Exercise Solutions

Exercise 1: Possible Solution

Your opening statement may be fashioned like this one:

By upgrading our servers and our workstations to current technology, we can increase productivity by 47 percent and increase morale by 100 percent. This implementation would allow all of us to work smarter , faster, and with less frustration.

Exercise 2: Possible Solution

Here is a sample of how a fun, informative project kickoff meeting could go:

Questions	Action
Who should attend this meeting?	Management, the project sponsor, the project manager, key stakeholders, and all of the project team members .
When will the meeting take place?	Early morning; breakfast will be provided.
What is the theme of the project?	Working on the Future.
What type of project- related handouts will you have?	Everyone will receive a hammer with the theme Working on the Future printed on the handle. Construction hats, breakfast food, and drinks will also be provided.
What fun things do you have planned?	Construction hats will be handed out at the door. Orange cones and sawhorses will lead the way into the meeting room. Construction workers from the computer and software vendor will be on hand to meet and greet the attendees.
How will you inspire the team?	In the opening statement, the project manager will relay the theme of Working on the Future by laying out the goals of the project.
Who will speak first?	The project sponsor.
What are your opening remarks to the team?	Construction sometimes has a bad reputation, but everyone is happy to see the end results of the work.
What are some of the topics you ll cover in your team presentation?	Goals of the project.Project deliverables.Flow of communication.
How long will your presentation take?	One hour from start to finish.
What will you spend the $500 on?	Hammers, plastic construction hats, food.

Exercise 3: Possible Solution

The following table presents possible responses to the different scenarios with old Peter Abbot:

Scenario	Your response
Peter Abbot is getting increasingly cranky about the time you ll need to be spending on your pet project. He s insisting that you focus less on that technology stuff and help more users clean their workstations mouse, monitor, and keyboard.	Peter, I understand how you feel in regard to the computer upgrade process. There really is not a pressing need to clean the workstations, as we ll be replacing those within a few weeks anyway.
Now you need Peter s help. He needs to make a decision about when you can have the testing lab for the new PCs and operating systems. You need to create rollout scripts, test software compatibility, and work with servers. The equipment has arrived, but Peter just doesn t want to make a decision on when you can use the testing lab for your project.	Document and date that the room is needed for the project rollout testing and planning. Send the document not only to Peter Abbot, but also to the project sponsor. By documenting the problem, you ve created a paper trail that Peter may be more responsive to.
Today is Frank s turn to be in Peter s doghouse. It was your turn last week, and next week it ll Mary s. Every week someone on your team is in trouble with Peter. This whole cycle of Peter being angry with someone every weekend is demoralizing to your team, prohibiting progress, and generally frustrating.	Take Peter to lunch and explain that the cycle of discipline is unnecessary. You are all adults, and his behavior is interrupting the progress of the project and demoralizing your team. Be sure to buy.
Now guess what? Peter Abbot has relapsed to his early Neanderthal days when he actually did draw on cave walls. He s yelling at anyone who comes into his office, threatening to write you up, and acting very unhappy with any task you try to do. Yesterday he embarrassed Sam and made Jane cry.	The project manager, Sam, and Jane should all take Peter to lunch and discuss his behavior. Acknowledge that he is your manager, but his actions will not be tolerated. After lunch, document the conversation in an e-mail and send it Sam, Jane, and Peter.