Question: Discussion Forum (suggested level of effort: 1 hour)
The purpose of a discussion forum is for students to engage one another over topics related to the course material. An initial post by each student "sets the table" for follow-on responses by other students. In a graduate-level academic setting, the initial post is more than describing opinion by the student. Rather, it is opinion supported by published literature or other references (e.g., refereed journals, textbooks, and especially the PMBOK). The response post can be less formal but no less thoughtful in content.
Discussion Topic: Stakeholder Analysis and Communication
Initial Post Requirement: Minimum 300 words. Choose one of the following discussion questions located at the end of Chapter 6, CPM 4e and write a discussion post in response. You must include at least one citation (in text) and a reference list in support of your discussion. Choose from Discussion Questions 5, 9, or 10.
Response Post Requirement: Minimum 150 words. In the response post, you will provide a counter opinion or alternative point of view, not simply a reaffirmation of the initial discussion post. The response post can rely entirely on your experience or it can be a combination of your experience supplemented with information learned from the course reading materials and other references.
Assessment: You will be assessed on 1) content and 2) completeness (e.g., use of in-text citation of references used for summarizing, paraphrasing and quoting and other writing mechanics) and word count.
Guidance: See the Purdue Online Writing Lab (OWL) website for guidance on citations and references. A copy of the Purdue OWL citation chart is provided in the course home page (Moodle). Discussion forum content can include a combination of material from literature and your own personal experience. Do some research and find papers that are associated with the topic of the question. It is recommended that you use the materials provided in this course and the assigned readings in CPM 4e and the PMBOK 6e for references when appropriate for the question you've chosen. Online blogs are not acceptable references.
Discussion Questions
1. A new grocery store is being erected that will demolish a neighborhood basketball court. Who would be some internal stakeholders? Who would be some external stakeholders?
2. With a few of your classmates, conduct an Agile stand-up meeting and briefly discuss the three meeting components mentioned in this chapter.
3. Think of a recent project you completed and choose three stakeholders. Prioritize them, using the six-criteria model.
4. In your opinion, what is the single most impor-tant component of building relationships within a project team? Why?
5. In your opinion, what is the greatest benefit of having good communication between the project team and project stakeholders? Why?
6. Imagine you are the project manager of a team tasked with building a new hotel. When brain-storming project communication plan considera¬tions, what would you list under 'purposes"?
7. Using the same scenario as question 6, which timing schedule would you choose to use for each communication? Why?
8. Create a project meeting agenda for an upcoming project (or class) meeting you have.
9. Give an example of a lime you have used push, pull, and interactive communication methods. Why did you choose the method you did based on the circumstances?
10. Betty. a project manager, sent out agendas before an upcoming meeting to everyone involved. During the meeting, she got a team member to take minutes. After the meeting, Betty followed up with team members to check cn their prog¬ress. Evaluate Betty's actions using the PDCA model. What, if anything, could Ac have done better?