Project Planning and Coaching for Success

Posted on Dec 19, 2024 in Other subjects

Effective Proposals and Project Planning

An effective proposal is one that secures the desired job for the consultant at their usual fee. An effective report delivers customer satisfaction, professionalism, and accuracy. It also involves the actual receipt of the consultant’s fees.

Key Questions to Consider

When should the project start?
Do you have sufficient funds to undertake it?
When do you expect to complete the project?
To whom should I respond?
Will you work with me?
Who can answer any questions you have?

Report: Here, you convey all your knowledge about this kind of problem.

The Proposal: This is simply a reiteration of your background and expertise in the area, a general idea of what your report would contain, a listing of your fees, and a target date for the report.

Advisory: This proposal should express generalities about what you will do for the client, the goals, and the areas where you intend to comply. It should be much more detailed and extensive than before.

Letter: Your essay should reflect your way of speaking. Proceed with authenticity. Do not inflate your proposal or report.

Characteristics of a Strong Proposal

Covers each of the client’s problematic areas.
Is not repetitive.
Is brief but specific.
Does not promise anything that cannot be met.
Does not reveal exactly how the client can achieve those goals, nor does it provide overly concrete elements for this proposal to be the usual “do it yourself.” If they want to do so, they will have to resort to the consultant.

There is no doubt that these objectives can be achieved.

Objective-Oriented Project Planning

No ideas are lost.
Greater clarity and precision of ideas.
Issues can be identified during or prior to discussion.
Facilitates the analysis and structuring of ideas.
Sorts participation.
Facilitates the identification of solutions and knowledge sharing.

Problem Analysis

Identify the main problems of a situation.
Define the central problem of this situation.
Analyze the problems of the situation by establishing cause-and-effect relationships in a problem tree.

Developing the Problem Tree

Identify the main problem.
Identify the core problem.
Describe the causes of the central problem.
Describe the effects generated by the central problem.
Develop a scheme that illustrates the cause-effect relationships in a problem tree.
Check the complete schedule and verify its validity and integrity.

The problem is the negative state of a situation. It is necessary to identify existing problems, not possible, future, or fictional ones. A problem is not the absence of a solution.

The quality of the problem analysis depends on:

The communication group, their level of information, and analysis capacity.
The precision in the formulation of problems.
The strength in the construction of the problem tree.

Analysis of Objectives

To describe the future situation that will be achieved by solving problems, it is necessary to identify possible alternatives for the project.

Preparing the Tree of Objectives

Formulate all the negative conditions of the problem tree in the form of positive conditions that are desired and achievable.
Look for media relations to ensure the validity and integrity of the scheme.
If necessary:

Change the formulations.
Add new, necessary means.
Remove unnecessary objects.

Objectives must be understandable to the reader, referring to an intention or desire for change, and adjusted to the planning time, i.e., not falling short or exceeding the planning time. They should be a means to an end and must be treated as such. They should resolve the situation or the state of the problem.

Results: A result is evidence of the desired change, i.e., the visible expression of the objective. The results or products must lead to the achievement of the objectives.

Activities: An action in time that has a beginning and an end must be well-defined. Among the activities are those that immediately release the results:

If they were well-chosen.
When planning and implementing in the proper order.
If they are consistent and sufficient.

Action Plan

Activities to achieve the result. It must:

Characterize the current state of work developed by the institutions involved.
Develop an analysis that reflects the needs of support for institutions involved in implementing strategies of coexistence, security, and peace.
Discuss, with the support of experts, the possibilities for cooperation.
Jointly design pilot projects.
Accompany and evaluate the experiences and disseminate them.

Indicators: They specify in precise terms the content of each objective and outcome. They set targets for measuring compliance with the objectives and results. They constitute bases for monitoring and evaluation.

Project Roadmap: Identification, planning, organization, implementation, evaluation, and completion.

Coaching for Optimal Performance

Coaching is the process of helping people perform to their maximum capabilities. The methodologies are aimed at the objectives. Problems are focused on settlement and development. Coaching from a systemic perspective visualizes the impact that a decision may generate in other systems.

Areas of Coaching and Core Competencies

Self (Internal States): Understanding one’s own emotions and thoughts.
System (Systems Thinking): Recognizing the interconnectedness of elements.
Meta (Strategic Thought): Planning and adapting strategies.
Other (Relationship): Building and maintaining effective relationships.

Logical Levels of Change, Communication, and Learning

Each level involves different types of processes and interactions that incorporate and organize information from the lower level.

