Communicating Effectively

Effective communication is extremely important to ensure that the message intended is relayed effectively. Without this, communication can be misinterpreted or dismissed.

In the email, the sender seemed desperate in requesting the information needed. It is perceived that Jane was understanding of Mark’s busy schedule but insistent in obtaining her information due to a deadline. It seemed that Mark had delayed and even dismissed her prior requests.

In the voice message, Jane’s voice was more serious and unfriendly than on the email. Her tone of voice was firm and without saying it, it seemed that she was blaming Mark in advance for missing her deadline because he did not send the information required.

 

The face to face conversation to me did not seem pressing at all. It was friendly and somewhat dismissing of the fact that the information was needed immediately. Jane seemed to be asking rather than telling mark that the information is needed. In this tone, Jane’s request and deadline may not be taken seriously or as serious as on the voice message.

I believe that hearing the message but not seeing a face expression or mannerism made the message more concise and direct. I believe the voice message conveyed the true sense and meaning of how and what was said and the urgency it carried.

I have learned that effective communication is very important. I also learned that it is important to effectively relay the urgency of matters in a way in which it is understood correctly in any way it is relayed. For example, if it is a document you need, it is important that the urgency is expressed effectively to prevent a miscommunication to the receiving party. I also learn that the use of expressions and hand or face gestures can degrade the message being relayed therefore making it ineffective.

Reference

Laureate Education. (2011). The Art of Effective Communication. Retrieved November 15, 2012 from: http://mym.cdn.laureate-media.com/2dett4d/Walden/EDUC/6145/03/mm/aoc/index.html

Customers’ Files conversion to Electronic Files

I previously worked for a company which endeavored to converting their customers’ files to electronic files. This meant that all of the information contained in their customers’ accounts would be turned from paper files to an electronic file. The information in their customers’ files included signed contracts, signed invoices, and signed service agreements. The software the company planned to use was a program which was developed by one of the programmers in the company.

The project began by creating a test group. They selected a small group of accounts to convert. A timeframe was established for the conversion of the accounts, and a budget was designated for the expenses of the project. The conversion of the files consisted of utilizing a group of employees to manually scan all of the documents inside each of the customers’ files; a total of 12,000 customer files were to be scanned. The pilot group was instructed how to scan the files and was assigned 50 customer files to scan. The staff that would be responsible for the duties was selected and instructed to begin. The first 50 files were scanned with very minor issues. The management team felt the pilot run had been a success and began scanning all of the customers’ files. This is where the problem arose.

Unfortunately, the management did not take several variables into consideration when planning for the project. First, the project plan did not include all of the elements. It lacked the assignment of the roles of all the team members, a detailed project schedule, the budget allocated was not well thought out, therefore, creating a deficit, and the possible risks and responses were not addressed or planned for. The management assigned one manager to manage the execution of the project as well as manage the staff involved. This overloaded the manager as he was responsible for all phases of the project without assistance. Second, management failed to maintain vigilance and did not check the performance compared to the plan designed. The tasks of the project were taking longer than it was planned for and problems arose which were not planned for.

Needless to say, this project failed in all aspects; planning, budget, efficiency and due to the mishaps which happened during the execution of the plan, the project failed as it was abandoned and never completed. I believe that poor planning and communication caused the failure of this project. Defining an effective plan and engaging all of the stakeholders and individuals responsible for the project and its success would have ensured that the project was successful.

Reference

Greer, M. (2010). The Project Management Minimalist: Just Enough PM to Rock Your Projects! Retrieved November 9, 2012, from https://class.waldenu.edu/bbcswebdav/institution/USW1/201320_04/MS_INDT/EDUC_6145/Week%202/Resources/Week%202%20Resources/embedded/pm-minimalist-ver-3-laureate.pdf

EDUC 6145-Project Management in Ed. & Training 2012

Welcome. My name is Jia Robinson and this post serves as introduction to my blog for my Project Management in Education and Training course as part of my curriculum.