Saturday, June 28, 2008

What is Communication Planning?

Communication Planning is the process of:
  • ensuring timely and appropriate generation, collection, distribution, storage and ultimate disposition of project information.

Project Communication Management in PMP

We are now starting a new topic on Project Communication Management.

In Project Communication Management, it includes the following:

  • Communication Planning
    - determining the information and communication needs of the project stakeholders.

  • Information Distribution
    - making needed information available to project stakeholders in a timely manner.

  • Performance Reporting
    - collecting and distributing performance information. This includes status reporting, progress measurement and forecasting.

  • Manage Stakeholders
    - managing communications to satisfy the requirements of an resolve issues with project stakeholders.

Saturday, June 21, 2008

Leadership Styles of Project Managers

The leadership styles includes:
  • Directing
    Telling others what to do

  • Facilitating
    Coordinating the input of others

  • Coaching
    Instructing others

  • Supporting
    Providing assistance along the way

  • Autocratic
    Making decisions without input

  • Laissez Faire
    Has a hands-off policy and the team is entirely self-led regarding the decision making process

  • Consultative
    Inviting ideas from others

  • Consensus
    Problem solving in group with decision making based on group agreement

Power of Project Manager (in terms on PMP)

The power of Project Manager includes:

  • Formal - based on your position
  • Reward - giving rewards
  • Penalty - Being able to penalize team member
  • Expert - Being technical or project management expert
  • Referent - Based on the project referring to the authority of someone in higher position

Managing Project Team

Project team management is a process that:
  • montiors individual perofrmnce
  • gives feedback, solves issues and organizes changes to improve project performance

Project manager should:

  • update to the staffing management plan
  • submit the change requests, reolved issues
  • iput given for performance appraisals and documentation of lessons learned

Sunday, June 1, 2008

Handling Conflict Management in PMP

Ways to handle Conflict Management includes:

  • Confrontation
    The confrontation approach focus on identifying the underlying problem and working out solutions for it in a way that allows the involved parties to work through their disagreement.

  • Compromise
    Compromise involves working out a middle ground that satisfies all parties to some degree. This can be called the win-win approach.

  • Smoothing
    Smoothing de-emphasizes differences between points of view and focuses on commonalities.

  • Forcing
    Forcing approach requires others to yield to the point of view of one side or another. It is also also call the win-lose approach and can increase conflict.

  • Withdrawal
    Withdrawal involves avoiding or retreating from the conflict or potential conflict and allowing the involved parties to work out the conflict on their own.

Way to handle Conflict

Conflict management consists of one or more strategies for dealing with disagreements that may detrimental to team performance.

Basic approaches for handling conflicts includes confrontation, compromise, smoothing, forcing and withdrawal.

Problem solving techniques includes:
  • Define the cause of the problem, not just the symptoms of the problem.
  • Analyze the problem.
  • Identify solutions.
  • Implement a decision.
  • Review the decision and confirm that the decision solved the problem.

Suggested Study Materials

  • PMP-Preparation Recommended Books
  • PMP Exam Prep, Fifth Edition: Rita's Course in a Book for Passing the PMP Exam
  • A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge, Third Edition (PMBOK Guides)
  • The PMP Exam: How to Pass On Your First Try (Test Prep series)