Life Without a Project Coordinator
You are a project manager, preparing to facilitate a meeting. You arrive to the meeting site and speak to the receptionist, hoping a projector is available for your use. After a projector is located, you enter the meeting space with a few minutes to power up your computer and the projector. While you wait for your computer to boot up, you realize that you have no sign-in sheet, which is required for this meeting. You quickly pull a piece of paper from a legal pad and scratch the meeting title and date at the top of the paper. Although not professional looking, it will do.
Unexpectedly, the internet connection won’t work and you realize that part of your presentation will be unavailable to the audience. After stalling the audience while you search for a solution, you come to the conclusion that the connection will not be available for this meeting. You are an experienced facilitator and can still present what is available, promising to send the rest of the presentation to the audience at a later time. The meeting attendees are disappointed, however, because you’re unable to walk them through the part of the presentation requiring your expertise.
Midway through the meeting it is evident that an additional meeting should be scheduled for the following day and you inform the meeting attendees that you will coordinate the meeting and get back to them. However, by the time you return to the office and check calendars, you find that schedules are booked and there is no time to meet that is convenient for the entire invitation list. The follow-up meeting will not occur as you had promised the audience.
Now, let’s view the same meeting, with the support of a project coordinator:
You are a project manager, preparing to facilitate a meeting. You arrive to your meeting site to find that the projector is set up with the title slide of your presentation already displayed on the screen. The sign-in sheet and pen sit on the table as attendees enter the room.
Unexpectedly the internet connection won’t work so part of your presentation will be unavailable to the audience. Luckily, the project coordinator in the room knows this meeting space well and is aware that only one data outlet in the room works and you plugged your laptop into a non-working outlet. While you are busy greeting the audience, she changes the cord to the proper outlet and no one is the wiser.
Midway through your meeting it is evident that an additional meeting should be scheduled for the following day. Before the meeting has closed, the project coordinator has scheduled the next meeting, conference room and conference line, ensuring no conflicts with anyone’s schedule. Although no time was available on the following day, the audience is informed of the next meeting before they leave the room.
Life with a project coordinator is just easier. You are able to concentrate on your presentation while the details are managed by the project coordinator. Things run more smoothly and you appear more polished with a project coordinator supporting the team. Without a project coordinator your business may still function, but with a project coordinator your business operates will skillful efficiency.
Quote: Productivity is never an accident. It is always the result of a commitment to excellence, intelligence, planning and focused effort. – Paul J Meyer
