Emphasizing employee development is a sure way to create a work environment that is made of employees that are capable of doing their jobs with a greater purpose in mind. Doing so provides employees with the ability to do that which they value and to grow beyond their initial vision for their careers (Laureate, 2011). As a novice to the field of Instructional Design and appropriately using technology to design training material, I would love to have an employee development plan that would allow me to gain more experience in this profession. Below is a development plan that I believe would get me off to a great start in making the above happen.
Interpersonal/Formal Education
Because I am employed by a learning institution, the classes are available for furthering one’s education in a particular field. However, there is a lack of guidance when it comes to trying to figure out the best path to take. As a result, I believe participating in a staff-to-staff mentoring program would be a great way to establish that. I know that there are several great staff mentor-mentee relationships in existence across campus, but I am sure the majority of them are informal. With that said, I think it would be beneficial to not only myself but other new employees to have the option to pair up with an experienced employee to attempt to establish that great, rewarding mentor-mentee partnership that can offer the needed guidance.
Job Experiences
Experience, quite often, appears to be the best teacher. With that said I believe that incorporating, instructional design and the use of technology into my job duties would be a great way to enforce development as well. Our department just adopted a new housing assignment system that interact with the systems of quite a few other University departments and being involved in the training material development process would be a great way to gain experience in the instructional design arena. I believe the fact of having employees from departments involved as learners will not only allow me to develop a great since of what it means to do the job but also for who the job needs to be done for.
Assessment
When an effort is being made to learn or improve something, I believe that assessment must be included. With my goal to develop as a professional in the ID industry, if the actions/roads that I take to make that happened are not critiqued, I find it hard to be able to get a sense of how well my performance is coming across. With that said, I believe that different forms of assessment must be included in my development plan. Customer, peer, and supervisorial assessment are three forms of assessment that I think will be most beneficial and valuable because they would allow all of the individuals that play a part in my development process to give an evaluation of my progress.
Education
Informal educational opportunities are certainly ways that I see relevant to my development. I think that a person that wants help should first make an effort to help themselves. Informal education is probably the first step taken when beginning to develop a particular skill or concept…one tries to seek out knowledge to help build upon his or her desired skill. I believe that is something I must continue to do in order to stay true to the profession. Time, people, and especially technology these days, change and keeping in the know of how these changes affect the ID field, I feel, will be crucial to my success and contributions to any of my employers.
References
Laureate Education. (2011). Employee Development [Web media]. Retrieved on August 9, 2011 from http://sylvan.live.ecollege.com/ec/crs/default.learn?CourseID=5364569&Survey=1&47=6323855&ClientNodeID=984650&coursenav=1&bhcp=1
Sunday, August 14, 2011
Thursday, August 4, 2011
HIGH-TECH TRAINING
The use of technology in training is certainly on the rise and, if used properly, brings great advantages along with it. It brings to the training arena a convenient sense of learning that strives to cater to learners of all styles. In this blog, I will point out five different technologies that have had a positive impact in the work of training.
List-servs
List-servs are group emails where trainees comment on topic and the comment(s) are then sent to everyone who is a member of/subscribed to the list-serv. This technology is one that I, personally, like to use. It serves as a great way to sort of continue training after the official training had ended. List-servs allow individuals that use the same software, programs, equipment, etc, to learn from each other. There may be a particular part of a program that you are new to using and as a result you want to get ideas or feedback from other users on they go about making it work for their needs. List-servs provide a great environment for such communication. Below is a link the EDTECH, a list-serv on the use of technology in education. Feel free to check it out.
http://www.h-net.org/~edweb/
Groupware
Groupware is a special type of software application that enables multiple users to track, share, and organize information and to work on the same document simultaneously. This type of software could probably be used for training and also for the training material development process. For the training aspect, such software could be used to help organizations organize and mandate processes for their employees. For the development of training material, it could be used in a similar fashion. With projects to development training material often having a team of individuals responsible for different jobs, using groupware makes it possible for all team members to report on their progress, see the progress of others, share documents, and also share feedback. Below is a video on the purpose of SharePoint, groupware developed by Microsoft. At your convenience, check it out to get an idea of the experience.
