Questions about communication-related topics like information flow, meetings and reporting.
8
votes
3answers
233 views
Communicating weekly goals amid uncertainty
If a project's inherent uncertainty prevents accurate planning or resourcing of task effort more than a month into the future, how can project managers best communicate, coordinate, and track ...
1
vote
2answers
403 views
Are there good templates and processes for monitoring project progress?
When managing a team of 40-50 team members, are there good processes and templates to monitor project progress? We do daily standup meetings and weekly email reports, but we're looking for more ...
6
votes
1answer
177 views
Make them understand we need a DMS
I have put this in SE-PM as in my eyes, it affects Project Managers the most.
I have just landed a role as a product engineer for a software product in a mid-sized company (around 100 staff across ...
3
votes
3answers
599 views
How to Integrate Multiple Project Plans in a Weak Matrix Organization?
How can I approach integrating multiple project plans from different departments into one master plan? Here are the details in this situation:
All teams are ultimately working on the same product, ...
7
votes
8answers
562 views
How do I foster communication in Project Meetings?
Context:
I'll admit, I've recently transitioned to a PM role at a new company, and the atmosphere is slightly different than the previous firm I worked at. I was a 'Project Manager' (note the ...
7
votes
5answers
4k views
What makes an effective email status report? Why?
In project management, what criteria makes an effective email status report, and how often should a status report be sent to be useful?
4
votes
4answers
195 views
How to communicate about work with a team member living through a family tragedy?
I have a student assistant, who only works 10 hours a weak, mostly from home. She only comes to my office when there is something we need to discuss. Her contract specify the amount of work hours, and ...
10
votes
4answers
196 views
Client has hard time focusing
I had a hard time trying to get the client to focus. X likes to talk a lot. Sometimes give too much information.
Sometimes X talks x-self into circles and i forget what the question is.
I try my ...
0
votes
1answer
94 views
What information hub are you using in your work?
I have team working over internet. In that case is very important to have a good information hub. The hub can be integrated with the task management system but this isn't required. My team is working ...
4
votes
6answers
361 views
How to handle somebody who does not take into account what is said to him ?
I'm facing a problem that is quite new for me, and want to discuss it. I have in my team a developer who doesn't take into account the directives that are given to him. He doesn't follow priorities ...
5
votes
1answer
106 views
Is there any knowledge source (book, for instance) talking about cultural differences from a management point of view? [closed]
I'm working in global outsourcing company (and therefore interacting with several cultures) for five years, and only a few months ago I realized (in the harder way, i.e. suffering) that is VERY ...
2
votes
5answers
199 views
How should design changes be communicated in a waterfall/agile hybrid project during the implementation phase?
Several developers and I were recently added to a waterfall project. We were told that the project was almost done but needed a few extra coders to help finish it up (that's the first mistake). We ...
3
votes
3answers
219 views
How to work with a team member with a severe tic?
I am a researcher at a university. I have supervised some Master's theses, but never a work project.
Today, I informed my first ever student assistant that she is hired. She is a nice girl and has ...
7
votes
4answers
281 views
Partially introduce Scrum into a team
The CEO of our small company (14) asked me to introduce some elements of Scrum into the working process of our development team.
Problem is: the piece he would like to see introduced is not really ...
7
votes
7answers
343 views
Help me deal with a consultant that will not admit there is a problem
In the past, I have failed by not seeing problems as they occur - only seeing them after the fact. For example, I would take a status update at its face value, not realizing that the project was ...
6
votes
10answers
337 views
Should a Project Manager give new team members a document that defines the project?
I have recently joined an existing large, complex project to deliver some specific outputs. The only information that the PM gave me related directly to the part of the project that I am responsible ...
3
votes
1answer
64 views
How best to manage a shared pool of testing devices (phones), track who has which device? [closed]
Is there an easy way (could be software, but needn't be) to manage a pool of devices as one can a small library? That is, track who has which device, track the status of the devices, when they were ...
14
votes
9answers
517 views
Number of people in a team that need to communicate with the client?
