August 8

THREE MUSKEETEER

Authored by: Team Members

Contents

Introduction & Goal3

Purpose - PMAN 538 Group Project.3

Change History.4

GCCM Plan Document Change Log.4

The Team..5

Three Musketeers - Names & Contact Information.5

Three Musketeers - Leadership Styles.5

Mission.6

Three Musketeers Mission Statement.6

Communication.7

Communication Goals.7

Communication Plan.7

Communication Preferences.7

Meetings.8

Other Communications.9

Conflict Management.10

Group Decision & Problem Solving.10

Conflict Resolution.11

Member Participation & Contribution.12

Quality Control14

Document Management Plan.15

Roles & Responsibilities.16

Group Schedule of Deliverables.17

References.21

Introduction & Goal

Purpose - PMAN 538 Group Project

The PMAN638 Group Project will result in a Group Communication and Conflict Management (GCCM) Plan that can be used by any group to improve their effectiveness in working together on projects in a virtual setting - similar to what we are experiencing here in PMAN638

The purpose of this group assignment is to develop a plan for managing group communications and conflict resulting in a working plan that you could apply to your group or any other group in most organizations.

The GCCM Plan will be described in a "how to" document that a group could use in managing their own team. This is not an academic essay; it is a plan and should be developed in a generic way so that other project management practitioners could use it in managing a project management team

The purpose of the GCCM Plan Group Discussions is to make the GCCM Plan assignment an interactive learning experience across the entire class over the semester and to ensure that you have developed a plan that has value and applicability in project management

Change History

GCCM Plan Document Change Log

Date	Change Reason	Change Details	Change Made By:
5/27/2023	Initial Version	Generate initial version, outline and content to meet Week 2 deliverable	Blueth Morgan
5/30/2023	v1.1	Complete mission statement section and edits to complete Week 2 GCCM Plan assignments	Blueth Morgan
5/31/2023 to 6/26/2023	v1.2	Add Weekly Group Updates based on the topics presented Week 3 to Week 6, using the course readings and our own search of relevant literature	All
7/20/2023	V1.3	Updates to document	All

The Team

Three Musketeers - Names & Contact Information

Three Musketeers - Leadership Styles

Leadership is the act of influencing others to work toward a goal (Saylor Academy, 2012). Leadership style can be defined broadly as the manner and approach of providing direction, implementing plans and motivating people ("Leadership Styles and Bases of Power", 2009).

Name	Leadership Style
Blueth Morgan	Situational leadership using different leadership styles based on team's development level. I adapt their style to fit the situation. My most prevalent style is democratic where I welcome team input and faciliate group discussion and decision making. Additionally, I also display servant leadership which is crucial for effective leadership. Servant leadership requires the leader to prioritize the needs of the team members over their own interests ("Leadership Theories and Studies," 2009). The characteristics of servant leaders are in alignment with the skills required of a project manager leader, such as empathy, stewardship, and commitment to the personal, professional, and spiritual growth of the project team members and stakeholders ("Leadership Theories and Studies," 2009).
Olatunde Olopade	Interactional leadership is a hybrid of transactional, transformational, and charismatic leadership styles. (Pialat, 2021). Interactional leadership is my preferred method because it allows each group member to lead uniquely. Every week, our team excels at cooperating on tasks, respecting one another, providing constructive comments, and building trust. This strategy allows each team member to have a say in the project. We increase personal ownership of the project and evenly spread the burden by sharing leadership duties. Furthermore, this leadership style emphasizes individual strengths, resulting in more targeted project job distribution. While this is not a standard leadership style, it is an excellent strategy for this group and brings out the best in all members.
Mo Martin	Servant Leadership is mainly my style. I want to ensure all group members are comfortable with assignments and if there is one that needs help, I will help them with understanding and offer to help develop member's skills if needed. All team members should feel comfortable with recommendations and their opinions on how tasks should be handled.

Mission

Three Musketeers Mission Statement

The mission of this team is to work diligently, productively, and efficiently on all group assignments and deliverables with goal of achieving an "A".

