Human Resource Management Week 2 assignment

Please select the correct answers from the multiple questions

Question 1

What is a downside of innovating new best practices with current business operations?

It is hard and should not be done.

Contracts and agreements might have to be adjusted when innovating.

Why change?

There are no downsides; things need to always be changing.

Question 2

Which of these is the lowest level of complexity of standards and best practices?

PMI professional standards

Company-specific standards

Project-specific standards

Industry standards

Question 3

Which of these is a parent organization variable?

How well the PM is liked

A willingness to adapt to change

The economy

The team members

Question 4

A major disadvantage of a pure product organization is which of these?

Lack of sharing people resources

Long lead times

Disconnection to corporate

No project management function

Question 5

What is the difference between lessons learned and best practices?

Best practices are always the result of lessons learned.

Lessons learned can be favorable or unfavorable, whereas best practices usually have favorable outcomes.

Lessons learned are only unfavorable and best practices are favorable outcomes.

There is no difference between lessons learned and best practices.

Question 6

The success of a project manager depends on many factors. They interact with upper-level management, the C-suite, and many others in the organization. What are the four variables that can help determine their success?

Credibility, Priority, Accessibility, Visibility

Credibility, Priority, Demeanor, Leadership

Approach, Priority, Political Savvy, Visibility

Approach, Demeanor, Political Savvy, Leadership

Question 7

Which of these refer to best practices?

Processes that a company adopts to manage things

The everyday process that every project manager does

Activities that lead to a sustained competitive advantage in project management

Only items in the PMBOK

Question 8

Which of these refer to lessons learned?

Make an important process to identify concerns and issue changes to not repeat

Know anything can be held at any point in the project

Place a required meeting to have at the end to signify closure

Allow every team member to complain about what went wrong

Question 9

Which of these best describes product management?

Operates only vertically in an organization focused on the products

Operates horizontally and vertically in an organization focused on the products

Operates only horizontally in an organization focused on the products

Question 10

Why should the term “best practice” be replaced with “proven practice”?

Best practice is an older buzzword and proven practice is the new buzzword.

A proven practice will always work and will never need to be replaced.

A proven practice is proven to be effective in the organization; a best practice might not work in every organization

We want proof it works.

Question 11

What is an example of an attribute that top management expects from project managers?

A self-starter

Do what they are told

Never disagree with leadership

Always provide positive status reports

Question 12

A pure product organization (that is “projectized”) is characterized by which of these?

No or poor service

Every product for themselves

Shorter lead times than in the past

Many cross functional teams from all over the organization

Wk 2 Discussion - Team Building

Respond to the following in a minimum of  175 words:

Discuss how Tuckman’s five stages of team development—forming, storming, norming, performing, and adjourning—ultimately drive team building and cultivate collaboration among a newly formed team. Share an experience where a team you were on went through the stages. What went well? What did you learn that you could apply to future teams or another team? 

Answer:

Please provide references and in-text citations for all of your posts (either from your assigned textbook and/or other journal or news articles). The link in the University library here provides information on citing sources:  Reference & Citation Generator – Academic Resources (phoenix.edu). 

Due Day 7

Respond to the 2 replies to the classmates below (in a minimum of  100 words). Be constructive and professional.

1. Kirtreena Stroschein

 

NEW

Top of Form

· Forming - This is where the team meets up, engages in casual conversation getting to know one another then the PM talks about the project scope and their individual roles

· Storming - This is where the team should have healthy conflict and bring to the table the various issues

· Norming - This is where the PM establishes rules & the team develop methods & criteria for working together.

· Performing - This is where the team is providing feedback on their accomplished tasks, their spirits are typically high if they are able to achieve goals thus allowing for positive morale. The effectivity of the team's collaboration shows by their ability to complete the project.

· Adjourning - This is where the team parts ways 

In short summation, I recently took part in a project for damage reduction. This project was a site-to-site project where each location (spanning from east coast, west coast and down south) would meet weekly and then as often as every other day to discuss the new damage NC's entered since the last meeting and what root cause corrections were put in place, then those best practices were shared for cross site implementation. The forming and storming phase were fairly easy for the team overall. The norming part was actually the hardest part as the scope and methods were so different by site and each of us were single thread leads. We didn't have a PM but rather we each reported in the meeting to the VP. For the performing phase, weekly reporting to the VP was not successful but largely due to a moving target as no established hard number was provided. In the forming phase it was defined as just "reduction" but each week that would change as the NC's for damage were not dropping at a rate that satisfied the VP. Ultimately, the team was dismantled so I guess you could say we failed and jumped to the adjourning phase. 

Answer:

Bottom of Form

2. Cedric Smith

As I read about Tuckman's group development model, my understanding was that his theory is based on the dynamics of team building. It has been described as a linear process that teams will deal with when they are being formed. The fact that this theory was first proposed back in 1965 and is still prevalent today is amazing. 

The Forming stage is where the relationships between team members and leaders (management) are established. There are standards in place that will be positively enforced. With smaller groups, this stage should be short with a seamless transition. Management should be visible and available to facilitate, provide feedback, and monitor progress. 

The Storming stage is where the team has settled into roles and responsibilities. During this stage, there will be certain resistance to change which is deemed to be healthy. These challenges are mitigated by the manager or team leader. Being available to coach and develop will help develop trust throughout the team. 

During the Norming stage, team members have learned to resolve any issues from previous experiences. At this stage, team members are focused and engaged. They are a more cohesive unit at this phase. Management should know the personnel. Understanding your team members' energy and emotional levels is important. 

When reaching the Performing stage, there will be a less hands-on policy from management. The team can now function across the spectrum freely. Problem-solving and decision-making take place at a high level. Management should continue to recognize team and individual achievements. A happy environment is a positive one.

The Adjourning stage is the end of the mission. The task is complete. The group will probably disband at this point. there will be a range of emotions with the uncertainty of repeating these steps with a new group of individuals. Positive reflection on the accomplishments and learning experiences should be encouraged. 

I observe this process when we have new hires. Each individual navigates the process in their own way. The one constant that works is an open line of communication. Without communication, team building will be futile. 

Bottom of Form

Answer: