QSO 680 Module Eight Team Activity - The project management

In the project management profession, if you have not already been part of a project team, you likely will be at some point in your career. This activity
is meant to simulate the opportunities and challenges of teamwork at the same time you discuss how best to manage effective teams.
The use of teams in business creates diverse views and experiences to address the issue at hand, most often leading to increased productivity and better
problem solving. The most common challenge in teamwork is conflict, but if each member of a team shares a goal and an equal commitment to the final
outcome, the challenges can be mitigated.
Management consultant and educator Peter Drucker said, “Meetings are by definition a concession to a deficient organization. For one either meets or one
works. One cannot do both at the same time.”
As Drucker noted, there is no bigger waste of time than an ineffective, unproductive meeting. Yet, project management often requires a team approach. So how
does a project manager create a unified team, run effective and purposeful team meetings, and keep the team motivated and running smoothly? In this team
activity, you will discuss the efficient management of project teams and project team meetings.
Prompt: You will be working in the same team you were assigned to for the Module Four assignment. Connect with your team early in the week, and stay
engaged in your team meeting discussion throughout the week. In other words, this is an ongoing discussion/team meeting rather than one initial post and two
follow-up posts as you might be used to in typical discussion forums. Use the following guiding questions provided to guide your discussion. Your posts should be
well-researched, illustrated with specific examples, and properly cited. From the beginning through completion of a project, what types of team meetings are usually held and for what purpose? Share your own experience
and/or research with project team meetings.
Specify some typical team meeting rules and guidelines. How can they make meetings more effective and productive? What is your direct experience
with team meeting rules? Have you used them to facilitate a meeting? If so, with what result? How have you (or how would you) enforce team meeting
rules if you were in charge of the meeting?
As a project manager, how would you empower your team? Use concrete examples to support your ideas.
Do you/would you set meeting objectives and an agenda in advance? If so, how would you ensure that the objectives are met and the agenda is
followed? Are there instances that justify moving away from a predetermined agenda? If so, when and why?
How have you used (or how would you use) project team meetings to manage scope creep? How do you hold team members accountable? What tools
are available to you?
What team building activities have you used (would you use) to keep the team focused and motivated? Share specific examples and outcomes.
What types of conflict have you experienced while working on teams, and how did/would you handle the conflict? Is conflict always negative? Provide
an example of productive conflict. Rubric
Instructor Feedback: This activity uses an integrated rubric in Blackboard. Students can view instructor feedback in the Grade Center. For more information,
review these instructions.
Critical Elements
Comprehension Exemplary (100%)
Meets “Proficient” criteria and
supports ideas with relevant
examples from project
management experience,
observation, and/or research Timeliness Submits initial post early and
stays engaged throughout the
week
Meets “Proficient” criteria and
response posts include
examples and research relevant
to peers’ ideas
Draws insightful conclusions
that are thoroughly defended
with evidence and examples
All responses are easily
understood, clear, and concise
using proper citation methods
where applicable with no errors
in citations Engagement Critical Thinking Writing (Mechanics) Proficient (90%)
Engages in discussion with a
clear point of view and
developed ideas that apply
course concepts to project
management experience and
research
Submits initial post mid-week
and stays engaged
Provides relevant responses to
teammates that stimulate
further exploration of peers’
ideas
Draws informed conclusions
that are justified with evidence
All responses are easily
understood using proper
citation methods where
applicable with few errors in
citations Needs Improvement (70%)
Engages in discussion with a
point of view and ideas but with
some gaps in application to
project management
experience and research Not Evident (0%)
Does not engage in discussion
with an organized point of view
and developed idea Submits initial post late in the
week and only nominally stays
engaged
Provides somewhat relevant
responses with minimal
engagement of ideas Does not engage with team 10 Provides response posts that
are generic with little
engagement 20 Draws logical conclusions Does not draw logical
conclusions 30 All responses are
understandable using proper
citation methods where
applicable with a number of
errors in citations Responses are not
understandable and do not use
proper citation methods where
applicable 20 Total Value
20 100%