:AACE CERTIFICATION 2009-2010:

This is my 2nd blog, and ‘til now I am still enjoy writing a blogs and hope it’s continue.

I still interest with COMMUNICATION; specifically COMMUNICATING ASSIGMENT/ORDER IN DISTANCES and it’s related to COMMITMENT and INITIATIVE. In training handout, I saw a graph which shows effective communication versus distance. The graph shown distance is challenge for people to communicate. Specially communication assignment or order, e.g. project assignment specific information need to detailed and understand by booth communicator. Even my self, during work in daily basis, often deal with this difficulty, especially in the remote area where we’re living now.

People have 5 senses, which give them ability to see, smell, touch, hear etc. All those given sensing works in synergy to capture all events (e.g. voice, feel etc) then compile it as information. By this ways people start to build communication each other.
When distance takes a part, those bare senses will not completely synergy without any helping devices. Why? Because booth sides (the people do communicate) separate by distance which they’re where not “connected”.

The leading communication technology has brought a lot of easiness to human being in facilitating communication; but somehow, it is still not enough. Now we can talk and also seeing each other via Skype etc CMIIW, but (I believe) sometimes it is not enough compare to direct “face to face” communication; specially if we are communicating assignment/order. Those difficulties happen I think because limited interaction or we’re not communicate EFFECTIVELY. The question is, so “how we should break the distances obstacle with available interfaces?

My strong feeling that we need; far-far behind the physical of the communication itself is involvement of COMMITMENT and INITIATIVE to the what we where communicating. My feeling more even stronger when we ask for “Tuckman model”, which I think (personal observation) most the Tuckman’s questions testing our commitment in the team.

Commitment and initiative could be a strong complement in the absence of human SENSES. People who have a strong commitment could automatically generate the uncompleted information to be a complete puzzle. When communication getting blurred, we need to take initiative strive to delivering result with minimum information, of course need to include risk and contingency for any initiative taken.

Back to our AACE project, we are currently late on project plan and term agreement, who should take responsible and initiative to collaborate and drive us forward?? [I will let the answer from the floor].

Currently I am running maintenance project for repair refurbishment building of processing facility, with 3 project engineers and 2 Field quality engineers reporting to me. We are directing and controlling work delivered by 3 contractors in the same time with almost 200 contractor personnel.
The scope of work to contractor is repair/retrofit building defect due to corrosion, or external forces. The scope of work rates by ton steel or cubic concrete use by contractor to repair any finding by field during inspection. In this case we are not separate in distance, but I found a lot of problem happen caused by communication. By Observation, I found communication is one of major contributor of re-work (which a number of dollar loss?) delay or late reported progress; which un-necessary for booth party, owner and contractor.

As a Project Manager, I cannot stay away with this problem, ‘because I have commitment so I the one should start the initiative; I need a quick correction plan. I ask full team and the contractor reps for flashback review and reflect to all problems we ever faced in the past; then propose and agree on how we eliminate the communication problem.

Base on the review, we come out with new communication protocol and reporting flow chart which agree by both party. I de-brief all key people with the new protocol and ask for their INITIATIVE and COMMITMENT to eliminate the problem. Of course by giving they full authority as per their roles. I encouraging the team for a commitment and initiative to continue improve the way we communicate. Our project scope progress by number of completed repair, which is defect for a repair defined field (by finding), so, the more effective we communicate and solve the repair problem, the fastest we progressed in this project.

I define clear target (we can say KPI?) for each team member, and give them full responsibility and authority as per their roles to decide what the best for the project objective is. Then, to keep everything is under control, I reviewing the work and progress by weekly basis. I rely on every team member experience for the work, so I hope they are can commit to the target and lead an initiative if some discrepancies happen on field.