The Project Meeting Facilitator: Facilitation Skills to Make the Most of Project Meetings / Edition 1

by Tammy Adams, Janet A. Means, Michael Spivey

Overview

Have you ever been involved in a project that didn’t require a meeting? Neither have we. Well-run project meetings allow teams to get through the maze of distractions and obstacles to achieve results. Unfortunately, many project meetings aren’t well-run—they are viewed, by team members, as unproductive, tedious, wastes of precious time. But you can change that. The Project Meeting Facilitator contains practical techniques and practices that will help you facilitate our meetings more effectively, transforming them into well-planned, well-managed journeys that engage the team while achieving the intended goals.

 

 

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780787987060
Publisher:	Wiley
Publication date:	10/12/2007
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	240
Product dimensions:	8.50(w) x 11.00(h) x 0.50(d)

About the Author

Tammy Adams, B.S., CPF, CQM; Jan Means, M.S., CPF; and Michael S. Spivey, M.A., CPF, PMP, are independent consultants and certified professional facilitators with years of experience in guiding project teams to produce key project deliverables. They combine their years of experience in hands-on project management, process design, supporting technology design, and group facilitation to bring proven practical assistance to companies who need to improve their ability to execute and internalize change.

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Table of Contents

Introduction.

Section I PROJECT FACILITATION BASICS.

1 What Is a Project Meeting Facilitator?

Profile of a Project Meeting Facilitator.

Are You the Right Facilitator for the Meeting?

Assessing Your Skill Level.

Applying Your Skills.

Summing It Up.

2 The Basics of Project Meeting Facilitation.

When to Meet—and When Not to Meet.

Profile of a Productive Meeting.

Types of Project Meetings.

Summing It Up.

3 Facilitation Tools for Keeping Meetings on Target.

Tools for Meeting Preparation.

Tools for Managing Momentum and Focus.

Tools for Clarifying Communication.

If It’s a Virtual Meeting.

If There Are Telephone Participants in Your Meeting.

Tools for Sharing Meeting Results.

Summing It Up.

4 Facilitation Tools for Keeping Everyone Engaged.

Meeting Engagement Tools.

Meeting Management Tools.

Summing It Up.

Section II FACILITATING MEETINGS WITHIN EACH PHASE OF THE PROJECT.

5 Facilitating Project Initiation Meetings.

Overview of the Initiation Phase.

Project Initiation Meetings.

Troubleshooting Guide.

6 Facilitating Project Planning Meetings.

Overview of the Plan Phase.

Project Planning Meetings.

Troubleshooting Guide.

7 Facilitating Project Execution Meetings.

Overview of the Execute Phase.

Project Execution Meetings.

Troubleshooting Guide.

8 Facilitating Project Control Meetings.

Overview of the Control Phase.

Project Control Meetings.

Troubleshooting Guide.

9 Facilitating Project Close Meetings.

Overview of the Close Phase.

Project Close Meetings.

Troubleshooting Guide.

Section III RESOURCES AND REFERENCES.

Resource A: Recommended Reading.

Resource B: Recommended Websites.

Resource C: Recommended Organizations.

The Authors.

References.

Index.

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

“For anyone thrown into the stormy world of managing projectmeetings and herding humans, The Project MeetingFacilitator provides the definitive survival kit to enable thepreparation, management, and successful achievement of results fromthe necessary evil of project meetings. Tammy Adams, Jan Means, andMichael Spivey have combined their years of experience inreal-world facilitation and teaching to provide any facilitatorwith a ‘Who, What, When, and When Not’ guide, supportedby real tools, examples, and pitfalls.”—Dale Carr, manager,Business Analysis

 

“The Project Meeting Facilitator is focused ontraditional project meeting facilitation techniques but is easilyapplied in more iterative approaches like Agile, Lean, orDesign-Build methodologies."—David Spann, certifiedprofessional facilitator, past MBA Director at Westminster College,Salt Lake City, Utah; and president, Agile Adaptive Management

