chapter 6: executing projects introduction to project management

Chapter 6:Executing Projects

Introduction to Project Management

Introduction to Project Management Copyright 2005 2

Learning Objectives• List several tasks and outputs of project execution.

• Discuss what is involved in directing and managing project execution

– as part of project integration management,

– including the importance of • producing promised deliverables,

• implementing solutions to problems,

• evaluating work performance information,

• and requesting changes to a project.

• Explain the importance of recommending corrective actions

– and updating project plans as part of quality assurance.


Learning Objectives (continued)

• Describe the executing tasks performed as part of human resource management, – summarize important concepts related to managing people, – and explain what is involved in creative staffing updates

• and team performance assessments.

• Discuss important communications concepts, – and describe the executing tasks performed as part of

communications management • to ensure good communications.

• Explain the executing tasks performed as part of procurement management, – and describe how to prepare procurement document packages and

contracts.


Opening Case• Kristin reviewed initial project plans with the steering committee

• Committee members felt that

– Everything was going well so far

– It was time to commit more resources to the project

• Kristin brought up several challenges facing in executing the project to the meeting

– Did not work• The supplier management expert assigned half time to the team

• IT people were overallocated

– Several Conflicts between various stakeholders• On how to perform certain tasks

– The prototype for the supplier management basics course was not as well received

• Seller might demand more money to make major changes to the course

• Kristin need to deal with these challenges by using

– Her interpersonal skills

– Advice from the steering committee


Introduction• Project execution

– is the most noticed process group.

– Recall that, in general, the majority of a project’s time and budget is spent on project execution.

• Research shows that without a doubt, – the main reason CEOs failed was poor execution;

– the same is true for project managers.

• No two projects are ever executed in the exact same way due to uncertainties and unique challenges.– Many of the tasks and outputs created in the other

process groups are fairly similar from project to project


What Went Wrong? “The results are not acceptable,” stated President Bush four days after Hurricane

Katrina caused major damage to New Orleans and surrounding areas.

After Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) officials returned in January 2005 from a tour of the tsunami devastation in Asia, New Orleans was the number one disaster they discussed.

Officials had drawn up dozens of plans and conducted preparedness drills for years, but despite all the warnings,

Hurricane Katrina overwhelmed government agencies, and many people suffered from slow response to their needs for emergency aid.

The mayor of New Orleans, C. Ray Nagin, blasted the government for its lack of an immediate response.

“I’ve talked directly with the President, I’ve talked to the head of the Homeland Security, I’ve talked to everybody under the sun, I’ve been out there.”*

People were disappointed with the poor execution of disaster relief efforts during the first few days, and officials took corrective actions to address the challenges caused by the hurricane.Shadi Rahimi, “Bush Embarks on Tour to Survey Damage,” The New York Times (September 2, 2005).


Figure 6-1. On a Lighter Note:All For the Team’s Execution?


Figure 6-2. Executing Process Summary


Executing Tasks for Project Integration Management• To direct and manage project stakeholders, project managers can

follow several important practices:– Coordinate planning and execution

• The main purpose of the planning is to guide execution– A good job planning makes the execution easier– As things change, update the plans

– Develop and use soft skills• Strong leadership, effective team building, strong communication,

motivation, negotiation, conflict management, and problem solving– Are crucial to the success of project in project execution

– Provide a supportive organizational culture. • If an organization has useful guidelines and culture for project

management– It will be easier for project manage and the teams to plan and do

their work• If not,

– Project managers can create the supportive cultures within their own project and improve it.


Executing Tasks for Project Integration Management (Cont’d)

• Break the rules when needed.– In order to produce project results in a timely manner

• However, politics will play a role in the results

– Need to use his/her political skills to convince concerned stakeholders

• Capitalize on product, business, and application area knowledge. – Project Managers need to use their expertise

• to guide and make important decisions

– Ex: Constructing a new project• Needs expertise in architecture, engineering, and construction to

produce the product successfully

• Use project execution tools and techniques.– In order to make the project execution go more smoothly


Deliverables• deliverables.

