It's time to reflect

Dearest reader, we are at the end of yet another class!  This one was exhausting.  I worked much harder in this class than any other with the exception of Quantitative Analysis.  I enjoyed this one much better than QA.  I enjoy going to the dentist more than QA.

Let's reflect on some things that I learned that weren't about project management:

1. I learned I really should have kept the same blog all the way through the program.  #minorfail
2. I learned that I was so excited to post something in this blog for week 4 that I kind of missed the reflecting part. #biggerfail
3. I learned that I can handle about as much stress as I have in the last couple weeks, but probably not any more than that and probably not any longer.  But hey, I made it.

In some ways, I feel like this should be the first class you take after the Business Communications writing class.  This one teaches you how to deal with change, help it happen, and prepare for the aftermath.  Every single class I've had has had different flows, different grading, and different work requirements.  It left me incredibly confused for the first two weeks of every class cycle.  I feel like I've finally got a handle on it just in time to be done.

Now for some actual scholarly educational analysis...

I think the biggest takeaway from the class was how important communication is.  Every chapter we worked through had some emphasis on communication. PMI (cited by Standing Partnership, 2015) referenced their study which found that 50% of project failures are related to ineffective communication.  I can totally understand that.  Without good communication, you really have nothing.  Sure, you have a plan, but who will execute it?  How will they execute it?  By when will it be executed?  If you can't communicate, then nobody knows what to do and nobody can do their job effectively.

My favorite concepts were probably the organizational change models attributed to Lewin and Kotter. I particularly love the simplicity of Lewin's three-step model of Unfreeze, Move, and Refreeze (Cameron & Green, 2015, p. 106).  It's incredibly clean and maybe even elegant in it's simplicity.  Kotter's idea of the eight-step plan fits so nicely as an internal framework for Lewin's idea that it almost feels like they work together.  I think you can apply Lewin's idea to any change and explain it to people so they understand what part they are playing.  If you're in the Unfreeze step, then you know you can start making suggestions about how to improve things.  If you're in Move, then it's time to be changing, maybe via adaptive project management to keep things agile.  When you're all done, you're in Refreeze where you are solidifying the new things you're doing.  It's a beautiful framework for guiding organizations.

Let's examine my first post. 

1. One of the things I was adamant about was getting an A in this class.  I'm pretty sure I've gotten there.  I've set myself up for it with hard work up to this point.  I'm pretty sure my project plan is solid (although my anxiety is telling me it's garbage). I'm terrified it won't happen. I truly am. I can't see any reason why it won't, but there's always possibilities.

2. The postings were a lot of work.  When I asked Dr. Plantamura about it, I was concerned.  No teacher had made me post that much.  I made it a point to post more words for every post and more posts than necessary.  I used more sources than I normally would, especially in secondary responses.  I'm a bit shocked that not once did I receive full credit.  I think the highest I got was a 2.48.  I find that to be completely unreasonable.  However, I feel that my overall performance on those was really strong.  I can't help but wonder what grades other people got because I'm positive not everyone was bringing it like I was.

3. I was excited about the application of change models activity.  I probably should have written that about where I worked instead of a place I used to work.  It accomplished its goal either way because I finished that paper with a much stronger idea of how to work through Kotter's framework.  While I didn't quote it in my project plan, I certainly thought about it as I went through the steps of crafting the steps to execute.

4.  I was excited by this class going in.  I'm excited about it now.  I feel like this was one of the most important classes I could have taken in my curriculum because this is preparation for a job higher up the ladder.  My long-term goal is to be a CFO or a CEO.  I know I have the skills to do that.  I just didn't know how to apply many of them.  This Master's program has taught me so much of that.  Change management may have honestly been the biggest piece.  I feel like I can effect bigger changes now because I'm not afraid of how I'm going to work through them.  I'll keep this Cameron and Green book for a good long time because it's a fantastic resource.

Finally, thanks to Dr. Plantamura.  While the workload may have been on the "oh my God, I'll never be able to do this" end of the spectrum, it was a challenge and I rose up to that challenge.  You never know how good you can be until you face something you've never had to do.  Well, I faced it.  And I'm pretty sure I accomplished what I set out to do.  Winners win, it's just that simple.

Cameron, E., & Green, M. (2015). Making sense of change management: A complete guide to the

models, tools & techniques of organizational change (4th ed.). London, UK: Kogan Page.

 

Standing Partnership. (2015, March 3). The important role of strategic communications in change
            management. Retrieved from https://standingpartnership.com/the-important-role-of-strategic-
            communications-in-change-management/