In order to achieve this goal we will:

• Apply the key characteristics of group dynamics so we are motivated to accomplish the group assignments and deliverables, utilizing conflict resolution strategies and skills when needed.
• Apply the rules and guidelines as outlined in the Group Communication and Conflict Management (GCCM) Plan.
• Plan and ahead and prepare for all group assignments and deliverables.
• Maintain organization within the team utilizing the Project schedule as outlined in the GCCM Plan.
• Remain conscious of all team members abilities with the goal of progressing ahead as a cohesive team
• As a team, develop greater knowledge of teamwork, innovative approaches to successfully negotiating and resolving conflict among team members, colleagues, managers, and stakeholders, effective communication behaviors, negotiation skills and virtual team processes to lead domestic and international projects.

Communication

Effective communication is essential for exchanging information and achieving a mutual understanding (Praxis Framework, 2019). The primary objectives of communication are to convey pertinent information and verify that it is comprehended (Praxis Framework, 2019).

Communication Goals

Our team aims to:

• effectively communicate by ensuring that every member understands the objectives and their role in achieving them.
• prioritize building strong relationships with both internal and external team members and stakeholders.
• prevent misunderstandings and reduce conflict,
• strive to develop confidence and trust within the team.
• maintain the commitment of stakeholders and team members; and
• effectively control the team deliverables throughout the semester.

Communication Plan

Communications management is the key to getting things done (Oliver, 1983). The tools for communications management are in the form of documents and equipment. The communication plan is the first section of the GCCM Plan because effective group communication plays a crucial role in decision-making, conflict management, and establishing rapport among members, especially during challenging times (Aakhus, 2002). The exchange of messages significantly influences the group's direction and success (Aakhus, 2002).

The purpose of the Communication Plan is to provide clear and concise communication channels, modes, and methods for team members.

Communication Preferences

In its first meeting, each team member shared his/her communications preferences and availability, strengths and weaknesses in group settings, and guidelines for contact, which include preferred days, emergency information, etc. The communication guideline is documented under "Contact Guidelines" in "The Team" section.

Meetings

The team has identified primary and secondary meeting times as well as secondary forms of communication during the intervening periods between these meetings. meet primarily on Thursday evenings, 7-8pm.

1. Time Zone. All times in this plan are in the Eastern Daylight Time (EDT) time zone. The team will use the EDT for scheduling and meetings and deadlines.
2. Primary Meetings. The team will hold regular, weekly, hour-long phone conferences on Mondays at 7pm EST . These meetings will be held via video conferencing using Microsoft (MS) Teams.
3. Secondary Meetings. The team has planned secondary weekly conferences as needed . These conferences will be scheduled on as-needed basis in case the weekly issues are such that they cannot be resolved in one phone conference. These secondary meetings are to be held via MS Teams.
4. Scheduling. All primary and secondary meetings were scheduled upon submission of this plan on LEO. Meetings can be rescheduled or cancelled upon mutual agreement of team members. Each member will check her/his email and accept meeting invitations so they will be reflected on her/his calendar.
5. Agendas.
   1. Agendas for each primary meeting will be based on
      1. The upcoming deliverables (Group activities and assignments) as documented in the syllabus and weekly checklist posted in the classroom.
      2. Any previous meeting/action items which are open/pending.
      3. Additional subjects can be raised at any time by any team member; however, team members who would like to provide input on the upcoming agenda must do so by the day prior to the upcoming team meeting.
   2. The agenda will be prepared by the volunteer team member and distributed via email no later than the day prior to the upcoming team meeting.
   3. Agendas will be archived/stored on LEO in accordance with the Document Management Plan.
6. Minutes. The volunteer team member is responsible for keeping minutes at the weekly team meeting. That individual will also have the responsibility of distributing the minutes by no later than day following the meeting and posting the minutes to the group locker on LEO in accordance with the Document Management Plan. At a minimum, weekly minutes will include:
   1. Agenda topics based on Group Assignments and Activities
   2. Notes on Agend topics discussed and decisions made
   3. Action items - assignments, due dates and status
   4. Next Steps

Other Communications

Outside of the regularly scheduled meetings in the section above, Fantastic Four will use other communication methods for logistical and collaboration purposes.

