CSTE Common Body of Knowledge

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CSTE Common Body of Knowledge

• Knowledge Domain 3 Test Management
• Communication
• Nancy Phelps
• 6-15-04

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Communications

• Giving Information
• Receiving Information
• Personal Effectiveness

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Giving Information

• Do it privately
• Have the facts
• Be prepared to help the worker improve his/her
  performance
• Be specific on expectations Be sure your
  subordinate knows exactly what you expect from
  him/her now and in the future.
• Follow a specific process in giving the
  criticism.

4
Recommended Process

• Indicate the deficiencies with products or
  services produced by the individual..
• State the positive first
• Get agreement that there is a problem..
• If the subordinate is unable to solve the
  problem, suggest the course of action that you
  had determined before performing the criticism.
• Make a specific contract regarding what will
  happen after the session. Be very specific in
  what you expect, when and where you expect it.

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Giving InformationOral Delivery

• General guidelines to follow as you make an oral
  system proposal
• Emphasize best solution to the customers
  problems
• Emphasize project team is well equipped to
  implement this solution
• Sell the corporate experience of your project
  staff and yourself
• Sell your personal management capabilities
• Sell the technical expertise of the project staff
  and yourself
• Sell your enthusiasm to do this project
  effectively, efficiently and economically

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Three Main Parts to the Presentation

• Preparing for the system proposal
• Presenting the system proposal
• Closing the system proposal

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Preparing the System Proposal Suggested Outline

• The problem to be solved
• System proposal solution constraints
• The proposed solution
• Impact on people
• Impact on other systems
• Impact on cost
• How to approve the project

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Preparing System Proposal

• Emphasize in your mind the three most important
  points you want to make in the presentation
• Rehearse your presentation
• Understand the alternatives
• Presentation should not last more than one hour
• Better to say too little and have them ask
  questions, than to say too much and have them
  bored.

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Preparing the System ProposalPowerPoint
Presentation

• Use one slide for each major point in
  presentation
• Use pictorial illustrations
• Limit the text on each slide
• Leave details to oral discussion
• Presentation should expand on areas included on
  slide
• Lay out presentation, identify key points

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Presenting the System Proposal

• Start and stop on time
• Make the contents of the presentation serve the
  customers needs
• Think in broad concepts
• Be enthusiastic and act enthusiastically
• Use terms your audience understands
• Use terms you understand
• Include examples to support all points covered
• Issue handouts summarizing the briefing
• Always have a cup of coffee or glass of water by
  your side
• Its not a sin to not know the answer to a
  question
• Always end any presentation with impact

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Closing the System Proposal

• The close is getting approval to proceed
  according to the proposal
• The closing will normally occur at the end of the
  presentation
• Be prepared for the close at any time during the
  presentation
• Dont be concerned about objections to your
  proposal these should be considered

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Receiving Information Effective Listening

• Some facts about listening
• Listening is the first language skill we develop
  as children
• Listening is the most frequently used form of
  communication
• Listening is the major vehicle for learning in
  the classroom
• Salespeople often lose sales because they believe
  talking is more important than listening

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Why people dont listen

• They are impatient
• They are too busy rehearsing
• They are self-conscious
• External stimuli
• They lack motivation and responsibility required
  of a good listener
• The speakers topic is not of interest to them

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Listening Process

• Hearing the speaker
• Attending to the speaker
• Understanding the speaker

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Hearing the Speaker

• Information channel speakers subject
• Verbal channel Words used by the speaker
• Vocal channel tone of voice associated with the
  words
• Body channel body movements and gestures
• Graphic channel pictures, charts, etc.

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Attending to the Speaker

• Maintain eye contact with the speaker 80 of the
  time
• Provide continuous feedback to the speaker
• Periodically restate what you heard the speaker
  say
• Free your mind of all other thoughts
• Move periodically to the understanding step to
  ensure that the information passed has been
  adequately understood

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Understanding the Speaker

• Five types of listening and their impact on
  understanding
• Discriminative listening
• Comprehensive listening
• Therapeutic listening
• Critical listening
• Appreciative, or enjoyment listening

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Personal EffectivenessConflict Resolution

• Get on the customers wavelength
• Show interest in your customers problem
• Physically display interest
• Get on the same physical wavelength
• React positively to your customers concern.
• Get the facts
• Ask probing questions
• Take detailed notes
• Observe feelings and attitudes
• Listen carefully to what is being said
• Establish and initiate an action program
• Admit the error
• Negotiate a satisfactory resolution with the
  customer
• State the solution and get agreement
• Take action
• Follow up with the customer

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• Establish and initiate an action program
• Admit the error
• Negotiate a satisfactory resolution with the
  customer
• State the solution and get agreement
• Take action
• Follow up with the customer

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Personal EffectivenessImage and Influence

• Image is how others perceive you.
• Six basic attributes of executive image
• Purposeful
• Competent
• Analytical
• Decisive
• Confident
• Appearance

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Personal EffectivenessFacilitation

• Task Force Management Principles
• Should include individuals from all areas with a
  vested interest in the decision to be made
• Leader should be an expert in leading groups
• Should encompass the best people available in the
  organization to deal with the problem
• Knowledge of the business area
• Open-mindedness
• Knowledge of the situation
• Clout
• Needs a clear description of the problem to be
  addressed
• Output of the task force should be a recommended
  course of action

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Personal Effectiveness - Facilitation
continued

• Task Force Organizational Principles
• Limited to three to eight members
• Work should begin when the need is recognized
• Finish the task force business quickly
• Meet on neutral ground
• Appoint someone to record all significant
  information
• Do not permit discussion of task force business
  with outside individuals during the task force
  period

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Behavior Change Techniques

• Prepare for awareness training
• Select awareness topic
• Identify the topics customers
• Define awareness training objectives
• Define the customer benefits
• Develop administrative training plan

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Awareness Training

• Conduct Awareness Training
• Attendees needs
• Awareness topic/product
• Identify objections to product/problem
• Overcome objections
• Recommend course of action

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Team Building

• Avoid group think
• Assign a person to be a devils advocate
• Use outside experts as resource
• Break up into subgroups for discussion
• Let the group think the project over for a few
  days
• Prevent group members from divulging personal
  opinions
• Quality is everybodys responsibility

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NetworkingCode of Ethics

• QAI certificate holders shall
• Exercise honesty, objectivity and diligence in
  performing their duties and responsibilities
• Exhibit loyalty
• Not engage in acts or activities that are
  discreditable to the profession of information
  technology quality assurance
• Refrain from entering any activity that may be in
  conflict with the interest of their organization
  or would prejudice their ability to carry out
  their duties and responsibilities
• Not accept anything of value from an employee,
  client, customer, supplier, or business associate
  of their organization that would impair to be
  presumed to impair their professional judgment
  and integrity

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Code of Ethics continued

• Undertake only those services that they can
  reasonably expect to complete with professional
  competence
• Be prudent in the use of information acquired in
  the course of their duties.
• Reveal all material facts known to then that, if
  not revealed, could either distort reports of
  operation under review or conceal unlawful
  practices
• Continually strive for improvement in their
  proficiency and effectiveness and quality of
  their service
• Maintain and improve their professional
  competency through continuing education
• Maintain high personal standards of moral
  responsibility, character and business integrity