a w eek meeting. It is an informal meeting for all the project team to know the progress of the project. The main

purpose of the meeting is to encourage the f ree f low of information, and that means ensuring that the people w ho

need to have information to do their jobs get the information at the status meeting. Action items, change orders, open

issues are just some of the most important topics that must be discussed in the meeting. It is also important to report

on the overall health of the project and the impact of earlier problems, changes,and corrective actions at the project

level.

Pow erPoint vs . Handouts Professor Orr 6/20/2013 9:27:18 AM

Pow erPoint can be too structured. What about handouts? Do you hand them out before, during, or af ter the meeting? Are they

really different from Pow erPoint? What are the pros and cons?


14/17



Regards,

Susan

RE: Pow erPoint vs. Handouts Nishan Ragoonanan 6/20/2013 12:31:18 PM

I think there's a place for handouts and I prefer to hand them out before the meeting so people can attend the meeting

prepared. I'll attach the handout to the meeting invite and note it's appropriate place for discussion in the agenda. This

w ay attendees are prepared ahead of time to discuss issues and have solutions and ideas ready f or discussion, asopposed to taking meeting time to read a handout and attempt to digest during the meeting.

RE: Power Point vs.

Handouts Serge Ndongo6/20/2013 8:45:57 PM

I totaly agree w ith Nishan. Handouts are very helpful especially in meetings preparations. Therefore it is

better to hand them before the meeting. The PROS of a handout include the highly detailed explanations

that can be followed along by the audience. Furthermore the figures, stats repeated from the stage w ill

have the audience members nodding their heads along w ith the speaker, always a good appearance.

This implies that the audience is in agreement w ith the speaker, w hich is a good thing. Another good thing

is that they can be taken away by the audience after the meeting, just in case they w ant to look at the

notes again later.

The CONS of a handout could be for instance w hen they carry too much information preventing the

audience to fully hear what you have to say next. Some people may get so focus by w hat you have on a

hard copy that they don't hear anything else you have to say. They feel like there is nothing else to get on

top of w hat is on a hard copy. Therefore, be covering everything on the handout can hurt the attention of

the audience.

RE:

PowerPoint

vs.

Handouts

Mary Hart 6/20/2013 9:17:01 PM

Good point Serge, that is why PM may be careful in selecting the content of

the handouts. The content of handout may avoid information that may cause

distraction and/or conflicts among project team members.

I would add that another positive aspect of the handouts is that team members

are informed in advance of updates of the project, and most time you may get

in advance feedbacks and quetions that will help in prepareing answers and/or

solutions. This contributes in making the meetings more effective.

RE:

PowerPoint

vs.

Handouts

Tanika Thom as 6/22/2013 1:51:18 PM

Excellent point. I have dealt with all types

discussed. I would definitely say it depends on the

type of meeting, the audience on how/when to

provide handouts. In my HOA, handouts are given

at the beginning of the meeting to let them know

what is on the agenda. However, when you know


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there will disruption, I use caution on passing out

financial information at the time it will be

discussed. I would suggest make sure you know

your audience to know how/when to deliver the

information.

Handouts can go hand and hand with

powerpoints to allow notes to be taken; also for

seating arrangements. If the meeting space is

very large and the screen is not very visible to all,

you can say refer to page/slide to follow along. So

again knowing your audience and location will

help in determining which form to use and when to

use them.

RE: Power Point vs.

Handouts Chukie Okunzua6/20/2013 8:59:19 PM

Power point are good for meetings where members step out to present their report. The

disadvantage is that the attendees will have to rely on their ability to recall what was

said at presentation. If they loose concentration during the presentation they have no

chance of being able to re-visit what was said. Handout are physical copies that can be

read and be referred to as often as one has them. As Nishan pointed out if made

available prior to meeting that helps in preparing well in advance for the meeting.

RE:

PowerPoint

vs.

Handouts

Espe ranca Rosa 6/20/2013 11:33:09 PM

Chuckie, great post!

I totally agree with you and our other classmates that preparing a power point

presentation requires certain ability to present in a clear and effective way.

True that presenter should bring presentation copies or handouts to use as

further reference. Additionally, he has to inform team members and

stakeholders of the project objectives in a very efficient and effective manner in

order to get everyone well informed and involved. For instance, I have seenmany people losing their focus or attention during presentations. In most

cases, this happens when the presenter doesnt grab audiences attention or

the topic is not as interesting as they expected. Regarding project status

presentation, graphs, maps, and all the information on the presentation should

be in a clear, concise, and organized manner.

Some people strive to present and sometime they lose focus too. For

example, when I was at Chevron, weve had a presentation called

toastmasters. This presentation is an informal presentation that takes place

during lunch break for people who want to improve their presentations skills.

Several employees have improved their presentation skills with the


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toastmasters practices. It is an excellent way of improving presentation skills.

Ive noticed that Devry is offering the same program to help students.

Regards,

Esperanca

RE: Pow erPoint vs. Handouts Huyen Bui 6/21/2013 6:14:02 PM

Depends on w hat type of meetings that the handout may come handy. If it's an important meeting, handout w ill help

the audience to catch up w ith the content, as w ell as take note.

How ever, w ith small meetings like w eekly meeting, just sending out the agenda for the meeting 3 days before should

be enough than printing out the whole powerpoint

RE: PowerPoint vs. Handouts Herminio Dionisio 6/22/2013 1:02:00 PM

It is alw ays a standard procedure that the minutes of meeting or an agenda be distributed before the meeting start

for the attendees review . This advance distribution is especially important if decisions w ill be made during themeeting. It is a w ay of preparing them for open issues that w as discussed from the previous meeting and for any

new issues and items that is deemed necessary to discuss in the meeting. People are very uncomfortable w hen

they are given important information for the f irst time and are immediately expected to read and unders tand it, and

then make a decision about it. Minutes are part of the formal project documentation and must be updated right after

the meeting is done based on the issues discussed for immediate distribution to enable those concerned to make the

required needed actions.

Designing and Implementing a PMIS Professor Orr 6/21/2013 9:47:22 AM

How w ould you design and implement a PMIS for your organization?

Regards,

Susan

RE: Designing and

Implem enting a PMIS Chukie Okunzua6/22/2013 9:51:50 AM

To design a PMIS the first step is to determine the need of the stackholders, identify adequate

monitoring input for the project team and what will provide sufficient directional capabilities for

control effort. In addition the system should be able to supply the capacity for managing change

control and escalation procedures and provide adequate output to help management make wellinformed decisions.

The design and implementation would be dependent on the scope and complexity and the type of

organization. For large and complex projects it is recommended to walk with IT professional in

design and implementing the PMIS using well known software that can be adapted or modified to

suite the project and that has capability for integrating with the organization's system.

RE: Designing and

Implem enting a PMIS Herminio Dionisio6/22/2013 2:22:18 PM


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Documents

PM592 Week 7 Discussion