Archive for the ‘Tip of the Month’ Category

Tip of the Month – email ettiquette – How to save time

Saturday, April 2nd, 2011

This month’s tip is on email etiquette.  Email subject lines should accurately reflect the subject of the email.  In addition, email should not be used as a substitute for picking up the phone.  If not, you are probably wasting others time.

Email messages usually start that way, but often a back and forth reply stream follows, and the content of the email often changes from what is in the subject line.  This is a problem when you remember the content from an email message but the subject line does not reflect the content.  The result is time wasted trying to find the specific email message.  In order to keep your frustration low and keep the frustration low of those you correspond with, make sure the email subject line accurately reflects the content of the email.  The solution is to change the email subject line if the content changes.

Email messages should not be used as a substitute for a phone conversation, or a meeting.  If you are like me, I receive over 100 email messages a day.  A vast number of them could be eliminated if a short 10-15 minute meeting was scheduled and a single email was sent out summarizing agreements and action items.

If you take these simple steps, you will save yourself time, and the time of the individuals you communicate with.  Remember, the time you save may be your own.

Posted in Communications Management, Managing Your Time, P3 Leader Newsletter, Portfolio Leadership, Program Leadership, Project Leadership, Time Management, Tip of the Month | No Comments »

HG P3 Leader Newsletter – Tip of the Month – March 2011

Tuesday, March 1st, 2011

Communication plans are a great way to provide your program leadership team with current updates on planned communications activities for a program. Whether a large program or a small project, publishing when meetings will occur, when training sessions will take place, or when documents such as status meeting reports will be distributed, communications plans are a great way to make sure everyone is on the same page.

If you do not have a formal process for publishing program communication plans, seek out someone who has done them before and ask if they would be willing to provide you some assistance.

Posted in Communications Management, Portfolio Leadership, Program Leadership, Project Leadership, Tip of the Month | No Comments »

Tip of the Month – February 2011 – Ask good, probing questions.

Wednesday, February 9th, 2011

Most people who know me know that I try to ask very good questions…probing questions…questions that try and drive out a good understanding of an issue and its root cause so that it can be solved.  So you can imagine my surprise when a manager at one of my client organizations said to me, “Don’t ask questions in meetings.”  I was devastated.  This manager’s rationale was that asking questions would cause meetings to run longer.  I remember when I was doing undergrad internships at a prestigious medical center, the philosophy was “dumb questions are easier to address than dumb mistakes.”  I have always tried to heed this advice, except I always try to ask good questions, not dumb ones.

Needless to say, this manager and I disagree, but the client is the client.  You must adapt to the client’s culture.  I believe as a program and/or project leader you need to ask many good and probing questions.  If you do not ask questions, I find that you often find out too late about an issue (or the root cause of an issue) to “fix it,” so the issue does not negatively impact your program (i.e., cost, schedule, or quality).

If you find yourself in a similar situation, sit down with the manager and try to understand his or her rationale for taking a particular position.  In some cases, it may be valid.  In other cases, the manager may understand your perspective or offer another approach to get the information needed to address the issue(s).

You need to be a leader.  You need to lead your program to a successful outcome.  You need to understand the issues and get the issues solved quickly.  You need to solve the issues so your programs can be successful.  Good probing questions will simplify your life as a program/project leader.  I know it has for me.

Posted in Communications Management, Human Resource Management, Issue Management, Leadership, Monitoring & Controlling Process, Portfolio Leadership, Program Leadership, Project Leadership, Tip of the Month | No Comments »