– are products or services • produced or provided as part of a project

– Most project sponsors would say that the most important output of any project is its deliverables

• For the Just-In-Time Training project at Global Construction, key deliverables include:– Training materials and courses (instructor-led, Web-

based, and CD-ROM). – Deliverables such as surveys, design documents,

prototypes, and meetings• related to developing and delivering those training

materials and courses


Implemented Solutions to Problems

• Of course, all project teams face numerous problems.• Some problems can be avoided

– by doing a good job of initiating, planning, or monitoring and controlling the project,

– but other problems cannot be avoided.

• project managers must be creative and flexible – in dealing with problems that occur on their projects

• Some common problems encountered during project execution are described in this chapter


Common Problems During Execution• The project sponsor and/or other

senior managers are not very supportive of the project.

• Project stakeholders, such as people who would use the products and services the project is attempting to create, are not sufficiently involved in project decision-making.

• The project manager is inexperienced in managing people, working in a particular organization, or understanding the application area of the project.

• The project objectives/scope are unclear.

• Estimates for time and cost goals are unreliable or unrealistic.

• Business needs/technology changes have impacted the project.

• People working on the project are incompetent or unmotivated.

• There are poor conflict-management procedures.

• Communications are poor.

• Suppliers are not delivering as promised.


Sample Implemented Solution to Problems

• Kristin Maur encountered several problems during execution, such as:– Incompetent or unmotivated people working on the

project.

– Poor conflict-management procedures.


Issues with Competence and Motivation

• Although Jamie was assigned to work on the Just-In-Time Training project from its start, – she was on vacation for most of the first month

– and seemed uninterested in the project when she was around.

• Kristin tried her best to motivate Jamie, – but Jamie was simply not the right person for the project.

• Kristin talked to Jamie directly (using the confrontation approach), – and Jamie admitted that she would much rather deal directly with

suppliers than work on this project.

• Kristin replaced Jamie with someone more suitable.


Poor Conflict Management

• Most large projects are high-stake endeavors – that are highly visible within organizations.

– When the stakes are high, • conflict is never far away,

– and even small projects with low budgets have conflicts• it is a natural part of work and life in general.

• Project managers should lead their teams in developing norms – for dealing with various types of conflicts that might

arise.


Conflict Handling Modes, in Preference Order

• Blake and Mouton (1964) delineated – five basic modes for handling conflicts.

• Each strategy can be considered as being high, medium, or low on two dimensions: – importance of the task or goal,

– and importance of the relationship between the people having the conflict (high/low, medium/medium, and so on).

1. Confrontation or problem-solving: – Directly face a conflict (high/high).

2. Compromise: – Use a give-and-take approach (medium/medium)

– Bargaining and searching for solutions that will bring some degree of satisfaction for all the parties in a dispute

– Ex: IT people get paid for overtime to get the task completed on time


Conflict Handling Modes, in Preference Order (Cont’d)

3. Smoothing: – De-emphasize areas of differences and emphasize areas of agreement

(low/high)

– Ex: Two members of the steering committee disagree on whether they should provide incentive bonuses to suppliers

– Kristin present the issues they agree and downplay the topic conflicted

4. Forcing: – The win-lose approach (high/low)

– When competing against another firm for a contract

5. Withdrawal: – Retreat or withdraw from an actual or potential disagreement

(low/low)

– Least desirable


Low Medium High

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High

Task Importance

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Confrontation/Problem-solving

Compromise

Smoothing

ForcingWithdrawal


Conflict Can Be Good• Conflict often produces important results,

– such as new ideas, better alternatives, and motivation to work harder and more collaboratively.

– If there are no conflicting viewpoints on various aspects of a project. • Project team members might become stagnant

– or develop groupthink—conformance to the values or ethical standards of a group

• Research suggests that:– Task-related conflict, which is derived from differences over team

objectives and how to achieve them, • often improves team performance.

– Emotional conflict, however, which stems from personality clashes and misunderstandings,

• often depresses team performance.


Work Performance Information• During project execution, project managers must collect,

assess, and communicate work performance information.

• management by wandering around (MBWA) approach, – meaning they informally observe and talk to project team

members, suppliers, and other stakeholders as much as possible

– Many project managers, like Kristin, use MBWA• Kristin also used formal communications,

– such as status reports, survey results, and course evaluations,

– to address work performance on the project.