1. Email. Email will be used to share documents and to collaborate on those documents' revision. For the purposes of version control, every effort will be made to maintain a single email thread for a single document. Finally, all emails exchanged will bear subject lines which start "[PMAN GROUP 4]" (without quotes) so as to distinguish Group 4's email communications. In the event that a member cannot locate the emailed invitations, it is his/her responsibility to check and notify the group via WhatsApp in an effort to get the meeting details.
2. Microsoft Teams.Preference will be given to Microsoft Teams for communication between meetings or in place of meetings when a short agenda justifies.
3. Texting. Texting is available for those who indicate a preference for it and will be used as a backup to Microsoft Teams? or when one-on-one communication is necessary.
4. Phone. Phone communication is available for those who indicate a preference for it and will be used as a backup to Microsoft Teams when one-on-one communication is necessary.

Conflict Management

There is no doubt that conflicts of various kinds are an inevitable part of teamwork. Conflict can be positive (constructive) and can help the group achieve it's goals without harming the relationships between the members of the group or negative (constructive), not only harming the relationships between group members, but also challenging the group's effectiveness toward reaching the group goals (Trivedi, 2023).So even though conflicts are often perceived as negative, if they are properly managed, they can be beneficial to any team (Levi, 2017).

Group Decision & Problem Solving

A approach for group decision and problem solving is being defined to improve the team's cohesion, member satisfaction as well as prevent or reduce groupthink.

To Reduce Groupthink

To prevent groupthink, it's crucial that all members of the group work independently on the same problem through individual brainstorming (Trivedi, 2023). We strongly encourage each group member to ask questions, provide reasons for their positions, and request justifications when necessary. Our formal decision-making process will promote diverse perspectives and idea discussion, and we'll also consider potential negative outcomes of any decision. Lastly, before making a final decision, each member will have the opportunity to express any doubts. It's imperative that we follow these guidelines to ensure the best possible outcome for our group.

Problem Solving

Problem-solving is a process or procedure to find a solution or resolution to a problem. There are two main types of problem-solving, Individual and Group. (d'Estree, 2023). Individual problem-solving can be a problem as the individual may only think of one, maybe two, or no solutions. A single person could be stuck with thinking one way. Group Problem-solving tends to have a greater success rate. Groups allow members of the group to suggest additional solutions. These solutions could come from various backgrounds and different perspectives. The group could resolve problems in a much quicker timeframe than an individual.

The following steps will be used by the team for problem-solving (Gale, 2009).

1. First, the group must identify the problem,
2. Then verify the problem,
3. Determine the root cause of the problem, and
4. Determine solutions to the problem.

Decision Making

Group decision-making is commonly employed in the assessment and implementation stages of the conventional problem-solving model to find choices and choose a solution (Aakhus, 2002; Chapter 14.3, 2012). Group decision-making entails deciding who will decide and how the group/decider will achieve the decision. Majority rule, minority rule (expert or authority), and consensus rule are decision-making strategies that determine who and how many group members must agree on a solution(Chapter 14.3, 2012). The functional approach is a common technique for attaining group decisions.

The team will use the following steps of the functional approach for group-decision-making on tasks that requires group to arrive at a solution or provide recommendations (Aakhus, 2002, p. 380):

1. define the problem; (
2. identify good solution criteria;
3. generate alternative solutions;
4. evaluate alternatives; and
5. select a solution.

For decisions in meetings for tasks that require consensus, the team will use the Consensus Rule method as the standard decision-making technique. In such instances, the group will define fundamental task completion methods and a cycle of roles and duties. This structure will assist the team in understanding expectations and planning upcoming weekly tasks and deliverables. If the Consensus Rule approach does not yield a solution, the team will vote and apply the Majority Rule method to conclude. The Three Musketeers will use the practical method to facilitate conversations regarding the required duties and any possible challenges. Because it describes the essential decision-making procedures, the practical approach is beneficial for encouraging these dialogues.