Spiritual (Why else?): Gives a meaning beyond oneself and attaches to a greater reality. What guides and shapes our lives. Importance: Vision of Life.
Identity (Who? For?): Determines the purpose (mission) as a whole and shapes values and beliefs through our sense of self. Importance: Mission, sense of self.
Beliefs and Values (Why?): They provide the effort (motivation and permission) to support or deny the building. Importance: Permission, motivation.
Capacity (How?): Capabilities guide and give direction to the actions of behavior through a mental map, plan, or strategy. Importance: Strategy plan.
Behavior (What?): It is about specific actions or reactions developed within the environment. Importance: Actions, reactions.
Environment (Where? When?): Environmental factors determine the opportunities and constraints to which a person has to react. Importance: Opportunities, needs.

Environment: Influence is directed towards the coach’s environment, providing support to the context where the task is done by enabling the necessary resources to meet the objectives. It also avoids distractions from the context. It addresses the WHERE and WHEN of the system to intervene. Care and guide: The guide is related to providing support with respect to the environment in which change takes place in the individual or organization. It aims to create a context as supportive as possible for its employees.

Coaching for Performance – Behavior: When the influence is directed toward specific behavioral changes, the coach helps overcome the resistance and interference of the environment and facilitates their function as part of the team. WHAT should be directed to do specifically. It is aimed at helping customers develop specific behavioral skills. The methods of this type of coaching involve the enhancement of their skills through observation, encouragement, and feedback. Establish clear objectives. Provide positive feedback and encouragement through explicit messages, aimed at both the task and the relationship.

Method of Feedback

What is it that I found? What about the goal? What takes you away from the goal? What can you add to improve?

Feedback: Information given to a person or group on its performance, in order to maintain, improve, or correct it, suggesting specific alternatives of behavioral change. The way information is delivered will depend on whether a change is made to help workers work on their development. What is important is the way or manner in which information is delivered.

Constructive Feedback: Seeks to make contributions to enable the person to take concrete action to strengthen and/or improve aspects of their performance. The mood of both the feedback provider and the receiver must be taken into account.

Effective Feedback: Giving information while respecting the receiver. It keeps the relationship intact, open, and healthy. It validates the feedback process in future interactions and is an invitation to interact. RESULTS: Builds confidence, develops skills, and encourages contribution. Feedback only describes the person’s behavior. It is not performed or based on assumptions. It focuses on behavior, not on the person. It refers to specific issues, not generalities. It takes into account the needs of both the person who gives it and the person who receives it. It must address behaviors that can be modified. It must propose a feasible and verifiable alternative for change. It must be at the level of environment, behaviors, or skills, never at the level of identity.

Communication Styles

Visual: Somewhat rigid posture, moves upward, rapid shallow breathing, sharp voice, fast, choppy rhythm, visual words.
Auditory: Relaxed posture, listening position, broad medium-paced breathing, good voice timbre, auditory words.
Kinesthetic: Very relaxed posture, low movements, deep and broad breathing, deep voice, slow with pauses, references to sensations in the choice of words.

Strategies: A strategy is the sequence of senses that people use in their thinking process to achieve a goal.

Strategic Thinking: Initiative, proactivity, business vision, focus on results.

Strategic Thinking Skills: To define and achieve specific goals or objectives. It is the ability to identify the relevant target, determine the starting point, and establish and recognize the steps and appropriate ways to achieve the ultimate goal. It involves comparing the present state and the desired state and identifying the skills and resources needed to reach the goal. This is at the level of mental processes that go abroad through behaviors (strategies). If you are satisfied with the progress, changes and resources are added. No failures, only results. Keep in mind: motives, means, opportunities, expectations of achievement, self-efficacy, response, and beliefs.

Beliefs – Mentor: Mentors advise and support others in terms of their values and beliefs. People’s values and beliefs determine the degree of motivation they feel and the permission they have to apply their skills and take action, either by opening alternatives or even placing limits and boundaries. You have to register metaprograms: Metaprograms are a number of distinctions that we use to analyze and identify basic styles of thinking and learning. The combinations of metaprogram patterns constitute a person’s thinking style and tell us how to structure their world model and how to classify their experiences.

Identity – Sponsor: Influence regarding identity helps to discover the sense of self. What is your mission in the role you play in the organization and in your personal life? It answers the question, “Who am I?” Sponsor: Sponsorship means supporting people to grow and change at the level of identity. The sense of identity is related to one’s perception of oneself. Being an effective sponsor means recognizing and accepting the other on a deeper level. Messages are: You are valuable, you have something to contribute, you belong to this community.

Transpersonal – Awakener: Influence on the spiritual level is addressed to the vision of our partners within the larger system to which they belong. Awakening covers the level of vision and is related to our sense of something beyond the image we have of ourselves, to influence the larger system which includes values, beliefs, thoughts, actions, and feelings. One who awakens another supports them by providing contexts and experiences that bring out the best of understanding and awareness of the purpose of being and how to make changes in the larger system to which they belong. Strategic coaching brings people, teams, and organizations from where they are today to where they want to be tomorrow.