Sample Work Performance Information

• milestone report– is a significant event on a project,

• such as completing a major deliverable – or awarding a major contract

– A common way to summarize work performance information

– the report lists in addition to listing the milestones,• the planned date for completion (in month/day format),

the status, the person responsible for the milestone, and issues/comments


Figure 6-3. Sample Milestone Report for Reporting Work Performance Information


Table 6-2. Sample Milestone Report for Reporting Work Performance Information


Requested Changes

• Often, a number of requests for changes emerge during project execution.– a process for handling changes should be defined

• during project planning as part of the project management plan.

• It is important during project execution – to formally and informally request appropriate changes.


Figure 6-4. Sample Change Request


Table 6-3. Sample Change Request


Executing Tasks for Project Quality Management

• Quality assurance – includes all the activities

• related to satisfying the relevant quality standards for a project.

– Another goal of quality assurance • is continual quality improvement.

– Key outputs of quality assurance • include recommended corrective actions

– and project plan updates.


Quality Improvement Techniques• Benchmarking

– generates ideas for quality improvements – by comparing specific project practices or product characteristics

• to those of other projects or products within or outside of the organization itself

• for example, training costs per employee and course ratings – Comparing to other firms

» are benchmarks

• A quality audit – is a structured review of specific quality management activities

• that helps identify lessons learned, – which could improve performance on current or future projects

• Ex) Sending out a monthly survey asking employees– When they need the training?– Is it helping improve their product?– If the survey result rate is decreased

» Need to take corrective actions


Quality Improvement Techniques (Cont’d)

• Cause-and-effect diagrams– also called fishbone diagrams

• (because their structure resembles a fishbone)

– or Ishikawa diagrams (named after their founder)

– can assist in ensuring and improving quality • by finding the root causes of quality problems.


Sample Recommended Corrective Actions

• Problem: The prototype supplier management course had less than 3.5 ratings.

• Approach: – Kristin’s team reviewed the course evaluations

– and contacted some course participants • to find that the CD/ROM course was the source of the low ratings

• They created a cause-and-effect diagram (next slide)

– to find the root cause of those low ratings.

• Solution: – They recommended that the discussion board and chat room

features of the Web-based course • be integrated into the CD-ROM course to improve interactivity.


Figure 6-5. Sample Cause and Effect Diagram


Executing Tasks for Project Human Resource Management

• Effective project human resource management – is crucial to project execution.

– The two main tasks project managers perform include • acquiring the project team

• and developing the project team.

• Key outputs include – staffing updates

– and team performance assessments.


Motivation

• Project managers must understand motivation theories – to effectively execute projects.

• Psychologists, managers, coworkers, teachers, parents, and most people in general still struggle – to understand what motivates people, or why they do what they do.

• Intrinsic motivation – causes people to participate in an activity for their own enjoyment.

• Extrinsic motivation – causes people to do something for a reward or to avoid a penalty.

• Maslow suggested that – people’s behaviors are guided or motivated by a sequence of

needs.


Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs• Human has unique qualities of human behavior

– Love, self-esteem, belonging, self-expression, and creativity– These enable people to make independent choices

• People’s behaviors are guided or motivated – by sequence of needs

• Physiological needs– Air, water, food

• Safety needs– Having friends, belonging to groups, having a sense of

community• Social needs• Esteem needs

– Personal achievement, recognition, and respect• Self-Actualization needs

– Sense of fulfillment– belief that one is working to his or her potential

– Each level of hierarchy is a prerequisite for the level above


Figure 6-6. Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs


Herzberg’s Motivational and Hygiene Factors• Frederick Herzberg wrote several famous books and articles

– about worker motivation. • He distinguished between the following:

– Hygiene factors: • Factors that cause dissatisfaction if not present,

– but do not motivate workers to do more. » Does not instill motivation

• Examples include larger salaries, more supervision, and a more attractive work environment.

– Motivational factors: • Factors that cause job satisfaction,

– such as achievement, recognition, the work itself, responsibility, advancement, and growth.

– People want to actualize themselves in accordance with Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs

» Need stimuli for their growth and advancement needs


McClelland’s Acquired-Needs Theory

• Specific needs are acquired or learned over time – and shaped by life experiences,

• including:– Achievement (nAch):

• People with a high need for achievement – like challenging projects with achievable goals and lots of feedback.

– Affiliation (nAff): • People with high nAff

– desire harmonious relationships and need to feel accepted by others, • so managers should try to create a cooperative work environment for

them.


