Online Project Management Provider Recommendation

Collaboration Recommendation Memo

Length: 750-1000 words

Weight: 15%

(This is an individual assignment)

Overview & learning objectives:

For this assignment, your task is to write a memo recommending an online collaborative project management system (the recommendation should be in your subject line of your memo to alleviate any misunderstanding), such as Owis, Zoho, AceProject, Binfire, or one of your choosing, to a supervisor in a workplace environment. Students are encouraged to think about their disciplinary requirements for collaborative projects. For example, an engineering collaborative project will have different requirements and objectives than a business collaborative project. Someone working in a marketing or design department in a public relations firm might need a collaboration system designed for their specific needs. Try and imagine the type of work environment you will be in after graduation and research this assignment from that perspective.

The learning objectives for this assignment are:

• to bring a modest amount of secondary research to bear on a problem and to formulate a reasoned position based on that research
• to persuade a superior to consider your opinion using your research as a basis for your argument
• to effectively select, synthesize, and organize information for a specific audience, focusing on relevant material and leaving out unnecessary information
• to use effective document design principles (e.g., the strategic positioning of key information, the use of informative headings, etc.) to make the information in the memo accessible
• to use principles of clear, concise writing to craft a memo at an intermediate range of formality
• to learn about the potential and the pitfalls of using online collaborative management programs for workplace projects

Resources:

In your memo, you must refer to (and properly cite) at least FOUR articles: two of the articles in the resource list below PLUS two relevant articles that you find for yourself. Advice about finding relevant articles is located below.

Bafoutsou, Georgia and Gregoris Mentzas. (2002). Review and functional classification        of collaborative systems. International Journal of Information Management.            22: (4).

Lou, Yiping and S. Kim MacGregor. (2004). Enhancing Project-Based Learning Through       Online Between-Group Collaboration. Educational Research and Evaluation.    10(4-6).

Nitithamyong, Pollaphat and Miroslaw J. Skibniewski. (2004). Web-based construction          project management systems: how to make them successful? Automation in      Construction. 13:(4).

Raman, M. (2006). Wiki technology as a “free” collaborative tool within an organizational       setting. Information Systems Management, 23(4), 59-66.

Romano, N.C. Fang Chen and J.F. Nunamaker. (2002). Collaborative Project    Management Software. Proceedings of the 35th Annual Hawaii International           Conference on System Sciences.

Note: As part of your research, you might go into a collaborative management system to see how it works and to explore how user friendly it is.

When searching for relevant articles, look for those that thoughtfully address risks as well as benefits of online collaborative management systems in the workplace. Articles that offer helpful practical advice about implementing those systems may be useful as well. Avoid articles that simply express wonderment over online collaborative management systems or have a “gee whiz” flavour. Remember that peer-reviewed articles in scholarly journals are the most credible sources.

Writing requirements and suggestions for your recommendation memo

In your recommendation memo, you need to be explicit about whether (or not) you recommend the use of an online collaborative management system your workplace. If you do recommend the implementation of a such a system, you should state explicitly which one you recommend and why. You should also address issues such as cost, security (confidentiality) of information, employee access, ease of use, and potential need for employee training. There is no right answer to this assignment, so the success of your memo will depend on how effectively you organize your information, address the relevant issues, and justify your recommendations.

Formatting

Review the memo structure in Ewald, Chapter 5 and take a look at OWL.com’s explanation of the memo structure at http://owl(dot)english(dot)purdue(dot)edu/owl/resource/590/1/.

This is a recommendation memo and even though Tebeaux and Dragga do not explicitly state what a recommendation memo looks like, you can take elements from the memos they do describe, as well as the OWL.com memo description, to create an effective structure for your recommendation memo.

Recommendation memos are often lengthier than instructional or informational memos so you will want to consider headings and section titles. Remember to keep in mind that your supervisor is very busy and will probably not have the opportunity to read the memo thoroughly. How will you highlight the important information so he or she sees your recommendations while at the same time the document is formatted professionally.

Editing checklist:

Before submitting your memo, make sure that it:

• complies with the length and other requirements set out in these guidelines
• begins with a summary of your key recommendation and then goes on to discuss and
• support that recommendation
• clearly explains what an online collaborative management system is is and why it might be
• useful for collaborative working in your company
• if applicable, includes an explicit recommendation about which system you recommend
• effectively justifies your recommendations
• considers such matters as cost, security (confidentiality), employee access, ease of use, and
• potential need for employee training
• refers to at least two of the articles in the resources section above PLUS two articles you
• found yourself includes properly formatted APA-style in-text citations for sources mentioned in your
• memo and a properly formatted APA-style reference list.
• uses headings (and possibly lists) to organize the information effectively
• is revised and edited so that it’s highly readable, with a professional tone and a clear,
• concise, straightforward writing style
• is spell checked and edited to eliminate common writing errors.
• •

Pitfalls to avoid:

• When writing this memo, keep your reader’s needs and your organizational context firmly in focus.
• Do not focus on the myriad potential uses for on online collaborative management systems; rather, concentrate on the target use of collaborative projects in your organization and possible beyond.

Do not get carried away in an attempt to summarize one or more of the articles you consulted. Rather, select the information your reader will need, and organize your findings into a clear, coherent, and well organized synthesis.