Chapter 6:
Executing Projects
Introduction to Project Management
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.
Introduction to Project Management
Copyright 2005
2
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.
Introduction to Project Management
Copyright 2005
3
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 to Project Management
Copyright 2005
4
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
Introduction to Project Management
Copyright 2005
5
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).
Introduction to Project Management
Copyright 2005
6
Figure 6-1. On a Lighter Note:
All For the Team’s Execution?
Introduction to Project Management
Copyright 2005
7
Figure 6-2. Executing Process Summary
Introduction to Project Management
Copyright 2005
8
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.
Introduction to Project Management
Copyright 2005
9
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
Introduction to Project Management
Copyright 2005
10
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, Webbased, and CD-ROM).
– Deliverables such as surveys, design documents,
prototypes, and meetings
• related to developing and delivering those training
materials and courses
Introduction to Project Management
Copyright 2005
11
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
Introduction to Project Management
Copyright 2005
12
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.
Introduction to Project Management
• 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 conflictmanagement procedures.
• Communications are poor.
• Suppliers are not delivering as
promised.
Copyright 2005
13
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.
Introduction to Project Management
Copyright 2005
14
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.
Introduction to Project Management
Copyright 2005
15
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.
Introduction to Project Management
Copyright 2005
16
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
Introduction to Project Management
Copyright 2005
17
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
–
4.
Forcing:
–
–
5.
Kristin present the issues they agree and downplay the topic
conflicted
The win-lose approach (high/low)
When competing against another firm for a contract
Withdrawal:
–
–
Retreat or withdraw from an actual or potential disagreement
(low/low)
Least desirable
Introduction to Project Management
Copyright 2005
18
Relationship Importance
High
Confrontation/
Problem-solving
Smoothing
Compromise
Medium
Withdrawal
Forcing
Low
Low
Medium
High
Task Importance
Introduction to Project Management
Copyright 2005
19
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.
Introduction to Project Management
Copyright 2005
20
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.
Introduction to Project Management
Copyright 2005
21
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
Introduction to Project Management
Copyright 2005
22
Figure 6-3. Sample Milestone Report for Reporting Work Performance Information
Introduction to Project Management
Copyright 2005
23
Table 6-2. Sample Milestone Report for Reporting Work Performance Information
Introduction to Project Management
Copyright 2005
24
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.
Introduction to Project Management
Copyright 2005
25
Figure 6-4. Sample Change Request
Introduction to Project Management
Copyright 2005
26
Table 6-3. Sample Change Request
Introduction to Project Management
Copyright 2005
27
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.
Introduction to Project Management
Copyright 2005
28
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
Introduction to Project Management
Copyright 2005
29
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.
Introduction to Project Management
Copyright 2005
30
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.
Introduction to Project Management
Copyright 2005
31
Figure 6-5. Sample Cause and Effect Diagram
Introduction to Project Management
Copyright 2005
32
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.
Introduction to Project Management
Copyright 2005
33
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.
Introduction to Project Management
Copyright 2005
34
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
Introduction to Project Management
Copyright 2005
35
Figure 6-6. Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs
Introduction to Project Management
Copyright 2005
36
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
Introduction to Project Management
Copyright 2005
37
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.
Introduction to Project Management
Copyright 2005
38
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
Introduction to Project Management
Copyright 2005
39
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
Introduction to Project Management
Copyright 2005
40
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 defined
1.
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.
Introduction to Project Management
Copyright 2005
41
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.
Introduction to Project Management
Copyright 2005
42
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
Introduction to Project Management
Copyright 2005
43
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
Introduction to Project Management
Copyright 2005
44
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
Introduction to Project Management
Copyright 2005
45
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.
Introduction to Project Management
Copyright 2005
46
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.
Introduction to Project Management
Copyright 2005
47
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.
Introduction to Project Management
Copyright 2005
48
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.
Introduction to Project Management
Copyright 2005
49
• 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).
Introduction to Project Management
Copyright 2005
50
• 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.
Introduction to Project Management
Copyright 2005
51
Introduction to Project Management
Copyright 2005
52
• 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.
Introduction to Project Management
Copyright 2005
53
Introduction to Project Management
Copyright 2005
54
• 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.
Introduction to Project Management
Copyright 2005
55
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.
Introduction to Project Management
Copyright 2005
56
Figure 6-9. Sample Team Roster
Introduction to Project Management
Copyright 2005
57
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.
Introduction to Project Management
Copyright 2005
58
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
Introduction to Project Management
Copyright 2005
59
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.
Introduction to Project Management
Copyright 2005
60
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)
Introduction to Project Management
Copyright 2005
61
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
Introduction to Project Management
Copyright 2005
62
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
Introduction to Project Management
Copyright 2005
63
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.
Introduction to Project Management
Copyright 2005
64
Figure 6-10. Social Styles of Wilson
Learning
Introduction to Project Management
Copyright 2005
65
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.
Introduction to Project Management
Copyright 2005
66
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.
Introduction to Project Management
Copyright 2005
67
Figure 6-11. Sample Team Performance Assessment
Introduction to Project Management
Copyright 2005
68
Table 6-5. Sample Team Performance Assessment
Introduction to Project Management
Copyright 2005
69
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.
Introduction to Project Management
Copyright 2005
70
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
Introduction to Project Management
Copyright 2005
71
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.
Introduction to Project Management
Copyright 2005
72
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.
Introduction to Project Management
Copyright 2005
73
Figure 6-12. Media Choice Table
Introduction to Project Management
Copyright 2005
74
• 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).
Introduction to Project Management
Copyright 2005
75
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.
Introduction to Project Management
Copyright 2005
76
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.
Introduction to Project Management
Copyright 2005
77
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.
Introduction to Project Management
Copyright 2005
78
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.
Introduction to Project Management
Copyright 2005
79
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.
Introduction to Project Management
Copyright 2005
80
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.
Introduction to Project Management
Copyright 2005
81
Figure 6-13. Sample Qualified Sellers List
Introduction to Project Management
Copyright 2005
82
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.
Introduction to Project Management
Copyright 2005
83
Figure 6-14. Sample Contract
Introduction to Project Management
Copyright 2005
84
Figure 6-14. Sample Contract
Introduction to Project Management
Copyright 2005
85
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.
Introduction to Project Management
Copyright 2005
86