Project management

(Agreeing/disagreeing; judging; measuring and calculating)

Student B

Project management is an important business activity which involves putting plans into practice. It requires the coordination of various activities, each within a specified time frame.

You have recently been made assistant to the project leader in a project to build a new $2m production site. Your boss has presented you with the following outline schedule. He/she asks for your comments and/or approval of the schedule.

Week	Phase	Action
6-7	I	Setting objectives Establishing definitions Establishing specifications
8-9	II	Organization Deciding project leaders and teams
10	III	Cost estimating and budgeting
11	IV	Putting out to tender
12-15	V	Detailed discussions
16-18	VI	Deciding on allocation of work Meeting with tenderers
19	VII	Contracts
20-21	VIII	Planning and scheduling
22-24	IX	Construction I: Site preparation
25-28	X	Construction II: Foundations
29-34	XI	Construction III: Above-ground structure
35-38	XII	Finishing work

You:

- think there are many serious problems with this schedule

- think it is impossible to say how many weeks the actual construction will take

- think it is even more impossible to divide the time required for the construction into accurate forecasts

- are an experienced geologist and you think that only after surveys of the site can estimates be made for the time required to build the foundations

- are sure that the exact time required for the building will depend on who wins the contract – and that will not be decided for four months

- think the site could be prepared before the contracts are awarded – and could be done concurrently with any other stage, so saving 2-3 weeks

- think that site preparation does not have to be done by the main contractor

- feel strongly about all the above, but you do not want to upset your boss right at the beginning of a project that you will have to see through together.

Your partner will start.

Role play №2 Time Management

(Blaming; agreeing/disagreeing; urging)

Student A

Managing your time well is one of the most important skills that anyone in business can learn. If you do not, the results are frustration for yourself and your colleagues, and loss of money for your company.

Below you can see several common problems for anyone who works in an office. Tell your partner about each problem in turn and see what solution he or she recommends.

The problems

1. My phone never stops ringing.

2. People are always coming in and out of my office.

3. I spend far too much time in meeting.

4. I can manage my time perfectly well. It’s technical breakdowns and constant problems with computers which make it difficult for me to manage my time.

Now you partner is going to tell you about some other typical time management problems. Choose from the list of suggestions below the solution which you think is best for each problem and tell your partner about it. Add your own comments.

The solutions

a) Prioritize. Delegate. Block time for important tasks. Keep things in proportion.

If the problem persists, discuss it with a superior.

b) Don’t be afraid to tell people you’re too busy right now. Stand up when

someone comes in and don’t sit down again if you don’t want them to stay.

c) Don’t always agree to see people straight away when they ask to talk to you.

Plan your day so that everyone knows that there is a time when you need to

work alone and a time when you are happy to see other people.

d) Never handle a piece of paper more than once. Either act on it, pass it on or put

it in the bin.

You start.

Time Management

(Blaming; agreeing/disagreeing; urging)

Student B

Managing your time well is one of the most important skills that anyone in business can learn. If you do not, the results are frustration for yourself and your colleagues, and loss of money for your company.

First of all, your partner is going to tell you about four typical time management problems. Look at the list below and tell him or her which you think is the solution to each problem. Add your own comments.

The solutions

a) Give subordinates more autonomy so that they don’t feel the need to check with

you all the time. Teach people that a closed door means that you should not be

disturbed. Tell everyone that there are certain fixed times of day when you need

to work on your own.

b) Hire a full-time technical consultant with unlimited patience and an unlimited

willingness to explain. Spend three times as much money on technical training

as you do at the moment.

c) Get the receptionist or a secretary to screen your calls or, if you have a direct

line, install an answering machine and switch it on when you don’t want to be

interrupted.

d) Always be clear when each meeting is supposed to finish. Don’t have a meeting

just because it’s the weekly meeting, even if there’s nothing to discuss. Don’t

tolerate discussion between two people which is of no concern to the others

present. Decide how much time you should spend in meetings and then count

how much time you do spend in meetings. If the first figure is smaller than the

second, then do everything you can to bring the second figure down.

Now it’s your turn to tell your partner about four common problems experienced by people who have difficulty managing their time. Listen to the solutions which he or she recommends and add your own comments.

The problems

1. People do not understand that my time is valuable and not to be wasted.

2. My desk is a mess.

3. People are always dropping into my office to chat.

4. I work very hard but there always seems to be even more work piling up.

Your partner will start.