PKM Project "Peer Assist" and " Social Network Services" (2nd brainstorming)

PKM Project "Peer Assist" and " Social Network Services" (2nd discussion our teamwork)

We choose two topics whatever we interested from Essential KM Process and tools to consider” to discuss my tasks that non-IT methods and tools; Peer Assist and IT methods and tools; Social Network Services. We met to discuss our teamwork and we stared to talking about topics what we acquired and shared knowledge to our teamwork.

Non-IT Methods and Tools; Peer Assist

Peer Assist

It is a technique used by a project team to solicit assistance from peers and subject matter experts regarding a significant issue the team is facing. Both the project team and the peer discuss the project and potential issues/concerns and provide solutions. In addition, The team gains project insights from their peers in the meetings. The peers gain as well, learning from the project and from each other.

In order to conduct a successful peer assist, the purpose of a Peer Assist is to shorten the learning curve of the project team and provides an avenue for project teams to surface project issues with outside expertise. Teams can identify real underlying issues, and new approaches and solutions.

The Peer Assist process involves the following steps:

-          Developing a clear definition of the problem

-          Enrolling participants Timing the meeting carefully

-          Running the peer assists meeting

-          Developing a set of lessons from the peer assist and noting the options.

Steps of Peer Assist;

1. Communicate the purpose.

2. Peer assists work well when the purpose is clear and you communicate that purpose to participants.

3. Share your peer assist plans with others. Consider whether someone else has already solved the challenge or if others have similar needs.

4. Identify a facilitator for the meeting. Their role is to ensure that by managing the process the meeting participants reach the desired outcome.

5. Schedule a date that is early enough to do something different with what you learn.

6. Invite more than the usual suspects who have a diversity of skills and experience. 6 – 8 is ideal.

6. Get clear on the deliverables (usually options and insights).

7. Allow time to socialise – people share best when they know one another.

8. Allow 1 to 2 days for the peer assist. Schedule time to Tell, Ask, Analyse and Feedback.

9. Create an environment for sharing. Balance the time between telling and listening.

10. Listen to understand the other person then think how you might improve your own activity. At a peer assist everyone learns.

11. Consider who else might benefit from what you have learned and plan to share it with them.
12. Commit to actions and keep the peer assist team updated.

Who Should be Invited as Peer Assists?

-          Limit the number of Peer Assists to not more than six. It is difficult to have an in-depth discussion if the group is large.

-          Invite only those who have expertise and knowledge regarding the situation the team is facing in the project.

-          The project leader can get suggestions from the team members regarding the possible

invites to the meeting.

Guidelines on Conducting a Peer Assist

The project team needs to think through the objectives of the Peer Assist meeting. The more specific and clear the objectives, the more successful the meeting will be. The project leader is the one who initiates the meeting and, thus, is at liberty to redirect the meeting if the discussion deviates from the objectives.

The project leader or a skilled facilitator can facilitate the meeting. A leader who has a tendency to dominate the meeting should refrain from facilitating the meeting.

Providing the peers with background information of the project and the objectives of the meeting will be helpful. This will ensure that the peer raters can contribute effectively in

the meeting.

Have all the project team members (or their representatives, if the team is large) to attend the meeting. This will provide an opportunity for each participant to ask questions pertaining to their area.

The leader or facilitator should provide an opportunity for the project team members to respond and participate in the discussion.

The project team needs to convene a meeting in order to review what team members have learned from the Peer Assist meeting.

How to Conduct a Peer Assist

The project leader normally initiates the assistance when he or she thinks peers could assist them in their project.

There is no fixed timetable as to when peers can be called in. Some Peer Assists are

called early on in a project while some are called later. It depends on the needs of the project team and the complexity of the project.

The project leader sets the meeting agenda. It could include some of the following items:

-          Introduction of participants

-          Objectives for the meeting and the schedule

-          Presentation of project details and issues

-          Recommendations and discussion

Teams who call for a Peer Assist are not obligated to use the suggestions provided by the peers. However, most find the insights of their peers valuable in their ongoing project work.

It is not necessary for the project team to decide on the recommendations during the meeting. The project team can discuss the recommendations at a later project meeting.

The benefits of a peer assist

Effective peer assist meetings have six parts:

1. The learning team presents the context, history and ideas regarding the task or issue at hand. This should occur in an open and flexible manner to allow its redefinition during the session.

2. The participants consider the problem, and discuss issues of interest - namely, what has been covered, and what hasn’t been covered.

3. The participants consider what the learning team might need to know to address the problem and where they might find that knowledge.

4. The participants reflect on what has been learned from the others and examine options. Again, the learning team should not be the focus here.

 5. The participants should present feedback to the learning team and answer specific questions. This should be informal and deal with what has been learned, what options are available and others’ experiences.

6. The team who called the peer assist should acknowledge the contribution of the participants. Finally, all the participants should be invited to reflect on what they learned, and how they might apply it going forward.

IT Methods and Tools; Social Network Services

 

Social Network Services

A social network is a group of people who share a common area of interest. Social network services are online systems that support social networking. The core services they offer usually include finding people who have similar interests or needs, aggregating people into groups, or subgroups, and being able to communicate with those groups and sharing content, such as documents links to relevant websites, or even streaming video.

The benefit of joining an existing network is that you will find a collection of like-minded people, and be able to have useful conversations immediately. However, if the topic you are interested in is poorly served, it is certainly possible to create a new network cheaply and efficiently. 

Why Use This Tool?

Social networks can be very powerful knowledge-sharing tools. A well-targeted network can provide its members with access to highly relevant knowledge, connections, and advice. In a business setting, knowledge sharing allows companies to have a much closer relationship with customers, and potential customers. Internet-based social networking has opened up a totally new way of managing customer relationships.

How to Use

There are, quite literally, millions of social networking sites. In fact, any website that allows people to register and hold discussions with other members could qualify as a social network. At its simplest, even an email distribution list can be quite an effective networking tool. The first challenge for anyone who wishes to gain the benefits of belonging to a network is to decide whether there is an existing network, which they can join, or whether they need to create a new one.

The steps for getting involved in a social network would, therefore, look like this:

1. Identify the topics you wish to network on.

2. Search the major social networks to see if there are any existing groups. We recommend exploring Facebook and LinkedIn as good starting points If you want to use social networking as part of your strategy to service your customers more effectively, you are likely to both join relevant existing networks, and to start a new one specifically dedicated to your business.

3. Join a network, and read through some of the previous discussions, in order to understand the tone and level. Many social network sites have different discussion areas depending upon, for example, people's level of expertise.

4. Once you feel comfortable in a network, join in the discussions and start to make

 connections.

5. If you want to start your own network because your specific areas of interest are not being well covered, it is often easiest to simply propose the new network within the discussion areas of your existing network. If enough people share your interest, it is usually very simple to create a new space.

6. Content is king. Your new network needs to be valuable to its members. This means that you and your colleagues need to work hard at finding relevant content, encouraging discussion and welcoming new members.