assessment project management in the real world - work book

ManagingAssessmentProjectsintheRealWorldJenniferRutner,Assessment&MarketingLibrarian,ColumbiaUniversityLibrariesJoannaDiPasquale,WebDeveloper,ColumbiaUniversityLibraries

WORKBOOK

Thisworkbookcontainsactivitiesandresourcesthatsupplementtheinformationinthepresentation.

ACRLNATIONALCONFERENCE–MARCH14,2009–FEELTHEBUZZ

ManagingAssessmentProjectsintheRealWorld 2

TableofContents

CommunicationStyles .................................................................................................3

TeamMemberRoles....................................................................................................7

WorkBreakdownStructure(WBS):APlanYouCanStickTo.......................................12

AssessmentProjectChallengesandSolutions ............................................................16

Bibliography ..............................................................................................................18 CommunicationStyles .......................................................................................................................................... 18TeamMemberRoles.............................................................................................................................................. 19WorkBreakdownStructure ............................................................................................................................... 20Challenges&Solutions ......................................................................................................................................... 20


CommunicationStylesEveryone has different communication and work styles, each with strengths andweaknesses.Asprojectmanagers,beingawareofyourstyleandyourteammembers’styleshelpsyourteamoperateeffectively.Keypoints:

• When projectmanagers understand everyone’s communication styles, we canworkmosteffectivelytogether.

• Somestylesaremorecomfortableindifferentprojectteamroles.• Communicationbetweenstylescanbeidentifiedandleveraged.• Communicationstylesarenotskills.Theycannotbe“taught.”Conversely,team

members with certain skills should not be assumed to have particularcommunicationstyles.

• “We’reallinthistogether”evenifwe’renotallalike:allstylesoperatewithinaprojecttoreachforasharedgoal.

Toolsforinvestigation:

• MBTI–Myers‐BriggsTypeIndicator• KeirseyTemperamentSorter• 16PersonalityFactors• TRI–TheTemperamentResearchInstitute• HBDI–HerrmanInternational,WholeBrainThinking

See:BibliographyforCommunicationStylesAboutthetools:

These tools allow us to identify temperament,communication/interaction style, and group dynamics.Typically, using a set of questions and applying a scoringmatrix,thesetoolshelpindividualsandgroupsunderstandtheir internal dynamics and individual styles. Once youidentifytheseelements inyourselfand inyourgroup,youcanbetterunderstandandworkwithmany“types”togetthejobdone.

Note:wearenot trained experts! Manyof thematerials listedabove require trainers to go throughacertification process before conducting any activities. We have provided a very basic “gloss” of thismaterial so that you can determine the right tools for you, assess your needs, and pinpoint areas forfurtherexploration.


Activity1Explorethefacetsofyourteams’personalityandcommunicationstyles.Place thenumberof the trait thatdescribeyou in the“Me”column,and thendo thesamefortwoteammembers. (Resultsarebestwheneachteammembersdoesaselfassessment.)Whenyouarefinished,tallyyourcolumn.Example:

Type Description Me?

4 Abilitytorecognizeandseizeopportunities 2 Accountability 2

Youmight think a particular termdescribes everyone – but it doesn’t. When youarefinished,shareyourfindingswithyourneighbors.Theresultsmaysurpriseyou!PersonalityFacets

Type Description Me?