McClelland’s Acquired-Needs Theory (Cont’d)

– Power: (nPow): • People with a need for power

– desire either personal power (not good) or institutional power (good for the organization).

• Managers should provide institutional power seekers with management opportunities.

• TAT (The Thematic Apperception Test)– Is a tool to measure the individual needs of different people using

McClelland’s categories


McGregor’s Theory X and Y• Douglas McGregor popularized

– the human relations approach to management in the 1960s.• Theory X (Classical Systems Theory):

– Assumes workers dislike and avoid work, • so managers must use coercion, threats and various control schemes

– to get workers to meet objectives.

– Not valid• Theory Y (Human relation theory):

– Assumes individuals do not like works but• consider work as natural as play or rest • and enjoy the satisfaction of esteem and self-actualization needs• Valid

– Manager needs to motivate people based on the Theory Y


Thamhain and Wilemon’s Ways to Have Influence on Projects

• Approaches that– Project managers need to use to deal with workers

• And how the approaches relate to project success

• Nine influences available to project managers are defined1. Authority:

– The legitimate hierarchical right to issue orders.

2. Assignment: • The project manager's perceived ability to influence a worker's later

work assignments.

3. Budget: • The project manager's perceived ability to authorize the use of

discretionary funds.

4. Promotion: • The ability to improve a worker's position.

5. Money: • The ability to increase a worker's pay and benefits.


Thamhain and Wilemon’s Ways to Have Influence on Projects (continued)

6. Penalty: – The project manager's ability to cause punishment.

7. Work challenge: – The ability to assign work

• that capitalizes on a worker's enjoyment of doing a particular task.

8. Expertise: – The project manager's perceived special knowledge

• that others deem important.

9. Friendship: – The ability to establish friendly personal relationships

• between the project manager and others.


Ways to Influence that Help and Hurt Projects

• Projects are more likely to succeed – when project managers influence with the following:

• Expertise• Work challenge

• Projects are more likely to fail – when project managers rely too heavily on the

following:• Authority• Money• Penalty


Effectiveness• Project managers can apply

– to improve effectiveness on projects

– Stephen Covey’s 7 habits• Be proactive

– Also encourage team members to be proactive

• Begin with the end in mind

– People focus on their values» What they want to accomplish; How to be remembered in their

lives

– Need Mission statement» That help them focus on their main purpose

• Put first things first

– Need to focus on important but not urgent» Planning, reading, and exercising

– Avoid focusing only on important and urgent activities


Effectiveness (Cont’d)• Think win/win

– Best choice in most situations• Parties in potential conflict

– Work together to develop new solutions » To be all winners

– In competitive situations• Win/lose paradigm

• Seek first to understand, then to be understood– Focus on others first

• Feel what your stakeholders are feeling– What they need and expect

• Synergize– Create collaborative products

• Better than collecting individual efforts– One idea of a person prompts an idea of another and so on

• Sharpen the saw.– Self-renewal

• Physically, spiritually, mentally, and socially


Empathic Listening and Rapport• Good project managers are empathic listeners

– they listen with the intent to understand.– Before you can communicate with others,

• you have to have rapport—a relation of harmony, conformity, accord, or affinity.

• Mirroring – is the matching of certain behaviors of the other

person, – a technique to help establish rapport.


What Went Right?• A young business consultant who worked in the IT department of a major aerospace

firm met with a senior project manager and his core team. – The project involved providing updated electronic kits for a major aircraft

program. – The company was losing money on the project because the upgrade kits were

not being delivered on time. • Most buyers had written severe late-penalty fees into their contracts, and other

customers were threatening to take their business elsewhere. • The project manager blamed it all on the IT department for not letting his staff

access the information system directly to track the status of kit development and delivery.

– The tracking system was old and difficult to use. – The business consultant was warned that this project manager was very difficult

to work with. • When the project manager entered the meeting room with three of his staff, all older

men, he threw his books on the table and started yelling at the young consultant and her even younger assistant.

• Instead of backing down, the consultant mirrored the project manager’s behavior and started yelling right back at him.

• He stood back, paused, and said, “You’re the first person who’s had the guts to stand up to me. I like that!”

• After that brief introduction, rapport was established, and everyone began communicating and working together as a team to solve the problem at hand.