Interactive Video
Interactive video combines the advantages of video and computer-based instruction. A problem that is often seen in the training environment is a lack of consistency. Without guidelines and structure, there lies the chance of information being distorted and as a result, you end up with incorrectly trained employees. That in turn, can produce a decrease in performance. Training that is evolved around interactive video technology helps to reduce such situations by providing greater accessibility to consistent training as well as facilitate learning.
Click on the link below for an example of how interactive video is used in training.
http://www.aaae.org/training_professional_development/interactive_employee_training/
Virtual Lab
A virtual lab is a technology that allows trainees to interact with a computer presentation of the job or concept for which they are being trained. Trainees often learn better when they are able to get an actual look at and feel for what it they are trying to learn. This technology is a type of simulation that provides a great way for trainees to get that almost hands-on feeling for their soon to be jobs/tasks. It takes learners through the lessons that actually mimic what they will be expected to perform in reality –again, giving that realistic feeling. This link below
Cisco WebEx
Cisco Webex is a web conferencing program the makes it possible for one to connect to anyone else, anywhere in real time. It combines desktop sharing through a web browser with conferencing and video so everyone sees the same thing while they converse. In my opinion, this technology is an awesome help to the training world. The convenience it provides from one person to several different people, all at one time, in many different locations can be such a great help. Program/software that companies invest in, often have support headquarters that are nowhere close to their location. A technology such as webex makes it possible for that real-time support to happen between individuals that are hundreds to thousands of miles away. It makes it possible for trainees to get that clear explanation that does not quite come across in an email the same way that it may when one is able to speak to a trainer as he or she shares a computer screen to actually show a trainee how to do a particular task.
With my current position and projects, WebEx has been such a help for me and several of my colleagues. I can attest to the convenience and relief its capable providing to the training world. Feel free to click on the link below to check on Cisco WebEx.
http://www.webex.com/
As we all know, there are several technologies available that are being used to enhance the training experience. These were just a few that I thought to share.
References
Noe, R. A. (2010). Employee training and development (5th ed.). New York, NY: McGraw Hill.
The use of technology in training is certainly on the rise and, if used properly, brings great advantages along with it. It brings to the training arena a convenient sense of learning that strives to cater to learners of all styles. In this blog, I will point out five different technologies that have had a positive impact in the work of training.
List-servs
List-servs are group emails where trainees comment on topic and the comment(s) are then sent to everyone who is a member of/subscribed to the list-serv. This technology is one that I, personally, like to use. It serves as a great way to sort of continue training after the official training had ended. List-servs allow individuals that use the same software, programs, equipment, etc, to learn from each other. There may be a particular part of a program that you are new to using and as a result you want to get ideas or feedback from other users on they go about making it work for their needs. List-servs provide a great environment for such communication. Below is a link the EDTECH, a list-serv on the use of technology in education. Feel free to check it out.
http://www.h-net.org/~edweb/
Groupware
Groupware is a special type of software application that enables multiple users to track, share, and organize information and to work on the same document simultaneously. This type of software could probably be used for training and also for the training material development process. For the training aspect, such software could be used to help organizations organize and mandate processes for their employees. For the development of training material, it could be used in a similar fashion. With projects to development training material often having a team of individuals responsible for different jobs, using groupware makes it possible for all team members to report on their progress, see the progress of others, share documents, and also share feedback. Below is a video on the purpose of SharePoint, groupware developed by Microsoft. At your convenience, check it out to get an idea of the experience.
Interactive Video
Interactive video combines the advantages of video and computer-based instruction. A problem that is often seen in the training environment is a lack of consistency. Without guidelines and structure, there lies the chance of information being distorted and as a result, you end up with incorrectly trained employees. That in turn, can produce a decrease in performance. Training that is evolved around interactive video technology helps to reduce such situations by providing greater accessibility to consistent training as well as facilitate learning.