4 Seekvariety

3 Enjoyscientificortechnicalwork

1 Seekmeaning/significance

4 Wantfreedomtochooseacourseorpath

2 Protectandmaintainaremaingoals

4 Abilitytorecognizeandseizeopportunities

2 Workbetterwithorderandrules

1 Seekdifferentperspectives

2 Seekaccountability

3 Seethebiggerpicture

2 Trustingofauthority

1 Inspirational

4 Enjoyworkthatchangesorvaries

1 Actionstodaymakeabettertomorrow

2 Seekcoursesofactionswithinboundaries

3 Individualism

1 Kind,benevolent


2 Belongtothegroup

3 Masteratask

1 Enjoypeople‐focusedwork

3 Designingandinventing

2 Enjoybusiness‐focusedwork

4 Impulsive

3 Calm

1 Authentic

2 Generous

4 Negotiator

1 Coach/Mentor

3 Theoretical

4 Detail‐oriented

1 Intuitive

3 Precise

2 Serious

4 Spontaneous

3 Logical

4 Adventurous

2 Stable

1 Enthusiastic

3 Strategist

4 Optimistic

Totals

Type1 Type2 Type3 Type4Me


Activity2CommunicationTraitsandGroupDynamics:DiscussionTopic:Let’sexplorecommunicationstylesandgroupdynamics.Whatdoyouhaveincommonwithyourteammembers,intermsofwhatyouwanttoaccomplishandhowyouliketowork? Aretheiranypotentialconflicts? Identifyhowyoucanusethis informationtoimproveyourassessmentprojectmanagement.Note:thereismuchmoretotheseactivities–basedonpersonalitytypes,interactions,andcommunicationstyles,youcanreallyassessquitealot!WeencourageyoutoexploretheresourceslistedinthebibliographyanddiscusspotentialworkshopswithyourHumanResourcesDepartment.


TeamMemberRolesRoleshelpusidentifytheresponsibilitiesandauthoritiesthatagroupasksofeachteammember.Theyapplycommunicationandinteractionstylestoeverydayscenarios.Nowthatyouunderstandthecommunicationstylesofyourselfandyourteammembers,howcanyoubuildaneffectiveassessmentprojectmanagementteam?It’scriticaltounderstandwhyeveryoneisontheteamandwhatheorshewillcontributetotheassessmentproject. Wheneveryoneonyourteamunderstandstheirrole,meetingsandprojectsrunmuchmoresmoothly.Theexercisebelowwillhelpyououtlinesomecoreprojectteammemberroles.Lookingatyourteam,ask:

• Who’sontheteam?• Whyaretheyontheteam?• Whatwilleachmembercontribute?• Whatdecisionscaneachmembermake?• Whichmeetingsdoeseachteammemberneedto

attend?Oneteammemberwilloftenservemultipleroles. See:BibliographyforTeamMemberRoles


Activity3Identifytheteammembersthatfilltheroleslistedbelow,andtheauthorityassignedtothatrole.Thetermsandresponsibilitiesoutlinedbelowaregeneral;adaptthemtoyourteamsneeds.Theimportantpartisthateachteammemberclearlyunderstandshis/herrole.

Role Responsibilities(whatyoudo) Authority

(whatyoudecide)

Teammember

Projectm

anager Ensurethatteammembers

understandtheirrolesandexpectationsAssignworktoteammembersandsub‐teamsSetmeetingagendasRunmeetingsMaintaintheprojecttimelineandworkbreakdownstructureEnsurethatmilestonesaremetEnsurethatbudgetarygoalsaremet

Client Thepersonorgroupthatcreatedthe

projectteam,orprovidedthechargeEstablishexpectationsanddeliverables

Lead

er Providemotivation

ProvidefocusWorkwithsub‐teamsManageconflictsandproblem‐solvewithintheprojectteam


(cont’d)

Role Responsibilities(whatyoudo) Authority

(whatyoudecide)

TeammemberCo

mmun

icator Communicateteamprogressto

colleagues,committees,departments,etc.Bringinformationfromrepresentativegroupstotheprojectteamasneeded

Expe

rts Possessspecificskill‐setsor

knowledgetocontributetotheteam

Worker

Accomplishtasksasassigned

Decider Useassessmentprojectoutputto

makedata‐informeddecisions


Activity4IdentifyskillsetsIt’salsoimportanttounderstandthespecificskillsetsthateachteammemberbringstothe assessment project, even skills that don’t appear to be directly related toassessment.AtColumbia,weseeassessmentprojectsasopportunities forstaff tobuildnew skills,andthereforewanttounderstandeveryone’sinterests.Forexample,theWebLibrariandoesn’talwayshavetomaintainthewebpage;s/hemaybeinterestedindataanalysisorrunningafocusgroups.TeamMember Skills Interests


Activity5IdentifyprojectteamskillgapsLookingatyourassessmentproject,andyourteam,whatskillsdoyouhave,andwhatskillswillyouneedtoseekexternalresourcestosupport?Whatactionsmightyoutaketomanageanyskillgaps?Example:

ProjectTeamSkillGap PotentialActions

We need help with SPSS; our assessment project team has limited experience with this software.

