New technologies for communicating electronically appear with increasing frequency. Using a new technology that is unfamiliar to the team increases the technology complexity, which can cause delays and increase costs. To decide if a new technology should be included in a communications plan, seek answers to the following questions:
- Does the new communication technology provide a competitive advantage for the project by reducing cost, saving time, or preventing mistakes?
- Does the project team have the expertise to learn the new technology quickly?
- Does the company offer support such as help desk and equipment service for new communication technology?
- What is the cost of training and implementation in terms of time as well as money?
KEY TAKEAWAYS
- Synchronous communications take place when all the parties are present at the same time. Examples are telephone calls and video conferencing.
- Asynchronous communications take place when the parties are not present at the same time. Examples are e-mail, fax, package delivery, blogs, and RSS feeds.
- Determine if a new technology can save time, reduce cost, or prevent mistakes and if the increased complexity can be handled by the team and support staff for an affordable cost in time and money.
EXERCISES
- Communications methods that do not require both parties to participate at the same time are called .
- A telephone call is an example of communication.
- An exchange of e-mail messages is an example of communication.
- A is an online journal used to share an individual’s thoughts and experiences.
- A video conference is an example of communications.
- What are two examples of synchronous communications technologies that you have used?
- What are two examples of asynchronous communications technologies that you have used?
- What is a virtual team?
- Where is the reference time zone and why is it sometimes referred to as both GMT and UT?
- Why are fax machines still used for legal documents?
Internalize your learning experience by preparing to discuss the following.
If you were managing a functional team that included people from three other countries, which synchronous communications technologies would you include in your communications plan and for what purposes? Which asynchronous technologies would you use and for what purposes? What new technologies would you consider?
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