Click on the link below for an example of how interactive video is used in training.
http://www.aaae.org/training_professional_development/interactive_employee_training/
Virtual Lab
A virtual lab is a technology that allows trainees to interact with a computer presentation of the job or concept for which they are being trained. Trainees often learn better when they are able to get an actual look at and feel for what it they are trying to learn. This technology is a type of simulation that provides a great way for trainees to get that almost hands-on feeling for their soon to be jobs/tasks. It takes learners through the lessons that actually mimic what they will be expected to perform in reality –again, giving that realistic feeling. This link below
Cisco WebEx
Cisco Webex is a web conferencing program the makes it possible for one to connect to anyone else, anywhere in real time. It combines desktop sharing through a web browser with conferencing and video so everyone sees the same thing while they converse. In my opinion, this technology is an awesome help to the training world. The convenience it provides from one person to several different people, all at one time, in many different locations can be such a great help. Program/software that companies invest in, often have support headquarters that are nowhere close to their location. A technology such as webex makes it possible for that real-time support to happen between individuals that are hundreds to thousands of miles away. It makes it possible for trainees to get that clear explanation that does not quite come across in an email the same way that it may when one is able to speak to a trainer as he or she shares a computer screen to actually show a trainee how to do a particular task.
With my current position and projects, WebEx has been such a help for me and several of my colleagues. I can attest to the convenience and relief its capable providing to the training world. Feel free to click on the link below to check on Cisco WebEx.
http://www.webex.com/
As we all know, there are several technologies available that are being used to enhance the training experience. These were just a few that I thought to share.
References
Noe, R. A. (2010). Employee training and development (5th ed.). New York, NY: McGraw Hill.
Friday, July 8, 2011
Planning for a Needs Assessment
The company I chose to explore for this exercise is Men’s Warehouse. Men’s Warehouse is a franchise that caters to those who are seeking to purchase men’s clothing for everyday and special occasions. Not only do they offer the clothing but they also offer to their customers their expertise in finding the right style, fit, and knowledge on other related areas such as how to care for and travel with clothing. With a company like this that is based around something that can be so versatile, if training were to take place a needs assessment to determine their training needs and properly design/prepare for it.
The stakeholders for this needs assessment would be a select group of employees from all of the different organizational areas of the company. Some of those areas would be; General Men’s Wear, the Big & Tall area, Tuxedo Rental, Style Advice, customers/customer support, training and marketing. It would be ideal for each to include a rep(s) from upper-management, middle-management, job incumbent level, and training and customers of Men’s Warehouse’s target market.
Below are the questions proposed to be asked during the Analysis Phase
ORGANIZATIONAL ANALYSIS
Upper-Level Management
· What problems are threats to you all reaching your business objectives makes you believe there is a need for training?
Middle-Level Management
· Are there sufficient resources to devote to training?
· Are there any work environmental features that may interfere with the training process?
Incumbent-Level Employees
· Are there any work environmental features that may interfere with the training process?
Trainers
· Do you have the resources and support to carry out any identified training needs?
PERSON ANALYSIS
Upper-Level Management
· Do you feel the organization is doing all it can to reach its target market? If not, which areas of the organization do you think needs training in order to do so?
Middle-Level Management
· The “Style Advice”, “Tuxedo Rental”, and “Big & Tall” sections are key in helping customers shop as they pick out the best items for their size and occasion and learn how to take care of their merchandise. Do you see a lack of expertise within these areas among your employees that would suggest the need for training?
Trainers
· Do you know how to identify which employees need training?
TASK ANALYSIS
Upper-Level Management
· Does Men’s Warehouse have employees with the drive, skills, and competencies to
compete in the fashion market place?
Middle-Level Management
· What can other areas do differently to make your job better/easier?
· What can your area do differently to help make the jobs of other areas better/easier?
