Provide substantive replies to your classmate discussion below, please reply in 150 words and ask two question to below posting.

Joseph Harris posted Jan 24, 2022 1:32 PMSubscribe

Class,

First and foremost, welcome to the last week! As we near the end of the course, we are challenged with annotating four points of interest from throughout the class. Additionally, we must address whether or not the faculty and/or course met AMU's mission statement.

In relation to AMU's mission statement, AMU states that it is aimed to "provide high quality higher education with emphasis on educating the nation's military and public service communities by offering respected, relevant, accessible, affordable, and student-focused online programs that prepare students for service and leadership in a diverse, global society" (AMU 2022). As such, I believe that throughout my studies at AMU, all of the professors have met and exceeded any and all expectations. To explain, every time I have called the academic advisors, I have been quickly assisted with resolving all of my questions. Furthermore, professors engage with the students in a timely fashion by encouraging deeper thought throughout their various lessons and they have responded in a timely fashioned when emailed directly.

The four points of interest that captured my attention the most include the use of a WBS and network diagram, the importance of establishing a communication plan and utilizing modern technological communication platforms, the emphasis of trust throughout one's team, and lastly the wide variety of tools that can be used to help individuals manage their projects and/or programs. To elaborate, we learned that the WBS and network diagram literally outlines the details of one's project/program as a means to keep the team well organized. In conjunction to this, communication plans are used as means to clearly outline the points of contacts. Moreover, the use of modern technological communication platforms help streamline such communication services, especially in today's day and age with the ongoing COVID19 epidemic. Next, the emphasis on trust is of great importance; and naturally, it ties into the two previously mentioned points. Due to the nature that the COVID19 pandemic has encouraged most companies to telework, the necessity for the aforementioned WBS, network diagram, communications plan, and the utilization of remote communication platforms become more necessary than ever before. Further, the emphasis on trust throughout one's team and the other aspects mentioned previously are imperative because trust and communication are two of the most important parts that help determine the overall success of a virtual team (Curlee and Gordon 2013, Pg 53). Lastly, learning about the wide variety of program/project management tools becomes very useful since there are many to choose from and they all have unique pros and cons. These tools range from addressing a few simple and basic necessities to covering a wide range of more complex necessities. Ultimately, these tools are important because they assist managers with keeping their programs/projects well organized and operational.

On a side note, I am curious what everyone's topics are with their final projects. I chose to write about how grocery store program managers employed transformational leadership qualities to adapt with the ever-shifting COVID19 pandemic in order to keep their stores successfully operational. Best of luck to everyone with the remaining of your studies!

References:

American Military University (AMU). 2022. "OUR MISSION" from About Us at the American Military University. https://www.amu.apus.edu/aboutus/history.html

Curlee, Wanda; Gordon, Robert. 2013. "Successful Program Management: Complexity Theory, Communication, and Leadership" from Auerbach Publishers, Incorporated. Volume 7 Edition 1.