Running head: DATA CONVERSION PROJECT Needs Assessment Report Monique Castillo Western International University Your Course Name 445-3876 Michelle Turner 6/18/2018 1 DATA CONVERSION PROJECT 2 Needs Assessment Report Strategic means related to strategy in other words it is the identification of overall aims and the means to be adopted for achieving them. It consists of devising a plan for achievement of specific goals and following through with perfect implementation of the plan together with adequate control measures to ensure the goal is achieved. What finally matters is always the goal. Strategic leadership and management both emulate these basic features of strategizing within their jobs. So, a strategic leader whether at top, middle or department level needs to absolutely understand and be attuned to the objectives to be achieved, the plan for the same and how they will manage the people and processes to derive optimal results and what control measures they will implement to ensure success. A leader must motivate his entire team through performance and maintain a human element through inclusion and encouragement for each individual to explore their talents and excel. I have absolute belief that strategy is the most important management tool at the disposal of leaders for successful achievement of goals, and to exceed expectations. Lack of a well formulated strategy to lead and motivate others towards achievement of goals as a unified team, is sure to lead to failure or average results at best. It is like going on a treasure hunt without a map. I utilized this strategy to the maximum with absolute focus on the goal. This also helps in the resolution of conflicts which may be personal or within the group in a positive manner true empathizing with both sides and assisting them through presenting the issue from the others viewpoint. Another skill set which is very important is the ability to operate within the group as a team through development of adequate analytical skills which may require working together with other group members and being able to view a problem through various angles and promote consensus on the solution. To achieve this, we require adequate skills to DATA CONVERSION PROJECT 3 influence the decision of others through assertiveness, as well as, persuasion. The same skills also serve as a great tool for negotiation when applied. Therefore, interpersonal skills are a major requirement for achievement of success within an organization, as well as, in every relationship personal or professional. It is an essential part of our personality and it is personally important to have excellent interpersonal skills to ensure we can fulfill leadership role and responsibility optimally. I had the opportunity of leading a team for a data conversion project, in my job with a large data management organization, which required maintenance of extremely high-quality output along with very strict submission deadlines. The project was an exceptionally tough one requiring very strict controls and discipline within the team. Considering that I was managing the team, it was not an easy task, but I learnt a lot about interpersonal skills, handling diverse individuals, controlling situations and overcoming numerous obstacles. In short, it may not have been the most pleasant job and experience in my professional life, but it was one which taught me a lot. I was exhilarated at being selected for managing such an important project as it was the perfect opportunity to exhibit my leadership skills along with managerial talent. It extracted the best from me and I somehow rose above all expectations by achieving excellent results on an impossible project. This taught me that expectations are mostly very different from reality, given the fact, that it seemed like a very simple and challenging task but proved to be an obstacle race. The importance of having a strategic plan in place to achieve targets was realized at this point and I drew up a plan to address all the needs of the project and the required action or solution. A flexible plan listing each problem and solution was drawn up with the involvement of few members from each group. We hit a lot of snags as a group, for example, the requirement for the job was to type out entire images into Microsoft Word with 0 errors and then this output was DATA CONVERSION PROJECT 4 the input for another group which was editing these pages, from there it had to move to a third group for formatting as per requirement, and finally it had to be segregated into the required folders and zipped for uploading by the final group. Because input of each group, was dependent on the output of the previous group simply ensuring coordination and cooperation between all groups was nothing less than a tightrope walk. As a solution to this specific individual target were provided to each group to ensure that at least a minimum input was available for the next group to ensure that the flow did not stop. Another major hurdle was the difference in quality of the output achieved by members within each group. For example, if the quality of work of a certain member in the data entry group was below average none of the members in the editing group wanted to edit that members work, as it was more difficult. Finally, as a solution to this I ensured that when the work was passed on to editing group no names were mentioned of who was the data entry operator. It became a lottery system so no one could complain that they were being provided work which was tougher. Then again there were multiple issues in the form of attrition and leaves from work which were the major concern considering the deadlines were very tough to meet and fixed as not submitting the work in time would result in the rejection of the entire project. I addressed this problem by creating cross functional groups by training group members for multiple group functions, so that members working in most groups had all the required skills for all groups and could be inter changed within groups creating flexible and agile groups. In this way whichever group output was of maximum importance for the day received maximum input staff and the rest was adjusted accordingly as per requirement. DATA CONVERSION PROJECT 5 I decided to do certain things differently after having gathered more experience on the project, considering that the project required intensive control and was a high stress project with impossible quality to achieve and stringent deadlines. Due to this, my attitude towards the team members was very authoritarian to ensure that authority and control remained with me and hence I could control the project outcome better. Later, realizing that a softer more empathetic approach and more inclusive management would reduce stress on the team and improve attrition rate, I made a change in attitude. I very often conducted one to one discussions regarding the group with many of the members to avail information on various issues existing within the team and to get to know each of them better. Information and feedback was very useful in the sense that some of the stellar performers, were recognized and praised by all for their output and there were members who were extremely helpful to the entire team whatever their group, always ready to lend a hand. Then there were few very introverted members and to be able to give their best had to be brought out of their shell. In this manner with the help of the members itself each team members talents skills and behaviors were identified and utilized, to ensure optimum output, as also to decide which task they would be best suited to. For example, a member consistently unable to meet deadlines would be shifted to the final group, which was not as deadlines sensitive not having another group depending on its output as input, so as not to disturb the flow of input from one group to another. A member of the final group would be assigned to provide training to this member on how to perform the required task. This was by far my most memorable leadership experience as it was a huge learning experience, the absolute toughness of the job honed my leadership skills making me adaptive. as well as, dynamic. DATA CONVERSION PROJECT 6 References Kaufman, R. & Lopez, I. (2013). Needs assessment for organizational success. Alexandria, Va: ASTD Press. Watkins, R., Meiers, M. & Visser, Y. (2012). A guide to assessing needs: essential tools for collecting information, making decisions, and achieving development results. Washington, D.C: World Bank.
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