Customers
· How helpful has the information/service provided by the Big & Tall, Style Advice, Tuxedo
Rental, and Ask George sections as well as the option to shop by occasion or brand has
been with your deciding on the right item to buy for your size and/or special occasion?
Trainers
· What past training methods have been successes for you?
Below are the different documents/records that would be requested to be seen to get better results from the needs assessment.
· Samples of questions and comments submitted to “Ask George”
· Customer satisfaction survey results from the different special shops
· Current training material
· Evaluation of past training sessions
Below are the techniques that would be used to employ the needs assessment.
· Questionnaires/Surveys – to reach and get information from the large customer base
· Interviews – can be used to gain very detailed information that can be a key factor in
determining training needs.
· Observations – in this environment where a great deal of action is taking place in a clothing
store, having onsite observations of job processes would be a great way to generate data true
to the work environment.
· Focus Groups - focus groups would be used to get info on how the different areas of the
organization can improve processes in which they have to rely on each other to complete and
reach ideal performance levels.
The first step in a successful training effort is to determine that a training need exits through the needs assessment process (Noe, 2010). Therefore, the analysis phase is very important in designing a training program. Without the true reasons behind the purpose of training, going through with it would be pretty close to pointless. The analysis phase is there to research the organization’s employees and processes in order to find reasons for training and how to go about designing it so that it’s beneficial to its purpose.
References
Noe, R. A. (2010). Employee training and development (5th ed.). New York, NY: McGraw Hill.
Men’s Warehouse. Website retrieved July 6, 2011 from http://www.menswarehouse.com/
The stakeholders for this needs assessment would be a select group of employees from all of the different organizational areas of the company. Some of those areas would be; General Men’s Wear, the Big & Tall area, Tuxedo Rental, Style Advice, customers/customer support, training and marketing. It would be ideal for each to include a rep(s) from upper-management, middle-management, job incumbent level, and training and customers of Men’s Warehouse’s target market.
Below are the questions proposed to be asked during the Analysis Phase
ORGANIZATIONAL ANALYSIS
Upper-Level Management
· What problems are threats to you all reaching your business objectives makes you believe there is a need for training?
Middle-Level Management
· Are there sufficient resources to devote to training?
· Are there any work environmental features that may interfere with the training process?
Incumbent-Level Employees
· Are there any work environmental features that may interfere with the training process?
Trainers
· Do you have the resources and support to carry out any identified training needs?
PERSON ANALYSIS
Upper-Level Management
· Do you feel the organization is doing all it can to reach its target market? If not, which areas of the organization do you think needs training in order to do so?
Middle-Level Management
· The “Style Advice”, “Tuxedo Rental”, and “Big & Tall” sections are key in helping customers shop as they pick out the best items for their size and occasion and learn how to take care of their merchandise. Do you see a lack of expertise within these areas among your employees that would suggest the need for training?
Trainers
· Do you know how to identify which employees need training?
TASK ANALYSIS
Upper-Level Management
· Does Men’s Warehouse have employees with the drive, skills, and competencies to
compete in the fashion market place?
Middle-Level Management
· What can other areas do differently to make your job better/easier?
· What can your area do differently to help make the jobs of other areas better/easier?
Customers
· How helpful has the information/service provided by the Big & Tall, Style Advice, Tuxedo
Rental, and Ask George sections as well as the option to shop by occasion or brand has
been with your deciding on the right item to buy for your size and/or special occasion?
Trainers
· What past training methods have been successes for you?
Below are the different documents/records that would be requested to be seen to get better results from the needs assessment.
· Samples of questions and comments submitted to “Ask George”
· Customer satisfaction survey results from the different special shops
· Current training material
· Evaluation of past training sessions
Below are the techniques that would be used to employ the needs assessment.
· Questionnaires/Surveys – to reach and get information from the large customer base
· Interviews – can be used to gain very detailed information that can be a key factor in
determining training needs.
· Observations – in this environment where a great deal of action is taking place in a clothing
store, having onsite observations of job processes would be a great way to generate data true
to the work environment.
