Memo Assignment 2: Context: You are the same petroleum engineer described above working as the Lead Project Manager for Project Newtown Creek. You have been working for Enviro-Clean for the past 10 years and enjoying it very much because Enviro-Clean’s corporate values deeply reflect your own passion for cleaning up the environment. You are proud of being able to assume the Lead Project Manager position for Project Newtown Creek and hope that Newtown Creek will be cleaned up successfully and, hopefully, before the anticipated start date of July 2016. Likewise, you hope your efforts and accomplishments will help you achieve more professional success in the company. As Lead Project Manager for Project Newtown Creek, you are required, as described above, to work with three teams of professionals. You respect all the members of the three teams and want to make sure the relationships you have with them (and that they have with each other) are congenial and productive. While working with Team A and Team C has been going very smoothly, you’re not 100% satisfied with Team B’s performance. Team B has been working hard in various aspects and you have actually been impressed with some of the insightful work they have accomplished, but you notice early on that there have been some problems. Team B has often been late in meeting the internal deadlines you have given them; consequently, you do not always receive Team B’s progress reports as soon as you need them to produce your own reports to upper-level management. Likewise, several Team B members have not always been present at the monthly planning meetings you have been holding with all the teams. Consequently, Team B members are not fully informed about various project details; you find that you have been taking time out of your busy schedule to fill them in about what they need to know. Furthermore, and, perhaps most significantly, Team B may not be researching as thoroughly as needed to determine which NY city and state permits the company needs to acquire as the project ensues. On one occasion, Team B began following outdated state guidelines to secure permits for the necessary of dredging of the creek and wasted a week’s time to correct the mistake. While the project preparation is still in its early stages, you are beginning to worry that any ongoing lack of attention to detail by Team B might jeopardize Enviro-Clean’s ability to start the actual clean-up of Newtown Creek by the target date of July 2016, which, in turn, could potentially prevent the company from securing future city contract bids for other upcoming projects in Lower Manhattan and Staten Island. You want Team B members to improve their performance but don’t want them to think that you have lost your confidence in them. Actually, you know that Team B, like the other teams, have great potential to help get Project Newtown Creek underway. You are relying on Team B as much as the other teams to help your company successfully finish all the necessary preparations to get Project Newtown Creek underway.
Task: Write a clear, concise memo (no more than one page) that aims to get Team B members to improve their performance. Without compromising team/project morale, you should provide specific instructions to help Team B members know what they need to do to improve their efforts. As you write, carefully consider the context details above and decide what should be included in the memo and what should not be included. Make sure you are being comprehensive enough without being unnecessarily wordy. Carefully, consider both the verbal and the visual elements of the memo – what visual markers might you need to include that will help your readers access and retain info quickly and easily? Last but not least, make sure to proofread, proofread, and proofread some more.