Acquiring the Project Team and Making Staffing Updates

• There’s a saying that – the project manager who is the smartest person on the

team has done a poor job of recruiting!• After developing a staffing management plan during

project planning, – project managers must work with other managers in

their organizations • to assign personnel to their project or to acquire additional

human resources.– Managers must also motivate their staff

• and remember why people choose to leave their jobs.


Top Three Reasons People Leave Their Jobs (from Fast Company Study)

1. They feel they do not make a difference.

2. They do not get proper recognition.

3. They are not learning anything new or growing as a person.

• Managers can ensure – these reasons do not occur

– by doing a good job of motivating • and managing their people.


• Best practices can also be applied to include the best places for people to work. Quotes from employees often show why certain companies made the lists:– “It is a friendly, courteous, caring hospital. We generally care about

our co-workers and our patients. I can always get the help and support that I need to function in this hospital. This goes from the top all the way down to the cleaning people.”

– “This is the best place I have ever worked. There’s an open door policy. Every one is allowed to voice their opinion.”

– “I get information about everything—profits, losses, problems. Relationships with people are easier here. It’s more direct and open.”*

*Great Place to Work Institute, Best Companies Lists, (www.greatplacetowork.com) (June 2005).


• Resource loading refers to the amount of individual resources an existing schedule requires during specific time periods.

• Helps project managers develop a general understanding of the demands a project will make on the organization’s resources and individual people’s schedules.

• Overallocation means more resources than are available are assigned to perform work at a given time.


• Resource leveling is a technique for resolving resource conflicts by delaying tasks.

• The main purpose of resource leveling is to create a smoother distribution of resource usage and reduce overallocation.


• When resources are used on a more constant basis, they require less management.

• It may enable project managers to use a just-in-time inventory type of policy for using subcontractors or other expensive resources.

• It results in fewer problems for project personnel and accounting department.

• It often improves morale.


Sample Staffing Updates

• To keep everyone up-to-date on current project staffing assignments, – Kristin provided a current team roster on the project

Web site • and included team member names, roles, and contact

information.

– As suppliers were added to the project, • she included supplier staff information as well.


Figure 6-9. Sample Team Roster


Developing the Project Team and Assessing Team Performance

• Many failed projects have been staffed – by highly talented individuals; – however, it takes teamwork to complete projects

successfully.• The main goal of team development

– is to help people work together more effectively • to improve project performance.

• Project managers should understand and apply good team-building practices – because it takes teamwork to successfully execute most

projects.


Tuckman Model of Team Development• Forming

– Introduction of team members• Including New members

– Little work is actually achieved• Storming

– People test each other with different opinions• Norming

– Cooperation and collaboration replace the conflicts and mistrust• Performing

– Relations are settled for team members• And build royalty each other

– Focus on reaching the team goals rather than on team process– The team can manage tasks

• That are more complex and updates

• Adjourning– Break up the team after success

• Or failure


Training

• to improve individual and team development. – Project managers often recommend that people take

specific training courses

• Team-building activities – include using physical challenges and psychological

preference indicator tools, • such as the Meyers-Briggs Type Indicator and the Wilson

Learning Social Styles Profile.


Meyers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI)• determining personality preferences

– and helping teammates understand each other– MBTI is a popular tool

• Four dimensions include:– Extrovert/Introvert (E/I)

• Whether people draw their energy from other people (E, 75% in general population)

– or from inside themselves (I)

– Sensation/Intuition (S/N)• Gather information

– From facts, details, and reality (S: Practical, 75% in general population)

– Imaginative and ingenious (N: Innovative and Conceptual)


Meyers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) Cont’d– Thinking/Feeling (T/F)

• Judgment by thinking or feeling– T: objective and logical (50% in general population)– F: subjective and personal

– Judgment/Perception (J/P)• People’s attitude toward structure

– J: establish deadlines seriously; expect others to do the same (50% in general population)

– P: Regard deadline as a signal to start not to complete a project

• Ex: NTs or rationals are attracted to technology fields– N for a project Manager

• Spend time to provide more concrete and detailed information – Before assigning task

• Not easy to work with stakeholders (E)– If IT people (I) vary most from the general population in not being

extroverted (E) or sensing (S).