· Focus Groups - focus groups would be used to get info on how the different areas of the
organization can improve processes in which they have to rely on each other to complete and
reach ideal performance levels.
The first step in a successful training effort is to determine that a training need exits through the needs assessment process (Noe, 2010). Therefore, the analysis phase is very important in designing a training program. Without the true reasons behind the purpose of training, going through with it would be pretty close to pointless. The analysis phase is there to research the organization’s employees and processes in order to find reasons for training and how to go about designing it so that it’s beneficial to its purpose.
References
Noe, R. A. (2010). Employee training and development (5th ed.). New York, NY: McGraw Hill.
Men’s Warehouse. Website retrieved July 6, 2011 from http://www.menswarehouse.com/
Thursday, June 30, 2011
The Truth About Training
Hi Everyone,
Play the video for an audio presention of "The Truth About Training" blog posted below.
Change is something encountered in organizations on a regular basis. Processes change, positions change employees and employees change positions. Therefore, when new concepts and people come on board, it is necessary that training takes place to ensure individuals are brought up to speed with concepts and able to sync with one another in order for daily operations to successfully carry out an organization’s purpose. Without training taking place to help communicate the things that are necessary, performance stands a great chance of suffering.
Training has to be presented in a fashion that reaches out to all different types of learners. This necessity can cause training to be complicated at times b/c that implies that training material has to be created and delivered to suit the needs of all learners. And in a case where you are training on different concepts to a group of people who all each have their own unique way of learning, you have to find a way to make that delivery a success.
Because of this need to often reach everyone in their very own special way, training can be fun as well. Learning is usually successfully at taking place when information is given in more than one format and is related to information that learners are already familiar with. Different formats can include learning interventions such as such as group exercises and simulations and that can allow trainees to not only retain information, but bond with and entertain each other as well.
In closing, although challenging at times, training is definitely essential to today’s organizations. If it is structured around assisting organizations to reach their business goals and objectives, training can help them gain a competitive advantage that will, overall, allow them to produce better products, processes, and employees (Noe, 2010).
References
Noe, R. A. (2010). Employee training and development (5th ed.). New York, NY: McGraw Hill.
Play the video for an audio presention of "The Truth About Training" blog posted below.
Change is something encountered in organizations on a regular basis. Processes change, positions change employees and employees change positions. Therefore, when new concepts and people come on board, it is necessary that training takes place to ensure individuals are brought up to speed with concepts and able to sync with one another in order for daily operations to successfully carry out an organization’s purpose. Without training taking place to help communicate the things that are necessary, performance stands a great chance of suffering.
Training has to be presented in a fashion that reaches out to all different types of learners. This necessity can cause training to be complicated at times b/c that implies that training material has to be created and delivered to suit the needs of all learners. And in a case where you are training on different concepts to a group of people who all each have their own unique way of learning, you have to find a way to make that delivery a success.
Because of this need to often reach everyone in their very own special way, training can be fun as well. Learning is usually successfully at taking place when information is given in more than one format and is related to information that learners are already familiar with. Different formats can include learning interventions such as such as group exercises and simulations and that can allow trainees to not only retain information, but bond with and entertain each other as well.
In closing, although challenging at times, training is definitely essential to today’s organizations. If it is structured around assisting organizations to reach their business goals and objectives, training can help them gain a competitive advantage that will, overall, allow them to produce better products, processes, and employees (Noe, 2010).
References
Noe, R. A. (2010). Employee training and development (5th ed.). New York, NY: McGraw Hill.
Thursday, February 10, 2011
Analyzing Scope Creep
A project that comes to mind that involved an issue with scope creep is a project where a campus housing application/assignment system was being implemented. The project process (bidding on and choosing a vendor) began in December of 2008 but really got on its feet in April of 2009. The main objective was to have the system in place in time in order to take housing applications and make campus housing assignments for the Fall 2010-Spring 2011 academic year. Things were running pretty smoothly, therefore stakeholders became very interested in pushing to have the system in place to take applications for the Summer 2010 session as well. Pushing for this early of a release was an issue because the project was to be implemented in certain phases. And there were certain components and integrations that where scheduled to be implemented during the time that applications and assignments for summer housing would normally be taken and made. In other words, if the stakeholders wanted to move forward with using the new system for the Summer session, it would cause the remaining originally scheduled project processes to be hurried in order to have all components functioning in time for Summer 2010 usage.
