Competency D

Preparation and Evidence

Collaboration and communication are skills that I have learned about independently. Project management is a subject that teaches you how these two set of skills go hand-in-hand to support the goals in project management, along with other skills like time management. Project management includes various professionals apart from LIS individuals, and it is a process that focuses on multiple aspects of the life cycle of the project. To summarize, the life cycle of a project examines project managers and their communicative levels between team members and stakeholders, and analyzes their understanding of the stakeholder's vision, and provides direction and clarification between the difference of needs and wants to guide stakeholders in a positive direction that will fulfill the goals of the project. The project manager also uses many tools to communicate with stakeholders and team members, and an effective project manager organizes groups to work on different elements of the project and communicates with each department to ensure the group's prosperity. Should any group come across conflicts, the project manager will address these concerns before moving forward with the project, thus preventing delays not only for the project but for other team members as well. Throughout the lifecycle of the project, the project manager keeps stakeholders informed about the progress until the goal is complete.

When recalling what I have learned about project management and Competency D, Professor Gaffney's INFO 282 Seminar in Library Management class comes to mind. This course analyzed LIS through a business perspective, and through our analysis and understanding of project management, we were able to make the connections between LIS initiatives in the scope of project management. Essay #2 (Agile Project Management for Developing Libraries) examines project initiatives from the American Library Association (ALA) as they use project management skills to develop libraries in foreign countries, which reflects details highlighted in Competency D.

ALA collaborates with diverse organizations and stakeholders to increase the availability of library services in foreign countries. As mentioned, collaboration is necessary for the LIS profession to advance the kind of services that are available for patrons. In my analysis, I examine the ASIC Rural Libraries Program in Guatemala. Like any project, the goals for this initiative are clear. First and foremost, my studies have taught me that there is a scarcity of LIS professionals in foreign countries, so this project intends to address these issues by training local community members to learn LIS skills to act as LIS professionals for the community. In countries were communities experience poverty, libraries are affected by the fiscal deficit, and therefore are unable to provide services or materials for the community. The program intends to partner with publishers in hopes of receiving discounts on books to increase the number of library materials available in Guatemalan libraries. Identifying the goals of the project and communicating these goals with team members and stakeholders is vital for the advancement and success of the project, most importantly, they can identify the types of methodologies the project manager will use.

In the case of the ASIC Rural Libraries Program, I believe Agile Project Management (APM) is the ideal methodology to execute their plans because it allows them to work in iterations. The project manager and team members can address discrepancies and find solutions much quicker because tasks are split into sections; however, the quality of the resolutions depend on the type of APM model used. In APM there is the interative model, which allows team members to find immediate solutions with minor imperfections, and the adaptive model focuses on new information that has risen with the project and attempts to find a prosperous solution. In the case of ASIC Rural Libraries Program, the interative model would allow them to address their second goal because the organization could focus on reaching out to donors that may help sustain these libraries and host fundraisers to collect the percentage that will fulfill and satisfy initiatives. If more than 80% of their budget comes from donors and 20% from fundraisers, then the organization will have access to funds for increasing the library's collection. Although this solution may seem ideal, the organization will have to focus on making connections with organizations and donors to make this possible, and that is where issues lie. Other methodologies may resolve these concerns; however, because there exists a financial imbalance, the organization will have to spend time planning a secure source from which they can obtain funds indefinitely.

In this essay, I question how are LIS trainees are attained. Project management requires direct communication with stakeholders. While there may be multiple organizations involved, the Guatemalan community are the primary stakeholders because they can vocalize the kind of services they need and express the types of materials they may want. As learned in this course, project managers should consider the needs and wants of stakeholders to ensure the goals of the project are met.

The Final Research Paper (Communication and Project Scoping, Leading Factors to Success) I wrote for this course also contributes to Competency D because it explains how poor communication in project management can degenerate the lifecycle of the project and proposes suggestions that could improve communication skills in project management. According to Rajkumar (2010), the project manager spends a large percentage of their time communicating information to multiple people. If the project manager does not engage in good communicative skills, then the project is doomed to fail. Wysocki's (2014) research concluded that 70% of project failures were a result of inefficient communication skills. Poor communication skills are a result of varying factors. A project may not be saying nearly enough while another project manager may be speaking too much without listening to team members or stakeholders, whatever the case, these skills need polishing to ensure managers are operating plans well.

To address poor communication skills, various authors suggest creating a map that will address questions regarding communication and information. A project manager can learn about communication tools that will facilitate information to team members or stakeholders; they will also learn about time management because communication delivers information in a promptly time; lastly, project managers will also learn to analyze the type of information they should or should not release to stakeholders to prevent overly sharing irrelevant information to stakeholders. LIS professionals will often work with professionals non-related to LIS, and although they may share similar goals, their interests for these goals will vary. The parts of the project that may attract an LIS professional may not necessarily attract the stakeholder, and these are the gray areas project managers need to be mindful of when communicating with stakeholders.

The research paper further examines communication skills through the lens of project scoping. Project scoping allows project managers to set-up goals, timelines, and map resources to ensure project success. As they plan out these factors, they also consider the division of labor between team members and means of communicating with stakeholders. If the project manager addresses these concepts during the initial stages of the project, there is a higher chance of success in achieving the goals of the project. In project scoping, you plan every detail of the project so that you can examine areas where problems may arise and address them early on. Without project scoping and communication, executing a project where various stakeholders are involved may be difficult.

Future Applications

Learning about project management was crucial for my understanding of the developments in LIS services. In my evidence, I questioned if the ASIC Rural Libraries Program had communicated with members of the Guatemalan community. I bring up this question again because I believe it is important to consider community members as primary stakeholders. The services created by LIS professionals are designed to fit the needs of library users. Communicating with these individuals will provide a wealth of knowledge and information, perhaps even increase connections/stakeholders. It is for these reasons that applying communication skills is necessary. Whatever we create, we all share a common goal.

Another factor in project management includes collaboration and teamwork. Understanding how to communicate with team members will allow the lifecycle of the project to prosper. In previous studies, I have learned that a true leader leads by sharing the space and allowing others to have a voice, input, or opinion that will contribute to the success of the project. No light is dimmed because then you end up with a dark abyss.