wk6Reply Disscussion – (3)Quick Easy reply to others

#1Betty————————————

A global conference call with web-enabled visual presentation is to be arranged with each global region (5 regions total) to discuss two key topics on the current status of the AgileHoya.

The two agenda topics for the call are :

1) Redundancy measures which will affect the viability of the global project

2) Potential rollout of a timeline for decisions and actionable steps within the next three months. It is decided that the call will last 60minutes.

As a global project manager, I would focus my abilities on the five strategies below to ensure this very important call is a success. There are three conference programs which I am very comfortable with. They are Skype, Webex and Zoom Conferencing. As this call will require the participation of all attendees, my goal is to have 100% attendance on the call. Therefore, I would choose Zoom Conferencing as anyone can join from any location as long as they have internet connection. They don’t need to have their company laptop or a VPN connection. If attendees are traveling, on vacation, in transit and various other spaces, Zoom allows employees to connect via video and audio (both options) and also allow the host to share presentations for all to see. I believe this will be very effective. I would plan for the meeting as noted below.

1. Preparation: The global PMO’s office, on an excel spreadsheet, consolidates the names of all team members’ complete contact information (office and home address, building, business and personal email, office phone, assistant(s) info, and mobile) is collected, including their HR business partner’s contact information, and technology contact. The actual email outlining the purpose of the conference call is drafted and verified by the global project manager to ensure the message is appropriate and comprehensive as intended for the audience. The email will include:

• Impetus for the global conference call
• Request for availability to suggested dates and time zones (5 regions = 5 time zones)
• Option for audio and video
• Ample time for everyone to check and manage their availability (to make adjustments if needed) to confirm the call within 2-3 days
• Information on when response and information will be required

1. Confirmation: Once availability is received, request regional administration to book conference rooms with technical capabilities at the regions, and cross-reference against the excel spreadsheet to send a calendar invitation detailing the specifics of the call by labeling the call with a formal title, ensuring team distribution list emails, and all are included in the invite email as per the spreadsheet per region along with regional HR business partner, technology contact and administrative coordinator. The invite should have an agenda, audio dial-in information and webex links with detailed instructions for each region with meeting ID and pin # and technical contact. Once invite sent, track responses to calendar invite for confirmation of tentative and declines. Begin communications with the regional technology contact on technical limitations and requirements in preparation for the call.

1. Facilitate the Call: The global PMO office should prepare in advance to be aligned with the agenda and confirm a PMO team member to take minutes. Email the country project manager to ensure technical set up for audio and visual presentation is confirmed. Ahead of the call, an email should go to the specific region (since time of call is different for each region) reminding the team of the call and that a roll call will be conducted 5mins after the call commences. Open the call 5min early, and at the start time, make an announcement to attendees that team members have 5 minutes to join the call before roll call. A good opportunity to have a chat amongst team members.

1. Introduce Team Protocol: As the roll call is completed, PM’s should introduce the team if more than one region is present. Also include new team members and their new role. The global PM should announce the protocol to minimize background noise, appropriately mute, confirm team visibility on video, speak clearly into microphone, avoid unnecessary interruptions and seek if any constraints for attendees. Check on visual clarity and access. Introduce the agenda and begin to discuss the details of the topic, request further feedback, questions, and recommendations on process improvements related to the topic as well as what has worked well, and what needs to be improved. Stay on agenda by discussing impact of decisions. Ensure minutes are being captured accordingly and distributed within 24-48 hours. Extend the call if possible and if anyone is interested in having a one-on-one call.

1. Minutes/Follow up: The global PMO office should review the contents of each minutes for each call and provide approval to be sent and follow up accordingly. As the minutes are sent out, explain the process of follow up and what is required from each region and build a relationship to expand on communications with the HR business partner.

Please advise if you have a preference for Skype, Webex or Zoom and why you would consider it to be effective?

LIST the five best practices that you will incorporate for an effective audio and visual conference. What is the conference program that you will use, and why? Ask for classmates’ opinion on whether you’ve made the best choice.

Within my line of work at the Department of Treasury, we are constantly having audio and visual conferences throughout the month. Many of my team members either work off-site or in a completely separate state. With that said, often times we are met with various technological failures, due to poor planning and preparation for upcoming audio and visual conferences. Nonetheless, I have identified my 5 most critical functions required prior to establishing a visual conference. These 5 best practices when establishing a video conference are as follows:

1. Ensure technology equipment is functioning properly.
2. Test the system(s) 15 to 30 minutes ahead of the meeting.
3. Always plan for backup communication. This could be either telephone or the use of a computer based product (IE: Labtop, Tablet, Etc.).
4. Check to make sure participates can hear and acknowledge each other.
5. Confirm that visibility is clear and that participants can see each other appropriately.

