Communication

Slack should be used to communicate with your team members and XProject sponsors: Dan, Brandon, and Dr. Clark.

1. Join the XProjects Slack workspace

You should have received an invitation to join the XProjects Slack workspace via email. Follow the link in this email to join the workspace. This is where important announcements and updates for all XProjects occurring this semester will be sent.

You will also be invited to a channel within this workspace for your specific XProject. This is where your team should communicate all information relating to your project, ask questions, and update your sponsors throughout the week.

2. Create an account and download Slack

If you do not already have an account with Slack, you will be asked to create one using your Pitt email address. Make sure you have the Slack app downloaded on your phone and computer.

3. Turn on notifications

Left click on each channel and change the settings to allow notifications for “every new message” to ensure that you never miss important information.

Email is often utilized to communicate with project clients and sponsors. Emails should be constructed with a sense of professionalism and follow the general outline below. You should include (CC) Dan, Brandon, and your team members on most emails sent regarding XProjects, especially communication with clients.

1. Subject line

Briefly summarize the purpose or goal of your email so that it is distinguishable from junk mail and easy to find in a busy inbox. Keep this short and descriptive.

2. Salutation

Greet your recipient respectfully and use the correct title (ex. Dr., Professor, Mr./Mrs. etc.).

3. Body

Clearly and concisely share your full message in the body of your email. Avoid unnecessary information and present your information logically.

4. Closing

This is the last line of information prior to your signature. You can simply thank your recipient, or briefly reiterate a request made in your email (ex. Thank you, I look forward to hearing from you soon).

5. Signature

Use this space to sign your name and list additional important information, such as your primary contact information.

Several meetings will take place during each week of your XProject. Generally, this will consist of team meetings, client meetings, and sponsor meetings. Whether these are in-person or virtual, the following guidelines should be followed.

1. Scheduling

If you need to schedule a meeting with someone, inform them of your general availability and provide some possible meeting times within your initial message. This will make finding a common time of availability much easier. Alternatively, you can use scheduling tools like When2meet, Outlook Calendar, and Doodle to get availability from multiple people. These tools will be especially useful in scheduling times for weekly team meetings at the start of your XProject.

When a meeting time is scheduled, always add a meeting/event to the Outlook Calendar and ensure that you ‘invite’ your attendees. This step is especially important for meetings with Dr. Clark, Brandon, and Dan. Using Outlook will allow you to see if those you are inviting to your event are available at that time and will send reminders to attendees.

2. Meeting Etiquette

• Be on time for meetings and communicate with the team if you are running late or suddenly unavailable.

• Come prepared with questions, comments, and updates that are important to communicate with your attendees.

• Make sure that someone on your team is taking notes during meetings. You will not remember every comment, suggestion, and question that your clients and sponsors have each meeting otherwise.

If you haven’t already, schedule your first team meeting as soon as possible. Use this time to introduce yourselves, learn about each other's skills, and get comfortable with our organization tools like Slack and TeamGantt. Snap your first team picture at this meeting (p.s. you will need to upload this during the benchmark quiz) !

Communication Summary