1. The scene: You are in a meeting with two groups who report to your boss. The task of one group has been to produce the deliverables for the other...the second group's task was to clearly communicate about those deliverables.
There are two elements the IT manager must understand, track and skillfully intervene about where necessary. The first is to insure the CONTENT to be discussed in the meeting is appropriate, on-target and in the detail necessary to the task. The second has to do with the PROCESS of the meeting...what are the interactive dynamics going on between members of the meeting? Your boss has assigned you to be the meeting 'process observer' and asked you (mid-way through the meeting) to give the group feedback about what individual, interpersonal, group and inter-group dynamics you have observed and how these have either contributed to, or deflected, the success of the meeting to that point. So...what will you be looking for and what will be some of your own personal 'process' you will use to deliver successful group feedback (which will likely not be denied or will not have the group turning on you making you a 'scapegoat')?
These questions are not simple ones and that, as an IT manager, your success will someday hinge on being able to read a task team's dynamics just as well as a Gantt Chart tracking their progress. And, the issue gets more critical if you are managing group processes virtually.
2. As Project Manager, you are well into a major IT project with millions of dollars already spent. Your project champion and key source of power, funding and guidance collapsed at her desk and expired. A new (and unknown to folks locally) replacement was 'parachuted' in almost overnight. He wants to see you about all this 'wasted resources' business. Now what? How do you proceed to keep what you consider an important project on track?
3. Identify and briefly discuss two important concepts applicable to implementing an IT project.