Transcript improving team communications

IMPROVING TEAM COMMUNICATIONS
Doug Johnston, AVP
Wachovia Corporation
(Caveat: This is not an endorsement
or recommendation of a product or
service. It is one team’s findings in
trying to create better team
communications, collaboration, and
access to project information.)
IMPROVING TEAM COMMUNICATIONS
April 10, 2003
An approach to
Team Communications
IMPROVING TEAM COMMUNICATIONS
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Discovery
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April – 2002 - Team Communications Needs:
• Two companies merging with very different systems
and methodologies and a need to collaborate
• A single 14 person team in five buildings in two
cities with no common LAN
• No intranet or common team communications site
• Lotus Notes used for email and to give access to
documents and project libraries
IMPROVING TEAM COMMUNICATIONS
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Discovery
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April – 2002 - Team Communications Needs:
• All project repositories were Lotus Notes 4.6
versions with 4 gig capacity
• None of the project repositories were web-enabled
• No budget
IMPROVING TEAM COMMUNICATIONS
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Discovery
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(continued)
Mission #1:
• Create a team solution to allow 14 persons to
communicate without clogging up email channel
• Create a solution with no budget
• Create a solution that will work across platforms,
cities, and be available from remote sites and
especially available to persons in Winston-Salem
• Create a solution that will give us the ability to
communicate, set calendars, create links specifically
used by the team to help increase job efficiency
IMPROVING TEAM COMMUNICATIONS
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Discovery
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(continued)
Mission #2:
• Create a team solution to consolidate project
repositories into a single repository for consolidated
reporting
• This solution must also be available to teams in five
buildings in two cities, and from other remote sites
• Create a solution with no budget
IMPROVING TEAM COMMUNICATIONS
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Basic Understanding
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Before you can create a team communication
solution you have to understand the
difference between:
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Internet
Intranet
Team Collaboration web site
Knowledge Management databases
Project Repositories
Document Content Repositories
IMPROVING TEAM COMMUNICATIONS
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Basic Understanding
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(continued)
They are all different and their general
differences lie in three areas:
• Audience
• Contents
• Use
IMPROVING TEAM COMMUNICATIONS
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Solutions:
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Mission #1:
• Create a Retail & Channel Technology Library AND
Team Communications Web Site using Microsoft
SharePoint Team Services
• Use vanilla Announcements, Events, Links
• Custom the Quick Launch area for drop down buttons
• Link to Internets, Intranets and web-enabled
databases
IMPROVING TEAM COMMUNICATIONS
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Solutions:
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Mission #2:
• Create a single project repository using an existing Lotus
Notes 4.6 database (4 gig capacity) to track and govern
projects of all sizes from smallest overnight fixes to multimillion dollar projects.
• Convert the project repository to a Lotus Notes R5.0.9
database on a Lotus Notes Domino server (64 gig
capacity) and access it from the Team Services web site.
• Include project templates in PMBOK categories on the web
site and link from inside the project repository.
• Create standalone capability for project repository with
templates in case the web site is not accessible.
IMPROVING TEAM COMMUNICATIONS
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Results:
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Created for a single team and when the prototype was done,
the request came to create a Team Services web site that all of
Retail & Channel Technology could use, AND create the project
repository for use by all Managing Director teams within Retail
& Channel Technology.
April 2003: We are rolling out a CIO Model of the Retail &
Channel Technology Library and Communications web site, and
a CIO Model of the Project Manager project repository.
IMPROVING TEAM COMMUNICATIONS
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Results (continued)
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The Library and Team Services web site contains a single main
web site with 15 sub-webs.
The Lotus Notes R5.0.9 database will facilitate multiple
Managing Director areas in a single CIO division and allow
consolidated reporting for all projects within the database.
Within Lotus Notes we can open the templates housed on the
Team Services web site through links to template names within
the database.
Lotus Notes does not need to be resident on a desktop if it is
accessed from Team Services.
IMPROVING TEAM COMMUNICATIONS
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Benefits:
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Each team has the same configuration including:
• Access to all team sub-web for viewing; restricted access
• Same documentation areas of Documentation, Policies,
Processes, Projects, Templates, Training
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Each team has the ability to:
• Create their own links to Internets, Intranets, databases
• Upload and delete documents so that information on the
web site is always the freshest version
• Create their own announcements, events, and links
immediately with no wait time on an administrator or
publisher – automatic end-date for announcements/events
IMPROVING TEAM COMMUNICATIONS
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Benefits (continued)
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Though Team Services and Lotus Notes are just tools, they
have given us platforms upon which we can develop ‘content’
for delivery to the right audiences.
April 2003 is an unveiling time for us as we display a plan for
project standards, quality review processes, over 120
templates, a comprehensive project repository, team
communications, a Library of information, and the beginning of
a new vision.
IMPROVING TEAM COMMUNICATIONS
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Lessons Learned:
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Every ending is a new beginning
Change is constant
Content is what is important but being able to deliver content to
the correct audience is imperative
Information must be considered the most current or it will not be
used
The hardest part of the process is being able to buy the servers
for a software that is not an application and not a bank standard
IMPROVING TEAM COMMUNICATIONS
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Conclusion:
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We are fortunate to have a management team that is willing to
let us try new technologies and new models, and to give us the
time to prove our theories through pilot projects.
We have found:
• Interest from other CIO divisions who want to know what we are
doing and what are results have been.
• Interest from project managers and project teams looking for
templates, methodologies and processes.
• That by being open to new ideas and new templates and new
thoughts, we have built friendships and have created a pallet for
new standards, better methods and processes, and a vision for the
future.
IMPROVING TEAM COMMUNICATIONS
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Questions & Answers