These are some of the most important factors when considering to host an audio and visual conference. As stated by Stanford University IT best practices for Effective Video Conferencing, “Make sure all participants have equal access to content by sharing all content within the video conferencing connection and using online tools (e.g., Google docs) whenever possible” (Stanford, 2019). Once again, it is imperative that the host take all necessary steps to ensure a successful network connection as well as visual presentation prior to establishing a video conferencing meeting.

Classmates please advise if my 5 most critical points are missing any other more relevant topics.

Reference:

Nd, 2019. Best Practices for Effective Video Conferencing. Stanford University IT. Sourced from: https://uit.stanford.edu/videoconferencing/best-pr…

#2 Brian–————————————————

LIST the five best practices that you will incorporate for an effective audio and visual conference. What is the conference program that you will use, and why? Ask for classmates’ opinion on whether you’ve made the best choice.

Within my line of work at the Department of Treasury, we are constantly having audio and visual conferences throughout the month. Many of my team members either work off-site or in a completely separate state. With that said, often times we are met with various technological failures, due to poor planning and preparation for upcoming audio and visual conferences. Nonetheless, I have identified my 5 most critical functions required prior to establishing a visual conference. These 5 best practices when establishing a video conference are as follows:

1. Ensure technology equipment is functioning properly.
2. Test the system(s) 15 to 30 minutes ahead of the meeting.
3. Always plan for backup communication. This could be either telephone or the use of a computer based product (IE: Labtop, Tablet, Etc.).
4. Check to make sure participates can hear and acknowledge each other.
5. Confirm that visibility is clear and that participants can see each other appropriately.

These are some of the most important factors when considering to host an audio and visual conference. As stated by Stanford University IT best practices for Effective Video Conferencing, “Make sure all participants have equal access to content by sharing all content within the video conferencing connection and using online tools (e.g., Google docs) whenever possible” (Stanford, 2019). Once again, it is imperative that the host take all necessary steps to ensure a successful network connection as well as visual presentation prior to establishing a video conferencing meeting.

Classmates please advise if my 5 most critical points are missing any other more relevant topics.

#3 Idris—————————————————————-

Any good meeting starts with excellent preparation (Binder, 2007) A recent study by Gartner, Inc., a research and advisory firm, by 2024, remote work and changing workforce demographics will impact enterprise meetings so that only 25% will take place in person, down from 60% today. This trend will most likely result in more solutions to help organize and facilitate all virtual meetings, and also likely result in an uptick in poor meeting experiences. Establishing best practices is a good way to alleviate the issue along with having a reliable meeting software solution.

Zoom is a cloud-based platform that provides audio, video, chat and collaboration solutions to businesses across the globe. Zoom has an App Marketplace providing integrations with various software applications that helps provide a frictionless experience. The product also has a free version for personal use. I would recommend using Zoom since it easy to use and understand, it integrates with apps such as google calendar making it more efficient to schedule meetings.

Below are the best practices I would establish for more effective global conference calls:

1. Create an agenda – Creating an agenda allows for meeting participants to understand the purpose of the meeting and prep beforehand. Agenda also helps the meeting leader organize their thoughts and can, in turn, lead to a more productive meeting. It’s also beneficial to designate some as a note take to take meeting minutes and distribute no later than 48 hours after the meeting is over.
2. Reliable Network – With a global team there more chances for a disparity in network strength. Steps can be taken to mitigate this such as using audio conference only, which uses less bandwidth or calling in from a mobile device where there is a higher chance of having a better network service.
3. Screenshare – Most meetings contain some kind of artifact (reports, diagrams, slide decks, etc.) it’s important to establish early on that best practice should be to make sure the person referencing the artifact is sharing their screen so meeting participants can understand what is being discussed. A lot of confusion and misunderstanding can be alleviated by using visuals when discussing a topic.
4. Product training – Understanding how to use the tool helps lead to more efficient meetings. It can be very disruptive to have to pause a meeting to help someone log on or find their access code because they don’t know how the tool works. Thankfully many video conference products including Zoom provide support sites that include articles and videos to train users on how to use their product. Training can also lead to more adoption but It big part of the responsibility will be on leadership to enforce the training.
5. Have a backup – Create a backup communication plan in case you have trouble connecting with remote participants. A backup plan can include asking onsite participants to connect to the meeting through their laptops, using a mobile or speakerphone, and/or collaborating through an online collaboration tool (e.g., Google docs).

I would love to read some thoughts/insights on which of these steps someone would replace with another best practice and why?

References:

Binder, J. (2007). Global project management: Communication, Collaboration, and Management Across Borders. Surrey, England: Gower Publishing Company.

Fasciani, M., Et all, (2019, September 5). Zoom: A leader in 2019 Gartner Magic Quadrant for Meeting Solutions (ID G00354093). Retrieved from Gartner database.

Video conferencing, web conferencing, webinars, screen sharing. (n.d.). Retrieved October 2, 2019, from Zoom Video website: https://zoom.us/