Find a graduate student in the Statistics Department to work with us.

ProjectTeamSkillGap PotentialActions


WorkBreakdownStructure(WBS):APlanYouCanStickToTheworkbreakdownstructurewillhelptheentireteamunderstandthescopeoftheproject,thetasksyouneedtoaccomplish,inwhatorder,when,andbywhom.Keypoints:UsePost‐ItNotestoclassifyyourtasks.Assignacolorforeachtype,aslistedbelow.

Deliverables:Whatwilltheteamproduce?Hierarchical components: Each aspect of the overalldeliverables.Tasks and sub‐tasks: What do we need to do toachieve/producethedeliverable?Assignresponsibilityanddue‐dateforeachcomponentandtask.

Thisisateamactivity;everyoneshouldcontributetocreatingtheWBS.ParticipatingincreatingtheWBSwillhelptheteamunderstandtheirsharedgoals,andwillgiveteammembersanopportunitytostartworkingtogetherandsharingideas.WBSTips:

• Theworkbreakdownstructureshouldbeexhaustive‐don’tleaveanythingout.• Nothing is set in stone. You can add and remove items from theWBS as the

projectprogresses.• De‐duplicate: make sure that each component or task is an individual item.

Overlapscanleadtoconfusion,duplicationofeffort,andconflict. See:BibliographyforWorkBreakdownStructure


Activity6DevelopingaWorkBreakdownStructure(WBS)Reserveaconferenceroomwithplentyofaccessiblewallspace.BringyourlaptoptorecordtheWBSonceit’scomplete.MakesurethereareplentyofPost‐ItNotestogoaround.

1. Beginwiththedeliverables.AssigntheseaPost‐Itnotecolor(pink!)a. Atypicalassessmentprojecthasfivedeliverables:

i. ProjectPlanii. InformationNeedsiii. DataSetsiv. Analysisv. Report

2. WriteeachdeliverableonaseparatePost‐Itnote.

3. Postyourdeliverableshorizontallyonthewall.

4. ChooseadifferentPost‐Itnotecolor(purple!),andstartwritingthecomponentsofeachdeliverable.

5. Postthecomponentsunderneatheachdeliverable.


6. OnadifferentcolorPost‐It(blue!)startbrainstormingallofthetasksthatneedtobeaccomplishedtoachieveorcompletethecomponent.Beexhaustive!

7. Placethetasksunderneaththeappropriatecomponents.

8. Arrangethetasksinchronologicalorder.Whichtasksmustbeaccomplishedfirst?

9. Assign responsibility to a team member, and due dates for each task andcomponent.


10. OncetheWBSiscomplete,takeapicture!RecordtheWBSinaWordDocument,PowerPointorganizationalchart,orbyusingprojectmanagementsoftware.

Deliverable 1

Component 1.1 Component 1.2

Task 1.1.1

Task 1.1.2

Task 1.1.3

Task 1.1.4

Task 1.2.1

Task 1.2.2

Responsibility Due Date





AssessmentProjectChallengesandSolutionsAllprojectshavechallenges,andassessmentprojectsarenoexception.Whataresomeof the issues that have arisen in your projects, or that you foresee on the horizon?Whattoolsandtechniquesareavailabletohelpmeetthesechallenges?Assessmentprojectsmaysufferfromlackoftime,staffing,software,andmore.Brainstorm some of the challenges that you faceat your library, and we’ll discuss some potentialtools and techniques that you can use to meetthesechallenges.Remember,yourchallengesarenotyoursalone!Share and discuss what you have learned withyourgroup.