Some of the stakeholders at the time were disappointed that the possibility of advancing the system that early was slim to none because the new system had been the buzz for a while and they were very amped up about making the new technology available to users as soon as possible. Therefore, it a little difficult for them to accept "no" as an answer. I think that the PM of this project, handled this situation of scope creep fairly well. The PM immediately made it evident that the risk of jumping so far ahead was too high. Rushing to integrate with this new system, systems that were very important to the campus' operations, was not the best thing to do and if anything went wrong while trying to do so, it could really set the project back and even possibly cause the original deadline to be missed.
If I were in control of the project the only thing that I probably would have done differently was constantly remind the stakeholders and team members of the project's goals and why the objectives and schedules were set as they were. It's important to refresh one's memory of the project's goals and boundaries and make sure he or she has a clear of what the desired results should be at points relative to deliverables, schedules, costs and quality (Greer, 2010).
References
Greer, M. (2010). The project management minimalist: just enough pm to rock your projects. Laureate Education Ed. Retrieved February 10, 2011, from http://sylvan.live.ecollege.com/ec/courses/56607/CRS-CW-4744643/educ_6145_readings/pm-minimalist-ver-3-laureate.pdf
Some of the stakeholders at the time were disappointed that the possibility of advancing the system that early was slim to none because the new system had been the buzz for a while and they were very amped up about making the new technology available to users as soon as possible. Therefore, it a little difficult for them to accept "no" as an answer. I think that the PM of this project, handled this situation of scope creep fairly well. The PM immediately made it evident that the risk of jumping so far ahead was too high. Rushing to integrate with this new system, systems that were very important to the campus' operations, was not the best thing to do and if anything went wrong while trying to do so, it could really set the project back and even possibly cause the original deadline to be missed.
If I were in control of the project the only thing that I probably would have done differently was constantly remind the stakeholders and team members of the project's goals and why the objectives and schedules were set as they were. It's important to refresh one's memory of the project's goals and boundaries and make sure he or she has a clear of what the desired results should be at points relative to deliverables, schedules, costs and quality (Greer, 2010).
References
Greer, M. (2010). The project management minimalist: just enough pm to rock your projects. Laureate Education Ed. Retrieved February 10, 2011, from http://sylvan.live.ecollege.com/ec/courses/56607/CRS-CW-4744643/educ_6145_readings/pm-minimalist-ver-3-laureate.pdf
Thursday, January 20, 2011
Communicating Effectively
I interpreted the email delivery of Jane's message to Mark to be well mannered buy yet serious and concise about the information she needed from him. I feel this way because, within her email, Jane expresses consideration for Mark's possible situations that has kept him busy. At the same time, she explains the importance of why she is asking him for the information. The voicemail version of this message had a tad bit different affect on me. Even though it's the same verbiage that was sent in the email, the tone of Jane's voice had a slightly different feel. At certain times her voice had an irritated tone to it. It was not a strong tone of irritation at all, but it was noticeable enough to me to have a different effect on how I perceived the message. The sincerity that I heard in her voice when she said "I really appreciate your help" made me not hold on so tight to the "not so nice" vibe I received initially.
In my opinion, the face-to-face modality was the best representation of Jane's message to Mark. The points that needed to be expressed seemed to have been done so just right. Being able to see someone as they speak allows the comparison between body language and tone. That, in turn, helps to interpret how a person intends for a message to come across.
