Project manager for intranet redesign scenario

[for some reason, I'm unable to copy/paste from the class website. Wish I could copy the writing prompt so I don't have to keep switching between windows.]

This is actually a good exercise, as both traditional print-based graphic designers and web-development teams now interact online, sometimes never meeting face-to-face.

As the project manager for the intranet redesign, and assuming I'm not able to bring stakeholders together for a live, face-to-face meeting, the first step I'd take is to arrange a meeting via Microsoft Live Meeting or Adobe Acrobat Connect (formerly Macromedia Breeze). Finding a time to schedule when all stakeholders are available would doubtless be an issue, but some form of synchronous communication (where everyone is online @ the same time) is important to set the tone, build the team spirit (if that's not too hokey a term), and reduce what distance learning researchers call "iterative email strings" where a relatively simple question/issue takes forever to resolve because no interactive communication is available.

I've participated in several meetings/software seminars conducted this way, and they have pros and cons. The "pro" are that they require some level of concentration and thus the members are relatively engaged; questions can be posted and answered by the moderator or other participants; video feed or screen shots may be available, and they are relatively easy to set up technically. Cons are that technical glitches are inevitable ("i.e.--help! I see the screen shots & video, but have no audio!") and participants may get distracted. It's not quite the same as spending face time in a room where the cell phone is turned off and everyone at least has the appearance of being engaged in the discourse.

As the project manager I'd ask everyone to introduce themselves, establish their physical location, put up a screen shot of themselves (humans attach a lot of importance to the face, and working with people whose appearance is known makes them seem more "real"), and describe their role in the project. Then I'd outline the project goals and directives, intended audience, budget, schedule and deliverables (sorry, Vaun, there's that word!). We'd establish a mode to work together (at this point I'm kind of interested wikis or chat room as opposed to email--an email string quickly gets unwieldy), and set a regular schedule of interaction, whether synchronous or asynchronous (meaning meetings that happen in real-time, or where contributors post @ their convenience).

My job as project manager requires me to be a cheerleader, so behind the scenes I'm probably meeting with upper level executives to make sure we are creating a product that meets the organization's needs; talking to individual contributors/stakeholders (writers, designers, programmers, database administrators, IT managers, and most importantly, USERS!) on a regular basis by email, posting to any common area such as chat room or wiki. To return to the users for a moment, hopefully some kind of reliable data has been gathered about how information has been gathered disseminated, what the roadblocks are, and how this project will address the needs of the organization's employees.

As the project approaches completion, prototypes should be available online, perhaps with a "public" (i.e. stakeholder) area where features can be tried out and commented on.

I could go on in much greater detail, but in 30 minutes, this is my start. The most important aspect of the project manager's job is to talk to the stakeholders and be the cheerleader and designated go-to person. If enough employees know this is your project, they'll approach you with useful ideas/suggestions. Even if you can't implement them all in the current go-round, you've got a solid base to work from and constituents have bought into your product.

If it sounds like I've "been here" before, it's from a) teaching online, and b) being involved in our college website redesign, and c) being completely frustrated with how our own intranet works. . . or doesn't!