successful project management - Commonwealth of Learning

order to exchange meaning and share understanding of the various stages of the
project.
Handling DE projects has shown that every stage is full of perplexities, by way of
unexpected developments (conflicts, discoveries, new ideas, ideas that fail,
misunderstandings, and so forth) that shape and re-shape original intentions. No
manager can predict with accuracy what the outcome of a given project milestone
will be. Full knowledge of the outcome will materialize when the manager and the
team have spoken, to the extent that we can say before interaction and before
results are achieved, they are partners in ignorance. They simply have to exchange
ideas, or interact in order to achieve those results they will have planned for. In fact,
even successful planning is dependent on interaction. It is, therefore, the objective of
the present chapter to answer the question: How can communicative interaction be
promoted for successful project management?
The terms of reference
Embarking on a project with a group of employees in the organization without
clarifying their roles is like rounding up thugs from the street and call them security
guards who will look after diamonds at night. This may sound far-fetched, but in
reality all that is being said is that without a road map of who does what, why, when,
and towards what end chances of failure are predictable. At the very outset, it must
be communicated to every team member what is happening and why. The project
manager is well advised to consult with departmental heads from whom team
members are drawn. The departmental heads are the ones who actually choose who
to assign to the project. You as project manager will then put in writing the main
ideas that will guide members. This is best expressed through a carefully conceived
document known as terms of reference. Before inauguration of the project team, at
the very first meeting, the document should be communicated to the team in the
presence of departmental heads, and possibly with the sponsor of the project if only
to demonstrate the seriousness of purpose and commitment.
It is at this stage where interaction that is focused on the project properly begins.
There will be step-by-step discussion of the points contained in the terms of
reference, and the presumption is that this will lead to further clarity. By the end of
this meeting, all the important questions will have been answered and participants
30