MONITORING ACTIVITIES APAMSA Leadership Development Module

Monitoring Activities  Monitor work by observation, event report analysis, quality inspection, or progress review meetings  Focus on work performance, progress, quality, and results  Investigate team needs, satisfaction, and relations Task-Oriented Behaviors Source: G. Yukl, Leadership In Organizations (New Jersey: Pearson Prentice Hall, 2006, p )

Task-Oriented Behaviors  Monitoring Activities Monitoring provides the information needed for planning and problem solving Identify one activity in your project worthy of monitoring and briefly describe a few problem areas discovered and how they were addressed. Leadership Challenge (13)

Monitoring Activities  Measure key activities  Measure progress  Seek feedback from external sources  Observe activities directly  Obtain specific work details  Disclose problems and mistakes  Conduct progress reviews Guidelines For Monitoring Activities Source: G. Yukl, Leadership In Organizations (New Jersey: Pearson Prentice Hall, 2006, p )

Monitoring Activities  Identify performance data most relevant for team goals and priorities  Measure quality, progress, and success of key activities  Data depends on the nature of the task (e.g., number of attendees, number of items sold, satisfaction) Measure Key Activities Source: G. Yukl, Leadership In Organizations (New Jersey: Pearson Prentice Hall, 2006, p )

Monitoring Activities  Assess progress in terms of ability to accomplish key objectives  Compare actual cost of each activity relative to budget allotment—wasting resources?  Identify performance deficiencies, cost overruns, and behind-schedule projects Measure Progress Source: G. Yukl, Leadership In Organizations (New Jersey: Pearson Prentice Hall, 2006, p )

Monitoring Activities  Seek third-party sources for feedback about work performance  Survey participants, partners, and sponsors for honest feedback about activities Seek Feedback From External Sources Source: G. Yukl, Leadership In Organizations (New Jersey: Pearson Prentice Hall, 2006, p )

Monitoring Activities  When feasible, directly observe and evaluate team members in action  Direct observation is desirable to monitor inexperienced and insecure team members Observe Activities Directly Source: G. Yukl, Leadership In Organizations (New Jersey: Pearson Prentice Hall, 2006, p )

Monitoring Activities  Inquire about work quality, productivity, costs, schedule, team needs, team satisfaction, and team relations  Note the trends for each factor and their impact on work performance and progress Obtain Specific Work Details Source: G. Yukl, Leadership In Organizations (New Jersey: Pearson Prentice Hall, 2006, p )

Monitoring Activities  Encourage reporting of problems and mistakes (“no blame” approach)  Address problems before they become serious  Address team dissatisfaction, role conflicts, declining quality, inactivity, low productivity, cost overruns Disclose Problems & Mistakes Source: G. Yukl, Leadership In Organizations (New Jersey: Pearson Prentice Hall, 2006, p )

Monitoring Activities  Conduct periodic progress review meetings  Reformulate team goals, plans, strategies, and activities  Assess needs for training, coaching, and assistance  Recognize achievements and allocate rewards Conduct Progress Reviews Source: G. Yukl, Leadership In Organizations (New Jersey: Pearson Prentice Hall, 2006, p )

Task-Oriented Behaviors  Monitoring Activities Monitoring provides the information needed for planning and problem solving Guidelines for Monitoring Activities offer key tools to identify problems and opportunities to reformulate plans and goals Utilize these guidelines to improve work performance Summary

Task-Oriented Behaviors  After-Activity Review Our next module discusses guidelines to better evaluate work activities and facilitate team learning Next Topic…

Task-Oriented Behaviors  G. Yukl, Leadership In Organizations, New Jersey: Pearson Prentice Hall, 2006, p  Free Management Library Sources