Conflict Resolution

Steps to Conflict Escalation and Resolution are as follows:

1. A team member with the grievance should attempt to make contact and express frustration in a clear and constructive manner.
2. The team member should attempt to establish appropriate boundaries and effective communication plan for future interaction to prevent further escalation.
3. If a resolution cannot be reached, the team member should escalate the complaint to the full team via email/WhatsApp and request a team meeting to further discuss resolution.
4. A portion of the upcoming Team Meeting Agenda or backup/additional Team Meeting time to be used for a conference with group members to discuss/remediate, allowing each party to air grievance uninterrupted.
5. At the conclusion/resolution, the team will review the applicable areas of the Team Management Plan to remind/reinforce future communication directives and expectations for performance and engagement.
6. The Meeting Minutes Manager will include the outcome/resolution in the meeting minutes.
7. If conflict should continue, the team will ask the professor to remediate.

Member Participation & Contribution

Non- responsiveness:

As a small team of three, it's important that all members actively participate and contribute to group work. If a team member is unresponsive and not meeting these expectations, the team will directly address the issue using the team agreement established at the start of group formation. We will review performance guidelines and confirm understanding to prevent future occurrences of this behavior. If the issue persists, a volunteer team member will notify the professor and document the performance in meeting minutes.

Disruption:

It is imperative to maintain a peaceful and respectful environment. Therefore, any disruptive behavior will not be tolerated. In the event of any disturbance, it will be immediately addressed by discussing it with the offending person for peaceful remediation and resolution. If this approach is unsuccessful after three occurrences, the professor should be consulted for further remediation

No Active Participation:

Similarly, if a team member fails to contribute actively to the group work by not meeting agreed-upon deliverables, after three or more attempts at resolving the issue within the group, the professor should be informed of further remediation.

Quality of Work:

In our team, we consider work that contains numerous grammatical errors or lacks edits to be of poor quality. If a deliverable falls into this category, the editor will request the owner to make necessary changes and submit the revised version to the editor by the following day via the group email thread. We strive to submit work of exceptional quality; nevertheless, if there are inconsistencies, our team provides constructive criticism and suggestions for improvement during group meetings or through communication channels such as Microsoft Teams or email threads.

Technical conflicts/issues:

If any team member is facing technical difficulties while using Google Drive or Google Suite, they should reach out to the team's Document Manager for support. Similarly, if a team member is having issues with LEO, they can contact the help desk for assistance.

Drops Class:

If a team member decides to drop the class, they should inform the team through email, while also including the professor, to ensure that prompt action can be taken to reassign any work that was assigned to the team member. The redistribution of work will be prioritized on a voluntary basis, followed by the utilization of the strengths and weaknesses outlined in the team's communication plan.

Emergency:

If a team member encounters an emergency, they will inform the rest of the team as soon as possible. The minutes will record any missed meetings, and any partially completed work for missed deliverables will be reassigned to the team by the team member.

Quality Control

The Quality Control Plan is meant to ensure the team's deliverables meet content requirements to include standards for grammar, style, and formatting

Templates:

The templates and rubrics provided through LEO will be used as the basis for all deliverables. These templates are the foundation of proper formatting and style and facilitate the team's production of quality deliverables.

Software:

Microsoft Word will be used for the communication plan. This is accessible via Microsoft SharePoint.

Style:

This is based upon the guidance of the PMAN 638 Final Group Project Gudiline

Communication:

The purpose of the Communication Plan is to provide clear and concise communication channels, modes, and methods for team members. Microsoft Teams will be used for meetings and Microsoft SharePoint is used for group documentation.

Proofing:

Every group member will proof read their work. The person submitting the document will make the final quality check.

Document Management Plan

1.Purpose

The purpose of this document is to outline the document management approach for the GCCM plan.

It provides standard terminology, clear roles and responsibilities, and a detailed description of the expectations of team members regarding document control. It is designed to guide the project team.

2.Definition

Documents refer to all project records and deliverables. Document management is the process of organizing, storing, protecting, and sharing documents.

3.Objectives

The overall goal of document management is to protect a project from losing track of its work or losing the work itself.

Document management achieves this overall goal through the following objectives:

• Provide secure storage of all documents in a project in a Microsoft Team Folder
• Provide a clear understanding regarding which version of a deliverable is the latest version
• Provide a record of deliverables over the life of the project

Roles & Responsibilities

Roles tend to emerge in most groups, representing patterns of behavior. The Three Musketeers, for example, have a leaderwho plays a vital role in guiding the group. According to Ruben's (2002) research, there are three major categories of roles that typically occur during group interactions: task completion roles, group building and support roles, and individualistic roles.