– T for a team member


Wilson Learning’s Social Styles Profile• People are perceived as behaving primarily in one of four zones,

– based on their assertiveness and responsiveness:

– Drivers• Proactive and task oriented

– Pushy, severe, tough, dominating, harsh, strong-willed, independent, practical, decisive, and efficient

– Expressives• Proactive and people-oriented

– Future oriented» Manipulating, excitable, undisciplined, reacting, egotistical, ambitious,

stimulating, wacky, enthusiastic, dramatic, and, friendly


Wilson Learning’s Social Styles Profile (Cont’d)– Analyticals

• Reactive and task oriented

• Past oriented and string thinkers

– Critical, indecisive, stuffy, picky, moralistc, industrious, persistent, serious, expecting, and orderly

– Amiables• Reactive and People oriented

• Their time orientation varies depending on whom they are with at the time

– Strongly value relationships» Conforming, unsure, ingratiating, dependent, awkward, supportive,

respectful, willing, dependable, and agreeable

• People on opposite corners (drivers and amiables, analyticals and expressives) may have difficulties getting along.


Figure 6-10. Social Styles of Wilson Learning


Reward and Recognition Systems

• Team-based reward and recognition systems can promote teamwork.– Focus on rewarding teams for achieving specific goals

• Overtime payment for individual is not good for teamwork project

– Allow time for team members to mentor and help each other to meet project goals and develop human resources.


Sample Team Performance Assessment• Project managers assess team performance in several

ways.– Kristin believed in management by wandering around,

• and she liked to have many short, informal discussions – with various stakeholders, especially her project team members.

– She also observed people working alone and as a team, • and assessed the quality of deliverables they produced.

– Kristin periodically asked her project team members • to fill out self-assessments to assist in performance assessment;

– she discussed each person’s assessment and took corrective actions as needed.

– Kristin and other project managers at Global Construction • also filled out performance appraisals for each team member • once a year or when a project was completed.


Figure 6-11. Sample Team Performance Assessment


Table 6-5. Sample Team Performance Assessment


Executing Tasks for Project Communications Management

• Good communications management – is also crucial to project execution.

• the main communications management task – Information distribution

• performed during project execution.

• The main output of this task is – updating business processes.


Important Project Communications Concepts• Some project managers say

– that 90 percent of their job is communicating; • therefore, it is important to address important concepts

– related to improving project communications.

• Key concepts include:– Formal and informal communications

• Two way communication is the most important– Empathic listening skills needed– Formal status report is not enough

– Nonverbal communications• Person’s tone of voice and body language

– are often more important than the words being used

– Using the appropriate communications medium• Depends on communication needs

– Understanding individual and group communication needs– The impact of team size on project communications


Formal and Informal Communications

• It is not enough for project team members – to submit formal status reports to their project managers

and other stakeholders • and assume that everyone who needs to know that

information will read the reports.

• In fact, many people may prefer to have an informal, two-way conversation about project information.

• Project managers must be good – at nurturing relationships through good communication.


Nonverbal Communications• Research poses the theory that

– in a face-to-face interaction, • 58 percent of communication is through body language,

– 35 percent is through how the words are said, – and a mere 7 percent is through the content or words that are

spoken. • The author of this information (see Silent Messages by Albert

Mehrabian, 1980) was careful to note – that these percentages were specific findings for a specific set of

variables.• Even if the actual percentages are different in verbal project

communications today, – it is safe to say that it is important to pay attention to

• more than just the actual words someone is saying.– Nonverbal communications,

• such as a person’s tone of voice and body language, – are often more important than the words being used.


Figure 6-12. Media Choice Table


• Microsoft had been experimenting with its new video conferencing product, Livemeeting. Anoop Gupta, a vice president of Microsoft’s real-time collaboration group, says that one in every five face-to-face meetings can be replaced with Web conferencing tools, and Microsoft estimates that it will save $70 million in reduced travel for organizations worldwide in one year alone.*

• Web-based meeting tools can also help the environment. For example, in May 2007, WebEx, the leading provider of on-demand Web collaboration applications, kicked off the WebEx Experience Online Forum. They say they saved over one million pounds of carbon dioxide by not requiring the more than 650 attendees to travel to participate in sessions.**

• However, any live communication broadcast can also backfire, like Janet Jackson’s “wardrobe malfunction” during the 2004 Super Bowl in the United States.