Activity7Assessmentprojectmanagementchallengesandsolutions

Challenge ToolsandTechniques


Bibliography

CommunicationStylesKeylibraryresources:

• PsycInfodatabase:http://www.apa.org/psycinfo/• InternationalAbstractsofHumanResourcesdatabase:

http://www.humanresourcesabstracts.com/• Acton,G.Scott.“GreatIdeasinPersonality.”Availableat:

http://www.personalityresearch.org/Searchableresourceofpersonalitytestsandtheories.FromtheRochesterInstituteofTechnology.

• Revelle,W.“ThePersonalityProject.”Availableat:http://www.personality‐project.org/Comprehensivelistofpsychologyarticlesandessaysaboutpersonalitytype.FromNorthwesternUniversity.

Institutesthatoffertrainingandadditionalinformation,basedonmethod:Myers&BriggsFoundation(http://www.myersbriggs.org)ExcellentbackgroundinformationonthebasisandusesfortheMyers‐BriggsTypeIndicatortool.

• Background:http://www.myersbriggs.org/my‐mbti‐personality‐type/mbti‐basics/

• Applications:

http://www.myersbriggs.org/type‐use‐for‐everyday‐life/KeirseyTemperamentSorter(http://www.keirsey.com/)Detailsthemethodanditsusesacrossmanydifferenttypesofinstitutions.MuchoftheKeirseymethodlaysthefoundationfortheTemperamentResearchInstitute.

• Aboutthefourtemperaments:http://www.keirsey.com/handler.aspx?s=keirsey&f=fourtemps&tab=1&c=overview

• Essaysontemperament:

http://www.keirsey.com/articles.aspx


16PersonalityFactors‐InstituteforPersonalityandAbilityTesting(http://www.ipat.com/Pages/home.aspx):Inadditiontotools,provideswhitepapersonassessmentsandstrategies.http://www.ipat.com/resources/white_papers/Pages/default.aspxTemperamentResearchInstitute(http://www.tri‐network.com/):Excellentwebsitetolearnmoreaboutthelayersandfactorsthatmakeupgroupcommunicationanddynamics,aswellaspersonalitytype.

• TemperamentTheory:http://www.interstrength.com/curriculum/temperament.html

• InteractionStyles:http://www.interstrength.com/curriculum/interactionstyles.html

HerrmanInstitute(http://www.hbdi.com)LearnmoreabouttheWholeBrainThinkingapproachtoworkandmanagement,includingprojectmanagement.BecomecertifiedinHBDIorsignuptocompletethepersonalassessment.

• OverviewofHBDI:http://www.hbdi.com/WholeBrainProductsAndServices/thehbdi.cfm

• HBDIforOrganizations:http://www.hbdi.com/SolutionsFor/organizations.cfm

TeamMemberRoles

Portnoy,Stanley.ProjectManagementforDummies.FosterCity,CA:IDGBooksWorldwide,Inc.,2001.ProjectManagementInstitutehttp://www.pmi.org/


WorkBreakdownStructure

WorkBreakdownStructurehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Work_breakdown_structure

ProjectManagementInstitute.ProjectManagementInstitutePracticeStandardforWorkBreakdownStructures.SecondEdition,2006.

Challenges&Solutions

Frame,DavidsonJ.ManagingProjectsinOrganizations:Howtomakethebestoftime,techniques,andpeople.SanFrancisco,CA:Jossey‐Bass,c2003.Greer,Michael.MichaelGreer’sProjectManagementWebsitehttp://www.michaelgreer.com/InspiredProjectTeamsBloghttp://www.inspiredprojectteams.com/

Haynes,MarionE.ProjectManagementfromIdeatoImplementation.MenloPark,CA:CrispPublications,2002.

Wong,Zachary.HumanFactorsinProjectManagement:Concepts,ToolsandTechniquesforInspiringTeamworkandMotivation.JohnWiley&Sons,Inc.,SanFrancisco,CA,2007.