Task completion roles are those that are related to the successful completion of a given job or activity. Examples of task completion roles include information seeker, opinion seeker, information giver, recorder, coordinator, and evaluator-critic.

Group building and support roles are those that encourage the social development of the group. Examples of these roles include encourager, harmonizer, compromiser, gatekeeper/expediter, observer, and follower.

Individualistic roles are generally viewed as less desirable as they contribute negatively to the group's progress towards completing a task and developing a positive group climate.

For the Three Musketeers team, members will assume task completion and group building support roles as needed, with a greater emphasis on task completion.

The table below presents the emergent roles and responsibilities on team Three Musketeers:

Name	Role	Responsibilities
Blueth Morgan	Leader	Turn-in group assignments; Completing deliverables and documentation of process
Olatunde Olopade	Project team member	Completing deliverables and documentation of process
Mo Martin	Project team member	Completing deliverables and documentation of process

Group Schedule of Deliverables

Schedule is an important part of a risk management project plan. We will meeton Mondays at 7:00 pm - 8:00 pm each week to discuss and finalize the deliverables for the week. Below is a list of the draft submissions for the Communication Plan and their due dates to guide the team as we compile all these deliverables towards our final Communication deliverable submission due week 10.

Sessions	Deliverables / Meetings	Due Dates
Session 1	Introduction	N/A
Session 2	Group Communication and Conflict Management Plan Outline One Member create draft outline and upload to Group folder in Group Locker(Blueth) Meeting One Member to schedule, Host, Share Agenda day before, Take Mtg Notes, and cascade/upload to Team folder in Group Locker(Blueth)	5/30/2023 5/28/2023
Session 3	Schedule for completing the GCCM Plan Meeting One Member to schedule, Host, Share Agenda before, Take Mtg Notes, and Cascade/Upload to Team folder in Group Locker(Assigned to??/Volunteerr?)	6/7/2023 6//2023
Session 4	Complete the Communications Management paper Meeting One Member to schedule, Host, Share Agenda before, Take Mtg Notes, and Cascade/Upload to Team folder in Group Locker(Assigned to??/need team member to Volunteer)	6/13/2023 6//2023
Session 5	Discuss GCCM Plan updates in your weekly team meeting and update your GCCM Plan Meeting One Member to schedule, Host, Share Agenda before, Take Mtg Notes, and Cascade/Upload to Team folder in Group Locker(Assigned to??/neef team member to Volunteer)	6/20/2023 6//2023
Session 6	Discuss GCCM Plan updates in your weekly team meeting and update your GCCM Plan Post a draft of the GCCM Plan through Week 6 Meeting One Member to schedule, Host, Share Agenda before, Take Mtg Notes, and Cascade/Upload to Team folder in Group Locker(Assigned to??/Need team member to Volunteer)	6/27/2023 6/27/2023 6//2023
Session 7	Continue to update your team GCCM plan this week with information related to the reading assignment Meeting One Member to schedule, Host, Share Agenda before, Take Mtg Notes, and Cascade/Upload to Team folder in Group Locker(Assigned to??/Need team member to Volunteer)	7/4/2023 7//2023
Session 8	Discuss GCCM Plan updates in your weekly team meeting and update your GCCM Plan with relevant new material/topics from class readings Meeting One Member to schedule, Host, Share Agenda before, Take Mtg Notes, and Cascade/Upload to Team folder in Group Locker(Assigned to??/Need team member to Volunteer	7/11/2023 7//2023
Session 9	Discuss GCCM Plan updates in your weekly team meeting and update your GCCM Plan with relevant new material/topics from class readings Meeting One Member to schedule, Host, Share Agenda before, Take Mtg Notes, and Cascade/Upload to Team folder in Group Locker(Assigned to??/Need team member to Volunteer	7/18/2023 7//2023
Session 10	One team member should post the final GCCM Plan to the GCCM Plan Discussion in Week 10-11 GCCM Discussion topic no later than 11:59 p.m on Wednesday of Week 10.(Assigned to??/Need team member to Volunteer) After your group receives feedback in the discussion and from your instructor, begin to finalize the GCCM Plan and have one team member submit this final version to the GCCM Plan Assignment folder no later than 11:59 p.m., Sunday of Week 11 Have one member of your team post your team's GCCM Plan in this discussion early in Week 10, no later than 11:59 p.m. on Friday of Week 10. (Assigned to??/Need team member to Volunteer) A part of your individual grade you will post your review of the plans developed by other teams and posted in Week 10/11. Review other team's plans, and provide a brief peer review of each plan posted (just a paragraph or two). As you read your classmates plans, think about how they compare to the plan developed by your team. You will formalize your feedback into a written report and submit in Week 11 for grading. Meeting One Member to schedule, Host, Share Agenda before, Take Mtg Notes, and Cascade/Upload to Team folder in Group Locker(Assigned to??/Need team member to Volunteer	7/25/2023 7/25/2023 7/25/2023 7/25/2023 7//2023
Session 11	Finalize the GCCM Plan and have one team member submit this final version to the GCCM Plan Assignment folder no later than 11:59 p.m., Tuesday of Week 11. (Individual Assignment) Formalize your critique/analysis of each team's GCCM Plan and submit this analysis by the end of Week 11. Meeting? One Member to schedule, Host, Share Agenda before, Take Mtg Notes, and Cascade/Upload to Team folder in Group Locker(Assigned to??/Need team member to Volunteer	8/1/2023 8/1/2023 8//2023
Session 12	Individual Assignment	8/8/2023

