Part One
Question One
Social media was used to outline the goals and objectives, especially at the beginning of the project when some individuals were still unaware of them. The project manager used social media platforms to point out some of the benefits that stakeholders would derive from the project (Gilbert, 2015). Facebook and Twitter are the primary social media platforms that were used. Using social media had the advantage of facilitating open communications, which eventually led to enhanced information delivery and exploration. Additionally, social media targeted a wider audience, thereby making it a useful and effective means of recruiting potential employees (Gilbert, 2015). Social media also provided an ideal and affordable way of widening the project’s contacts. However, social media predisposes the project to negative comments from employees as well as other individuals. As a result of using social media, employee can make negative of positive comments regarding the project without restrictions. Such comments may hamper the smooth execution of project activities (Gilbert, 2015).
Question Two
The project that did not use social media for communication had relatively huge communications expenses. Furthermore, the project manager was unable to organise forums that could reach all stakeholders, irrespective of their geographic locations. Primarily, communicating and relaying the project objectives and progress to most of the stakeholders, especially the diverse community members, was very expensive. The project management team had to use a lot of money to organise forums to update stakeholders on the progress of the project.
Part Two
Question One
A kick-off meeting refers to the first meeting with the project team as well as the client of the project. It entails gathering stakeholders to deliberate a strategy or plan before launching a project. Kick-off meeting has numerous benefits and challenges. Primarily, it provides a platform for defining the way team members will work with the client. The members are introduced and the roles assigned (Young, 2007). Furthermore, the meeting defines the project scope and objectives and identifies the stakeholders. The general schedule, activities, and budget are also discussed. In most instances, a kick-off meeting sets the general tone for the entire project. When it is held in a successful manner, team members are motivated, and they are subsequently focused on achieving the same goals (Young, 2007).
Confusion between the content and process of the meeting was the primary challenge that was encountered during the meeting. The participants did not know whether the focus was on how to deliberate on the agenda items or the important points to discuss. Furthermore, there is a high chance of information overload during the meeting, particularly if multiple agendas are to be discussed. Therefore, the team members may be unable to recall most of the issues that are discussed. Finally, all stakeholders were not present; therefore, some of them might not know and understand some of the plans that have been put in place to facilitate the completion of the project.
Question Two
Some of the communication issues that were encountered that could have been prevented by having an elaborate a kick-off meeting include outlining the goals and expectations of the project and responsibilities of key stakeholders. Specifically, most of the team members were not conversant with their roles and responsibilities in the project. As a result, some of the activities were duplicated while others were not completed. Furthermore, some members were unsure of the goals and expectations of the project or what was expected from the project. A kick-off meeting could have presented the members with the opportunity to define the expectations and goals to keep the project on track during the design process.
Question Three
Some organizations or teams do not use meeting minutes because they are time-consuming and cumbersome. Before a meeting commences, the members have to go through the past minutes to ascertain the issues that have been achieved as well as the pending one. Most teams find such processes to be time-consuming and costly. Nevertheless, meeting minutes have numerous benefits that may include confirming the decisions that were made in previous meetings, providing details of the meeting to members that were unable to attend, and prompting action from relevant attendees (Young, 2007).
References
Gilbert, S. (2015). Strategic integration of social media into project management practice. New York: IGI Global
Young, T. (2007). The handbook of project management: A practical guide to effective policies and procedures. New York: Kogan Page.