Is it more useful that all the people in a team to communicate with the client or should there be one person - i.e. the project manager that does all the communication and then informs the other ...
5
votes
5answers
1k views
How to report performance of a software development project?
What metrics do you use in order to report performance of a software development project? And how do you collect them?
9
votes
7answers
856 views
How should a project manager capture decisions?
As a project goes through the planning and design phases, many decisions will be made. To develop with technology X instead of technology Y. To leave feature z off of the plan for this version of the ...
7
votes
4answers
197 views
Shall performance be reported to the project team?
Report Performance is one of the processes being done by a project manager in every project (according to PMBOK). Performance metrics have to be reported to a project control board in order to allow ...
9
votes
4answers
726 views
How to make sure a task assignment was clear?
I guess you know the situation, that with some of your colleagues you manage to establish a common way of communication right away (whatever you talk about is understood perfectly by the other one), ...
20
votes
11answers
1k views
How to deliver bad news to a project sponsor?
Report Performance (especially if it is behind plans) is a responsibility of a project manager (according to PMBOK). Very often adequate and accurate reporting of insufficient performance will provoke ...
5
votes
3answers
156 views
Customer management and communication - how to keep things productive?
I am managing a project for a big company.
The sales manager, who is supposed to be my POC, is not co-operating and actually causes many delays. I know I can send a lot of emails to everybody, ...
13
votes
5answers
735 views
Managing projects across time zones
When managing a project that involves participants across the globe, it is quite manageable for any two timezones to meet (someone will be at the end of their shift while someone is starting theirs), ...
15
votes
8answers
1k views
Is it possible to over-communicate in project team?
Communication issues in projects are very common. Often the advice we give others or get from others is to communicate more and to be more transparent and most of the time it works.
The question is ...
7
votes
7answers
411 views
Is it the responsibility of a PM to terminate a failed project?
I'm not talking about the project closing process.
Is it the responsibility of a project manager to recommend to senior leadership or the customer to prematurely terminate a project with no ...
6
votes
5answers
639 views
How to deal with team manager who doesn't communicate problems in project?
There is a project team of about dozen of people. Whole development stuff is done by a team (7 people) led by a manager who is responsible for this part of the project. The manager organizes tasks, ...
3
votes
6answers
403 views
What are Some Tools and Techniques for Communicating Product Updates to Existing Customers?
I am a product/project manager for a product we've created. We have customers using the product, which we are continually updating as it is Web based.
What are some tools and techniques for managing ...
4
votes
4answers
225 views
How can we improve the situation of a technical team, without a CTO?
Our company runs an online photo sharing application, letting users edit pictures, create slideshows, share them on blogs and social networks and so on. The company is small, roughly 15 people, with a ...
11
votes
6answers
678 views
How to Create Better Communicators on Your Team?
I work with a team who is distributed. Most of our staff works remotely. As a result, communication is much more important.
The team consists of managers, supervisors, marketing personnel, web ...
22
votes
17answers
7k views
Is it a bad manners or practice to request “Read Receipt” to all mails send from my account?
I'm working as PM, we have developers and senior managers working remotely and in-house.
As a project manager, I'm at the center of all communications. The job of managing N lines of communication ...
6
votes
6answers
280 views
How do I get my manager to understand that our project needs to stop here, and that we have to be on a new track?
Lets say, I've been working on a watch. This is your ordinary pocket watch, it has hands, gears, shows the time...
About a month passes, and they want us to make this into a wrist-watch, still with ...
18
votes
11answers
879 views
When and how to schedule effective meetings?
I'm the lead programmer turned project manager in a small shop. Our project has entered "the last 90%" phase where many things need to be communicated between different departments. This means many ...
18
votes
10answers
1k views
How to avoid being interrupted?
As a project manager, I think it's important to be heard. I find that many times, even when just meeting people, I am getting interrupted mid sentence. Can anyone out there provide tips on how to ...
4
votes
5answers
359 views
Working environment and its impact on project
In my job people engaged in projects often work in separate departments. It means that they work in separate (1-2 person) rooms on different floors. Moreover project members differ greatly in ...