References

Aakhus, M. (2002). Group Communication. In J. R. Schement (Ed.), Encyclopedia of Communication and Information (Vol. 2, pp. 372-376). Macmillan Reference USA.https://link-gale-com.ezproxy.umgc.edu/apps/doc/CX3402900116/GVRL?u=umd_umuc&sid=bookmark-GVRL&xid=20a528f5

D'Estre, T. (2023). Problem-Solving Approaches. Sage Knowledge.https://doi.org/10.4135/9780857024701

Leadership Styles and Bases of Power. (2009). In Encyclopedia of Management(pp. 459-462). Gale.https://go-gale-com.ezproxy.umgc.edu/ps/i.do?id=GALE%7CCX3273100154&v=2.1&u=umd_umuc&it=r&p=GVRL&sw=w&asid=79236579103d9dff221761816dc8c415

Oliver, C. E. (1983). Communications management.Project Management Quarterly, 14(1), 28-30.

Ruben, B. D. (2002). Group Communication, Roles and Responsibilities in. In J. R. Schement (Ed.), Encyclopedia of Communication and Information (Vol. 2, pp. 386-389). Macmillan Reference USA.https://link-gale-com.ezproxy.umgc.edu/apps/doc/CX3402900120/GVRL?u=umd_umuc&sid=bookmark-GVRL&xid=47e9e0a5

Saylor Academy. (2012). Chapter 10 Leading People and Organizations. In Principles of Management v. 1.1. Saylor Academy.https://saylordotorg.github.io/text_principles-of-management-v1.1/s14-leading-people-and-organizatio.html

Trivedi, A.V. (2023, June). PMAN638 Week 5 Overview - Group Conflict and Conflict Management[PDF].https://learn.umgc.edu/d2l/le/content/771140/viewContent/30728587/View

Praxis Framework. (2019). Communication - Praxis Framework.Www.praxisframework.org.https://www.praxisframework.org/en/knowledge/communication

Pialat, G. (2021, January 14). Project Management Leadership Styles: Who, What, and Why? Project Management Blog.https://blog.orangescrum.com/project-management-leadership-styles-who-what-and-why.html

Praxis Framework. (2019). Communication - Praxis Framework.Www.praxisframework.org.https://www.praxisframework.org/en/knowledge/communication

Instructions

Using the GCCM Plans that have been posted in Week 10/11 Discussion and your thorough review of these plans, formalize your critique/analysis of each team's GCCM Plan and submit this analysis by the end of Week 11. In your response to this assignment, consider and respond to the following: Identifyanddiscussthe strengths and weaknesses of each team's plan. What material did you identify that would have been useful to your team's plan? Why? Your grade will be based on the quality and critical thinking evident in your discussion and analysis. Your discussion should be approximately one page for each team's plan.