This Assignment Builds On The Topic 4 Clc Assignment Utilize

This Assignment Builds On The Topic 4 Clc Assignment Utilize The Team

This assignment builds on the Topic 4 CLC assignment. Utilize the team charter from the previous assignment in this CLC assignment. Ensuring appropriate communication in teams is essential. The dynamics of a global economy has increased the complexity of both team operations and project success. Planning for communication creates a schedule for planned communication and reinforces the trait among team members.

In projects, a RACI (Responsible, Accountable, Consulted, and Informed) chart is often created to ensure that all of the different stakeholders are included at the right level for communication. In addition, communication plans are also developed to plan out a schedule for the frequency of communication. As a manager of the technical team, you are leading your entire team on a project. Your project team is geographically dispersed with developers in Phoenix and India. You use the "follow-the-sun" approach to development.

Therefore, your U.S. team will transfer development to India in the evening and there is another transfer back to the U.S. in the morning. You are implementing updates for new functionality to the CRM application for the call center, which has locations in Phoenix and India. Create a RACI chart and a word communication plan in which you accomplish the following: Identify what needs to be communicated and the stakeholders in the RACI chart. Assign the appropriate designation to the stakeholder for the item that requires communication (Responsible, Accountable, Consulted, Informed). Create a communication plan for the stakeholders to include method and frequency of communication.

Create a communication plan for your project team to include method and frequency of communication. Include at least three academic references for this assignment to support your analysis and reflection. Prepare this assignment according to the guidelines found in the APA Style Guide, located in the Student Success Center. An abstract is not required. This assignment uses a rubric.

Paper For Above instruction

The effective management of communication in global, dispersed project teams is pivotal to project success, especially when implementing cross-cultural and time-zone-sensitive tasks such as "follow-the-sun" development. This paper develops a comprehensive RACI chart and a communication plan tailored for a project involving geographically dispersed teams in Phoenix, USA, and India, focusing on CRM application updates for a call center environment.

RACI Chart Development

The RACI chart delineates stakeholder roles and responsibilities for critical communication items throughout the project. The core project activities include requirements gathering, development transfer, implementation, testing, and post-deployment support.

  • Requirements Gathering: Stakeholders: Product Owner (Responsible), Project Manager (Accountable), Developers (Consulted), Client Support Staff (Informed)
  • Development Transfer & Updates: Stakeholders: U.S. Development Lead (Responsible), U.S. Project Manager (Accountable), India Development Team (Consulted), Regional Managers (Informed)
  • Testing & Validation: Stakeholders: QA Team (Responsible), Project Manager (Accountable), Developers (Consulted), Client Support Staff (Informed)
  • Deployment & Post-Deployment Support: Stakeholders: Deployment Lead (Responsible), Project Manager (Accountable), Support Team (Consulted), End-Users (Informed)

This RACI chart ensures clarity in stakeholder responsibilities and facilitates efficient communication flow, especially considering the time-zone differences.

Communication Plan for Stakeholders

The communication plan specifies the methods and frequencies of communication tailored to stakeholder needs and project phases.

  • Requirements Gathering: Method: Video conferences, collaboration tools like MS Teams, emails; Frequency: Weekly meetings, as needed
  • Development Transfer & Updates: Method: Asynchronous communication via project management tools (e.g., Jira, Confluence), daily status updates; Frequency: Daily sync during transfer periods, bi-weekly formal status reports
  • Testing & Validation: Method: Video calls, shared test reports via cloud storage, instant messaging; Frequency: Weekly testing sessions, immediate alerts for issues
  • Deployment & Support: Method: Deployment meetings, support tickets, real-time instant messaging; Frequency: Deployment planned, daily stand-ups, as needed for issue resolution

Communication Plan for Project Team

To foster continuous engagement and ensure clarity, the project team will adopt a combination of synchronous and asynchronous communication methods. Weekly virtual team meetings via Zoom or MS Teams will provide updates and address issues. Daily stand-ups are scheduled to synchronize efforts, accommodate time differences, and ensure that all team members are aligned with project goals.

Ad hoc communication channels, such as instant messaging apps (Slack or Microsoft Teams), will facilitate real-time problem solving. Documentation, including meeting notes and status reports, will be maintained in cloud-based project management tools to allow asynchronous access for team members in different time zones. This structured communication approach ensures that information flows seamlessly, minimizing misunderstandings and delays caused by geographical separation.

Conclusion

Implementing a well-structured RACI chart and detailed communication plan is essential for managing a cross-cultural, geographically dispersed project environment effectively. Clear role delineation and scheduled communication foster accountability, transparency, and coordinated effort, thereby increasing the probability of project success when updating key systems like customer relationship management applications in a global setting.

References

  • Burke, R. (2013). Project management: Planning and control techniques. John Wiley & Sons.
  • Kerzner, H. (2017). Project management: A systems approach to planning, scheduling, and controlling. John Wiley & Sons.
  • PMI. (2021). A guide to the project management body of knowledge (PMBOK® guide) (7th ed.). Project Management Institute.
  • Larson, E. W., & Gray, C. F. (2021). Project management: The managerial process (8th ed.). McGraw-Hill Education.
  • Schwalbe, K. (2018). Information technology project management (9th ed.). Cengage Learning.