These different modalities are an implication that how one communicates with other members of a project team is very important. It's important for several reasons but mainly because it determines how one will respond to someone's attempt to communicate. With working on a project, there will be times when completing your work depends on the completion of another person's. In the case where one person has to approach the other about it, no matter how bad the case, it's key to come to that person with total respect. Once someone sees that you have respect for them as a person and their possible situations, they are probably more likely embrace your concerns or questions. Engaging stakeholders and communicating with them is an art (Achong, 2010). So getting to know how they respond to communication types is crucial to your relationship as team members and to your survival in the project processes.
When it comes to asking others important questions or questions that may potentially cause an eyebrow to be raised, I think it would be good to rehearse it a few times and then place yourself in the other person's shoes. Doing this, I believe, is one of the best ways to decide on how to say/word something. Word it like so, then ask yourself how you would I feel or react if asked that same question in the same manner. I can see this putting things into perspective fairly quickly, and as a result, it may seem easier to proceed.
References
Achong, T. (2010). Practitioner Voices: Strategies for Working with Stakeholders. [Online video]. Retrieved January 20, 2010, from http://sylvan.live.ecollege.com/ec/crs/default.learn.
In my opinion, the face-to-face modality was the best representation of Jane's message to Mark. The points that needed to be expressed seemed to have been done so just right. Being able to see someone as they speak allows the comparison between body language and tone. That, in turn, helps to interpret how a person intends for a message to come across.
These different modalities are an implication that how one communicates with other members of a project team is very important. It's important for several reasons but mainly because it determines how one will respond to someone's attempt to communicate. With working on a project, there will be times when completing your work depends on the completion of another person's. In the case where one person has to approach the other about it, no matter how bad the case, it's key to come to that person with total respect. Once someone sees that you have respect for them as a person and their possible situations, they are probably more likely embrace your concerns or questions. Engaging stakeholders and communicating with them is an art (Achong, 2010). So getting to know how they respond to communication types is crucial to your relationship as team members and to your survival in the project processes.
When it comes to asking others important questions or questions that may potentially cause an eyebrow to be raised, I think it would be good to rehearse it a few times and then place yourself in the other person's shoes. Doing this, I believe, is one of the best ways to decide on how to say/word something. Word it like so, then ask yourself how you would I feel or react if asked that same question in the same manner. I can see this putting things into perspective fairly quickly, and as a result, it may seem easier to proceed.
References
Achong, T. (2010). Practitioner Voices: Strategies for Working with Stakeholders. [Online video]. Retrieved January 20, 2010, from http://sylvan.live.ecollege.com/ec/crs/default.learn.
Thursday, January 13, 2011
Learning from a Project “Post-mortem”
The project that first came to mind for this assignment was fairly small. It refers to the very first time I attempted to bake a pound cake following my mother's (family favorite) recipe. I was hesitant about using it as an example because of its small nature but I think it is a simple example that may work well for this purpose.
The main thing that contributed to the failure of this product was the lack of time that was put into completing some of the processes that were tied to the quality of the wanted finished product: a perfectly baked pound cake. Certain things called for in the recipe, such as having the eggs and butter at room temperature, made a difference in the texture of the cake. Also, the baking temperature and time for the type of cake pan used made a difference as well. If I would have followed the guidelines given instead of melting the butter via the microwave, using cold eggs directly from the fridge, and baking the cake longer then necessary for the type of pan used, I probably would have had a cake of better quality.
For this project, the project manager (PM) was myself - the baker, and the subject matter expert (SME) was my mother. Being that I was acting as both a PM and a supporter of this project, it was I that failed at realizing and enforcing the importance of following the plan designed to complete the project. Corners were cut that still resulted in an editable finished product. However, the product was not nearly as good as it could have been if things were taking more seriously.
A project is defined when the project manager knows the project's needs needs, strategies, objectives, and limitations (Portny, Mantel, Meredith, Shafer, & Sutton, 2008). Therefore a project is successfully completed when these things are satisfied and properly taken into consideration. With that said, a lesson was definitely learned from this experience: If you want the same finished product, one sure way to get it is the follow the processes exactly as they are given to you.
References
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.
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