ECE 361 Session 3 Page 1 ECE361 Engineering Practice Team Skills - Communications

ECE 361 Session 3 Page 2 Team Skills - Communication Meetings Review Team Communication Project Notebook Memos Assignments

ECE 361 Session 3 Page 3 How to Run a Meeting Plan – Why Meet? Plan – Why Meet? Inform – Topics, People, & Data Inform – Topics, People, & Data Prepare – Agenda Prepare – Agenda Structure & Control – Order Structure & Control – Order Summarize & Record – Minutes Summarize & Record – Minutes These points are not optional! These points are not optional!

ECE 361 Session 3 Page 4 Team Communications is Both a Process and a Set of Products Plan 1 Meeting Coordinator or Team Leader Inform Prepare Structure and Control Summarize and Record 2 Secretary or Recorder 1 1, Issue Agenda! Stick to Agenda! Issue Minutes! Memos are usually the product of action items assigned at the meeting

ECE 361 Session 3 Page 5 Team Communications Can Consist of Formal Documents In some cases, formal documentation is required (ece361) Discover the applicable standards, and modify as appropriate Get in the habit of using these skills Agendas, minutes, and memos are the primary formal documentation types ( adaptations as well)

ECE 361 Session 3 Page 6 Agenda

ECE 361 Session 3 Page 7 This is a pretty formal agenda layout, but the basics are important to note: Meeting title Team Name Date, time, location Attendees, roles Agenda topics and order Could use a little better definition of what topics involve The agenda does no good if it not issued in time or has too little information sample available on web page

ECE 361 Session 3 Page 8 MINUTES Minutes Minutes are the record of what happened at the meeting: Thorough (nothing of import is omitted) Legible (normally retyped after meeting) Timely (made available for review ASAP) May be published…

ECE 361 Session 3 Page 9 The use of names for such purposes as “Fred said this” is discouraged. However, the list of attendees and roles are appropriate uses of names. An important use of names in meeting minutes is to record action items – who is to do what. sample available on web page

ECE 361 Session 3 Page 10 MEMORANDUM Informative Informative Concise, typically one page Concise, typically one page Header Header Message Message Attachments if necessary Attachments if necessary A more formal and lengthy document, the Inter-Office Communication (IOC), is more of a technical report or analysis issued in memo format A memo is the primary method of transmitting information in a corporate or team setting. It is a means of providing a written record of information for later use. is now often used as a substitute for a memo – so care must be used in constructing messages

ECE 361 Session 3 Page 11 TO: Recipient FROM: Sender, initialed DATE: Date of transmittal SUBJECT: Brief description of contents Memo Header Directs Information to Interested Parties Include “cc:” line after “To:” line to “carbon copy” the memo to someone who only needs to be informed that the memo has been sent and that the issue has been handed off

ECE 361 Session 3 Page 12 Memo Body is Efficiently Written Clear statement of purposeClear statement of purpose InformativeInformative Supporting material and logicSupporting material and logic Plain, direct, natural stylePlain, direct, natural style Not verboseNot verbose

ECE 361 Session 3 Page 13 Memo Attachments Included Only as Necessary Computer printoutsComputer printouts Laboratory dataLaboratory data Technical data & specificationsTechnical data & specifications Technical drawingsTechnical drawings PhotographsPhotographs LettersLetters Each of these document formats are discussed in the ECE writing guidelines, available on the Technical Writing Guide webpage.

ECE 361 Session 3 Page 14 ECE 361 Assignments INDIVIDUAL ASSIGNMENT – Continue maintaining your team notebook

ECE 361 Session 3 Page 15 References: [1] K Smith, Project Management and Teamwork, 2nd ed., McGraw-Hill, 2004