*Steve Lohr, “Ambitious Package to Raise Productivity (and Microsoft’s Profit),” The New York Times (August 16, 2004).**Colin Smith, “WebEx Experience Online Forum Saves Over 1 Million Pounds of Carbon Dioxide Emissions in First Week,” (www.webex.com) (May 22, 2007).


Understanding Individual and Group Communication Needs

• People are not interchangeable parts.

• As illustrated in Brooks’ book, The Mythical Man-Month, – you cannot assume that a task originally scheduled to take two

months of one person’s time • can be done in one month by two people; nine women cannot

produce a baby in one month!

• Individuals prefer different ways to communicate.– Important to understand individual's personal preferences for

communication• I, N, S, etc

• Geographic location and cultural backgrounds also affect communications.


The Impact of Team Size on Project Communications• As the number of people involved increases,

– the complexity of communications increases • because there are more communications channels, or pathways,

– through which people can communicate.

• Number of communications channels = n(n-1)

2 where n is the number of people involved.– For example, two people have one communications channel: (2(2–1))/2 = 1.

• Five people have ten channels (5(5-1))/2=10.

• As the number of people communicating increases, • 1, 3, 6, 10…

– the number of communications channels increases rapidly,

– so it is often helpful to form several smaller teams • within a large project team to help improve project communications.


Information Distribution and Updating Business Processes

• Getting project information – to the right people at the right time and in a useful format

– is just as important as developing the information in the first place.

• During execution, project teams must address important considerations – for information distribution.

• The main output of information distribution is – updating business processes,

• such as policies and procedures, guidelines, information systems, financial systems, management systems, lessons learned, and historical documents.


Sample Updates to Business Processes• Kristin and her team used instant messaging

– on a regular basis both within their team and with suppliers.• Several suppliers used Webcasts to communicate information

– in a more dynamic way without incurring travel expenses.• The Web-based courses that suppliers were developing for the

project – included discussion threads and an “Ask the Expert” feature,

• in which learners could ask specific questions of the instructor • or experts within the company on various topics related to the course.

• Kristin kept her own personal project blog – to document important events and lessons

• she was learning while managing the project.

• The project steering committee asked Kristin – to prepare guidelines for using these new technologies effectively.


Executing Tasks for Project Procurement Management

• The main executing tasks performed as part of project procurement – include requesting seller responses

• and selecting sellers.

• Key outputs include procurement document packages, – contracts, and contract management plans.


Requesting Seller Responses, Qualified Sellers Lists, and Procurement Document Packages

• Organizations can use several different methods to approach and select qualified sellers or suppliers:– Approaching a preferred supplier

• Only to a certain supplier– who have had good relationship

– Approaching several qualified suppliers • To potential sellers and evaluate the results

– Advertising to many potential suppliers• Buyer does not know who the suppliers are in advance

– Receive proposal from them• In competitive business environment

• A procurement document package – generally includes a summary letter,

• a request for proposal or quote, • and a contract statement of work.


Figure 6-13. Sample Qualified Sellers List


Selecting Sellers and Writing Contracts

• Selecting sellers, often called source selection, – involves evaluating proposals or bids from sellers,

• choosing the best one, negotiating the contract, and awarding the contract.

• Often, buyers develop a short list of the top three to five suppliers – to reduce the work involved in selecting a source,

– and they are often asked to prepare a best and final offer (BAFO).

• Contract– Final output of the seller selection process

– It is good practice to include a detailed statement of work • and schedule as part of the contract

– to clarify exactly what work the seller will perform and when.


Figure 6-14. Sample Contract


Chapter Summary• Executing outputs related to integration management includes deliverables,

implemented solutions to problems, work performance information, and requested changes.

• Executing outputs related to quality management includes recommended corrective actions and project plan updates.

• Executing outputs related to human resource management includes staffing updates and team performance assessments. Project managers must also apply concepts related to motivation, influence, and effectiveness to lead people during project execution.

• Executing outputs related to communications management consist of business process updates. Project managers must apply important concepts related to communications, such as formal and informal communications, nonverbal communications, the appropriate communications medium, individual and group communication needs, and the impact of team size on project communications.

• Executing outputs related to procurement management includes procurement document packages and contracts.

chapter 6: executing projects introduction to project management

Documents

project management slide

project management copyright

project integration

project kristin

introduction project

project managers

outputs of project execution

communications management