Project details and budget
Following the increased competition from other IT companies, the IT department has decide to come up with an improved and system in a new project that will increase the competitive edge of our company. This project will also benefit the organization and increase its profit margins. The other departments have come up with their budget requests for projects that they consider very important. The IT department believes that this is a high priority project that should be considered by the company.
The new project will involve outsourcing non strategic IT functions and introducing Video conferencing and instant messaging. The project will involve a budgetary allocation of 89200 US dollars for its full implementation. This will involve setting up of video conferencing networks in all departments. It will also involve subscription to a network provider during the first year of its implementation. Other costs involve setting up of video conferencing facilities in overseas offices of the company. The labor involved in setting up the whole project will be outsourced from a leading IT installation company. Another expense to be incurred is to hire specialized IT maintenance personnel whose cores involve ensuring that the system is always working. The last expense will be in training all the company workers on how to use the video conferencing and instant messaging system
A simple budget of the whole project is as listed below
Budget
Video and instant messaging equipment 38000
Installation 12000
Maintenance personnel salary 23000
Training 12400
Network subscription 3800
Total expenses 89200
This project will be beneficial to the whole company as it will make communication in the company to be more effective. The whole company will benefit from the imitative as board meetings and summons will be contacted in real time not forgetting that video conferences will lead to workers engaging in real time conversations. With this technology, the efficiency of the company’s organization is likely to improve.
Elements of persuasive communication
For this project to be successful, there are various communication elements that should be applied so as to persuade the company’s board of directors to allocate funding for the successful implementation of the project. There are various challenges that have to be overcome and this includes the competition from other departments for funding of their projects. Because all the other projects are also as important as the IT department, persuasion is important in swaying the boards mind to give full allocation of funding for the project.
In present the budget plan and outline of the project, essential elements of influential written and oral communication will have to be applied to ensure that the board is convinced. These elements include clarity in passing the information, vivid description of the project. Using short sweet and sweet language and tone will likely convince the financers to consider the video conferencing project. New technology always catches interests of many people. Do not use many technical terms that will confuse the board of directors as this will simply make them not fund the project. It is important to use simpler terms as some of them may not be conversant with IT words. Short but catchy sentences will make them buy the ides even before they see how it works.
In this project, there are two target groups that need to be convinced. These are the executives and the other workers who form the team. In trying to convince the executives to provide funding for the video conferencing facility, it will be important to highlight the issues that have made led the IT department to come up with the project. This include reasons like the high cost involved in arranging meetings and the time wasted in summoning the workers for meetings. It will also be important to indicate that with the video conferencing and instant messaging facilities, it will be cheaper to hold international meeting at a relatively cheap and time saving way. The IT department will also need to indicate the risks and exceptions involved if there are any. This will include issues like damage to the expensive equipments incase of poor handling and maintenance. However, indicate that hiring of maintenance of personnel and training of all the workers will ensure that this will not be incurred.
In trying to communicate to the executives, it is important to use precise but descriptive tone that will easily sway their minds. It will also important to indicate the real estimates of the budget projections by use of written and oral evidence. You should also give examples of where the systems have been used and how they have benefited those companies. Remember to provide factual evidence of how the system works and how it has changed the running of those companies. Using videos of how the video conferencing facilities are used and presenting the work in a neat way perhaps using PowerPoint presentations. It is also easy to sway the financers if you indicate in the presentation ways in which the project will be monitored. Give performance indicators of the projects. These will be perhaps things like weekly review charts, and other performance indicators.
Using Ocam Razors theory that proposes that we should concentrate on simpler assumptions until we can change the simple suggestion for increased explaining power, it is important to concentrate on the main subject of the proposal. The main subject will be to show the need of having video conferencing facilities for the company and asking for funding. Do not give overly detailed explanations that have not been asked. When you have caught the attention of the executives, remember to give them a chance to ask questions. In doing so, the executives will ask questions and this will be a platform for more explanatory power to win their confidence.
It is also important to convince the other workers on the importance of the project and how it will be beneficial to them. Through this, it will be easy to gain their support and make the board of directors to see that the project is important. By telling the workers that communication in the department will be made easy and efficiency in their working will be improved though instant messaging, the workers will want to experience this new addition to their work stations the workers will see the essence of the project. if they do so, then it will be easy for the company management to consider the project as first priority.
Conclusion
Video conferencing and instant messaging is a project that can have great impacts to a company working ways. If well implemented, this project can lead to improved working relationship in the company. This technology also profiles the company status by making it look more advanced. However, before the project is implemented, it is important to convince the board of management on the importance of the project so as funding can be allocated for this project. Hence, communication skills have to be employed to ensure that this is attained. If this is done, then it will be easy for the IT department to implement the project fully.
References
Charvat. J. (2002). Project communications: A plan for getting your message across. Techrepublic. Retrieved February 18th, 2011 from, http://www.techrepublic.com/article/project-communications-a-plan-for-getting-your- message-across/1061894
Richardson, Kurt. (2005).Managing organizational complexity: philosophy, theory and application. IAP
Kliem, R.L. (2007). Effective communications for project .Auerbach Publications
Cleary, S. (2004).The Communication Handbook: A Student Guide to Effective Communication. Juta and Company Ltd
Schwalbe, K. (2009). Information Technology Project Management. Cengage Learning
