RACI Chart Analysis - Coursework Example

RACI Chart due: Unit 4 Assignment: People skills part Part Managing peopleNew companies need information on what they require for them to expand and grow. The best information for the business would be from a consultant. For instance, there is this new company seeking my consultation services. The company needs technology to help it set up a unit of selling tractor parts. They have found my expertise in networks invaluable. They have as a result hired me to develop their office network. My team consists of an infrastructure architect, an installation expert, a software expert, and me as the consultant. The team is required to meet goals pertaining to storage, virtualization, unified communications, and information security. Changes in technology require improved infrastructure design. Additionally, management objectives change due to new technical knowledge, new regulations and demands of the potential customers based on their perceptions. However, development of a new network infrastructure required decision-making on the cost and efficiency of the developed system. It has to be a system meeting the needs of the business and at the same time cost-effective. The network managers of the business and their employees also need to gain more effective practical understanding of the working of the system and how to manage it for optimal performance (Schiefelbusch, 2014). RACI CHART Part 2: Analyzing a decision In my assignment, I had to make a decision on the scale of the network required by the organization. The size of a network is an important factor to consider since it helps in the determination of the personnel required, level of expertise, depending on the client’s needs. There are various types of networks, from which a designer I had to select the most suitable for my client. They include local area network (LAN) is usually designed and implemented at the scale of a small office or a single building. This network primarily interconnects the computing resources within one organization. In most cases, LANs usually depend on Ethernet, twisted pair or wireless technology. The other type of a network is wide area network (WAN) which connects a single office to the parent organization. WAN usually covers a wide area such as a metropolitan, regional, or national. Only a few organizations have the resources for building and maintenance of their own WAN links, and is usually more cost-effective to lease them from the local phone or Cable Company. WAN technologies are different in terms of speed, cost, and bandwidth. Another type of network to use is campus area network (CAN). This type of network connects multiple LANs of the same organization, when they are close to each other. However, since most organizations operate from a single office, CANs are only considered for the largest organizations. On this regard, I had to advise my client on the most suitable network for him, which in this case was a campus area network (CAN). After picking the correct network, its corresponding hardware devices, such as data cables, had to be decided on. The cables include coaxial cable, twisted pair, optical fiber and wireless. All the network equipment have to be compatible with the chosen network. From the four options, I chose twisted pair cables. We could not use coaxial and fiber optic cables even though they operate at high speeds, due to the limiting factor that they are very expensive and harder to install. To meet the need for high transmission, we chose Cat 6. To make the decisions, I had to involve all my team members (Global, 2015). Part 3: Naturalistic decision-making According to Bryant, the decision maker has to generate and evaluate potential courses of action sequentially. The other principle is that decision makers do not rely on generation and comparison of alternatives, but they instead rely on situation recognition and matching of the courses of action. The decision makers treat the situation based on their experience. Bryant notes that the decision-makers can match the familiarity with the situation based on previous events. In the event that the decision maker is unable to recognize a given situation, he reacts by finding out more information or develops a story that best explains the situation. After diagnoses of the story, the decision maker then uses mental simulation to form expectations about future events. Likely consequences can also be used to test mental simulation or generation of courses of action. Studies have shown that people act in accordance with naturalistic decision making because most of real-life’s problems are beyond their memory and attentional capabilities (Bryant, 2002). Following the interpretation above, I can summarize naturalistic decision-making as a tool that helps in maneuvering in real-life environments. The approach helps in identification of what particular problem is being dealt with, and solutions can then be drawn from there. Assessment of a situation can also be done using the naturalistic decision-making approach, thus helping in the modification of the course of action accordingly, rather than making deliberate choices between options .The approach seeks to explain decision-making processes by humans, in terms of their expert performance. It involves various models all which share several basic principles. To start with, decisions are made based on evaluation of potential courses of action rather than feature-based comparison of alternatives. Unit 5 assignment: People skills part 2 Part 1: The selling process In the selling process, a business has to invest heavily in building its network. Building the right professional network is a key activity for the business. For instance, there is this client number 3 who deals in car detailing business and would like to explore additional services for the customers. The potential targets for this business are other people in the same business, who can advise the client and also promote his business through referrals. The target customer can be determined by researching on what products are needed and the available markets. The business person can then pursue the potential customer to win him and focus on the demand. After considering this, I advised him to make use of the internet. Through the internet, he can reach a large number of people and sell his business effectively. Internet will offer the client a variety of potential customers, and using internet tools such as social media he can communicate with the clients in real time. The direct conversation with the clients further enhances creation of a large network of people. Additionally, this will help him maintain professionalism, share ideas, and keep connections which are good practices for the business. Part 2: Networking The main reason for networking is to connect with people, thus increasing visibility. The objective behind networking is therefore to realize more success on different platforms of business operations. For instance, attending business networking events can turn out to be a key marketing strategy if well done. Networking also helps in starting relationships that will eventually lead to strategic joint ventures and referrals. However, follow-up has to be done so as to deepen the networks that will increase the bottom line. Additionally, networking connects people to key influencers in their industries and within the target market. A business person should therefore find out the organizations attracting the people he wants to meet and get the biggest investment of his time, money and energy (Österle, Fleisch, & Alt, 2001). Part 3: Research and interpretation Troianello, Cynthia (2006,June 22). 12 Key Negotiating Techniques for Success Inside and Outside of Recruiting. ere.net.Retrieved May 27,2015, from http://www.ere.net/2006/06/22/12-key-negotiating-techniques-for-success-inside-and-outside-of-recruiting/ Effective negotiation techniques are important in everyday situations. Negotiation techniques involve two or more people with the intention of discovering a common ground to reach a mutual agreement. Proper negotiation skills enable business persons to reach the next level of professional success. In the negotiation process, a business person needs to think about what he wants ahead of time, know his goal and the minimum he wants to attain in the negotiation. The process involves talking to the person who counts, and in most cases the decision maker (Troianello, 2006). Part 4 Keywords Network, internet, professionalism, visibility, ventures, target market, negotiation techniques, mutual agreement, decision-making. References Bryant, D. J. (2002, September). Making naturalistic decision making “fast and frugal”. In Proceedings of the 7th International Command and Control Research and Technology Symposium. Global, TechSoup (2015). Networking options. techsoup.org.Retrieved May 27,2015, from http://www.techsoup.org/support/articles-and-how-tos/networking-101-understanding- networking-needs-and-options. Österle, H., Fleisch, E., & Alt, R. (2001). Business networking: Shaping collaboration between enterprises; with 40 tables. Berlin [u.a.: Springer. Schiefelbusch, M. (2014). Linking networks: The formation of common standards and visions for infrastructure development. Farnham: Ashgate. Schraagen, J. M. (2008). Naturalistic decision making and macrocognition. Aldershot, England: Ashgate. Troianello, Cynthia (2006,June 22). 12 Key Negotiating Techniques for Success Inside and Outside of Recruiting. ere.net.Retrieved May 27,2015, from http://www.ere.net/2006/06/22/12-key-negotiating-techniques-for-success-inside-and- outside-of-recruiting/. Read More