 

  “Simply the most useful reference book availabletoday for project managers.”—Bonnie Burkhardt, IT manager,KeySpan Corporation

 

“This is an excellent resource for everyone from thenovice to expert project manager using a non-directive butcomprehensively structured facilitative approach.”—David A.Wayne, Ph.D., CEO, Four Seasons International Consulting, Inc.,past chair, International Association of Facilitators

 

“Every project manager should read this book—itprovides clear, straightforward, easy-to-follow guidance for bettermeetings and more successful projects based on the sound projectmanagement and facilitation experience of the authors.”

—Gary Rush, certified professional facilitator, president, MGRConsulting

 

“A unique and practical approach to project facilitationmapped to the initiating, planning, executing, controlling, andclosing phases of the project management life cycle. This book ispractical in its application on projects and sets you up forsuccess every time you facilitate a projectmeeting.”—Kenneth Steiness, PMP, principal consultant,Statera

 

 

“Jan, Tammy, and Michael have done it again!  Theirprevious masterwork, Facilitating the Project Lifecycle, wasa must-have for every project manager. This time their focusis even sharper:  a whole book devoted specifically to thefacilitator’s role—and to the skills and mindsetrequired to execute that role effectively. This book is soloaded with tools, techniques and templates that even seasonedproject managers will keep their copies close at hand.”—SamKaner, author, Facilitator’s Guide to ParticipatoryDecision Making 

 

 

  “Ineffective meetings become a thing of the pastwhen you put the ideas in The Project Meeting Facilitatorinto practice. The authors not only offer a practical guide toevery type of meeting in the project life cycle, they also letpractitioners know when they have taken a wrongturn.”—William M. Ulrich, president, Tactical StrategyGroup, Inc. and author, Legacy Systems: TransformationStrategies

  “At last—a practical guide to effectivefacilitation geared exclusively to the unique needs of projectmanagers! Chock-full of easy-to-apply tools and tips, this bookaffirms that with proper planning and follow-through, projectmeeting facilitators really can play a critical role in helpingteams accelerate time to results. Virtual project teams and thosethat work face-to-face will benefit equally.”—NancySettle-Murphy, president, Guided Insights

 

“If we had to pay for every hour we spend in meetings,would we say they are worth it?  Not usually in myexperience. Well-run meetings, however, are worth every penny.This book provides practical tools and, more importantly, some realinsight for the reader to evaluate their personal skill set andtarget areas for improvement.”—Lynn McDonald, president,Greenlight Dynamics Inc.

 

“Finally, a book that specifically addresses the uniquefacilitation skills required in project management meetings. PMscan easily match the different types of project management meetingswith the skill levels and processes best suited for what they aretrying to accomplish in each.”—Charles Tombazian, director,Global Strategic Planning Avnet, Inc.

 

“We know facilitators and facilitation help project teamsto be more effective and efficient, but who helps the facilitators? Tammy Adams, Jan Means, and Michael Spivey do and the opportunityto connect to their knowledge and skill through this book is animportant one.”—Cameron Fraser, IAF certified professionalfacilitator and chair, International Association ofFacilitators

 

“Adams, Means, and Spivey have created a very accessiblebook for project managers and team leaders who want to improvetheir facilitation skills. There is a lot here for experiencedfacilitators, too. Having clearly presented the book in anorganized format and a conversational tone, the authors demonstratetheir own skills in facilitating (or making easy) the process ofplanning, running, and troubleshooting project meetings. Theopening chapter includes a self-assessment of our project meetingfacilitator skills—a quick way to help us pay attention towhat we already know and what gaps the book can help close. I likethe approach of looking at different types of meetings through thelife cycle of a project from initiation to closure. This book is agreat reference guide to keep dipping back into as we move throughthe various stages of a project.”—  Julia Young, vicepresident, Facilitate.com