MPM468 IP4: Deliverable Length: 1,250–1,800 words Description: Key Assignment Draft You now have a good grasp of what conflict and stress are. You even have a process for consensus decision making from the previous Weeks' deliverables. At this point, you are ready to construct a full conflict management strategy and processes to support this strategy. Deliverables: The following are the overall project deliverables: • • Update the Key Assignment document title page with a new date and project name. Update the previously completed sections based on your instructor's feedback. Create the following section: • Conflict Management Strategy o Strategies to deal with conflict o Overall conflict management process o Conflict mediation process if conflict cannot be resolved internally I. Project Conflict and Stress Assessment (p3ip) A. Identify potential sources of conflict within your project. Conflict during a project is completely normal. As a project manager you will need to anticipate and expect your team members to disagree. “We're all different, and it’s the differences that make our teams highly performant. The discussions that happen when people disagree can result in some incredibly creative and inspiring solutions to issues. Disputes help people unpick the real problems and dig down to the root of what is going on as they try to frame their own personal arguments.” (thebalance, 2016). Managers should not avoid conflict but welcome it to see the beneficial rewards that it can bring. Conflict can be very supportive to a project in certain situations. But it does need to be actively managed in the event the conflict turns negative or confrontational. Confrontation can destroy a team when conflict is left unresolved and members left to fix matters on their own. These thoughts explain conflict management and how you can try to help people who refuse to reach a position of mutual understanding; even if you understand that they will never try to agree. Managing conflict in the workplace is something every manager has to do, whether we’re consciously aware of it or not. “Conflict management is the term we give to how we deal with that. It’s what we do to identify the problem, to uncover the differences, and work out how we can address what’s going on. Many conflicts can be resolved with discussion, particularly if the needs and goals of the project or business are considered, but sometimes other factors are involved.” (thebalance, 2016). B. Describe how you will determine if they are good or bad conflict For the purposes of this project I have identified two areas that I anticipate as being possible areas of conflict. These areas will affect all areas of the project and will most likely be negative conflicts that will need to be resolved in order for the project to be completed on schedule. Schedule conflict: The primary source of conflict will be the schedule. Scheduling is probably one of the toughest obligations of most project managers. Many people believe that it is easy to establish a schedule for the many milestones, tasks, and other work, but it is more difficult and a daily issue that needs to be monitored. The Project priorities can shift over time within the organization, sometimes conflict arises when not all projects are given attention and importance. Resource conflict: Another large area of conflict is manpower or material resources. A lack of qualified individuals to work on a certain project can cause conflict between managers who feel they have a higher priority. If a manager fails to source or allocate resources during planning they will often try to take from other areas to fill their needs. If there are limited technical resources available within an organization these resources are often in need by multiple projects. This can cause conflict if they are not able to schedule equal time in using these limited resources. C. Identify potential sources of stress within your project. Project stresses: There are many sources of stress within a project; this is primarily due to the fact that as the Project Manger you are ultimately responsible for the success or even the possible failure of the project. The two most common sources of stress on a project are an unrealistic schedule, and in adequate resources (workers, equipment, materials). A “Project Manager must first acknowledge or recognize that he or she is being under stress and then develop self-discipline before proceeding to learn and practice what are the techniques to manage stress. Learning to manage stress successfully begins with our willingness to take an honest look at ourselves.” (projecttimes, 2017). D. Describe methods that you can employ to reduce stress. There are many techniques that can be used for dealing with stress. Each individual needs to determine what works best for them in these situations. A couple of techniques that I use are; know when to say when, if you are feeling overwhelmed you need to detach yourself for a while and regroup yourself. If you have too much on your “to-do” list then you need to prioritize and work those items in order, if other tasks come along either put them on hold or delegate if possible. Phase 3 IP 1 III. Consensus Decision Making (p3ip) A. Describe what your approach will be to consensus decision making. “Consensus decision making is a creative and dynamic way of reaching agreement between all members of a group. Instead of simply voting for an item and having the majority of the group getting their way, a group using consensus is committed to finding solutions that everyone actively supports, or at least can live with.” (seedsforchange, n.d.). Using this type of format ensures all members opinions, ideas and concerns are considered. By using active listening and proper communication skills, the team can work to create a solution that will satisfy all needs. The definition, of consensus means “no decision is made against the will of an individual or a minority”. If significant concerns are still unresolved, a proposal can be blocked and stopped from moving ahead. This means that the entire team needs to work hard at discovering solutions that address everyone's needs rather than ignoring the minorities’ request. B. Outline the process that would be used from the initial decision that needs to be made to full decision implementation “Consensus is used widely by people around the world working towards a more just and equitable society: from small voluntary groups, co-operatives and campaign networks to businesses, local communities and, in some cultures, across much wider regions.”(seedsforchange, n.d.) The process used by the team may vary according to team size and the type of issues being considered. However the basic concept of team cooperation and all members being considered equal will remain the same. C. What are some of the facilitation tools that can be utilized to gain consensus There are many different methods and ways that we can establish consensus. Some teams have developed through processes, and other teams have simpler in-house procedures. This typically has to do with on the size of the team and how well they know one another. Below I have outlined a sample process of how consensus can attained for my team: • Common Goals: All members of the team need to be agreed on a common goal, whether it is on tasks, resources, or schedule. It helps to clearly establish what this overall goal of the team is and to have it documented as well. In situations where consensus seems difficult to achieve, it helps to come back to this common goal and to remember what the team is here to achieve • • • Commitment to consensus building: All members of the team must be dedicated to reaching consensus on all decisions made. It can be detrimental if an individual secretly want to return to majority voting because they are against the process and are determined to derail the effort. Consensus requires commitment by all members, patience and a willingness to put the team and project first. Sufficient time: must be allowed for making decisions as well as to learn to work in this way. Clear process: Make sure that the team is clear about the process they will use for working on any given tasks. Ensure the team is in agreement on processes and guidelines to be used. In most cases this will include having one or more facilitators to help the group move through the process. "This task contains portions of material that were originally submitted during the 1703B-01 in MPM332 with Dr. Richardson.” References: The Balance. (2016). How To Resolve Conflict. Retrieved from: https://www.thebalance.com/how-to-resolve-project-conflicts-4105016 Project Times. (2017). Managing Stress in Project Management. Retrieved from: https://www.projecttimes.com/articles/managing-stress-in-project-management.html Seeds for Change. (n.d.). Consensus Decision Making. Retrieved from: https://www.seedsforchange.org.uk/consensus Phase 3 IP 1
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