A global pharmaceutical company intends to relocate its Information Technology data centers to many locations in different parts of the globe. Therefore, the company has decided to task its project management team with the duty of ensuring a successful relocation of the data centers. The project management team needs a strong message to share the information about the relocation of the data center to other company employees.
As a member of the group, I have been tasked with drafting a compelling written communication that conveys the intended message to the target audience of the written communication. In response, I plan to create an appealing written communication to address the needs and the expectations of the audience. I will brainstorm sessions to evaluate stakeholders’ questions and then develop key messages that address those concerns. I will create a key message that tells a convincing case for change to encourage adoption. The key message will be disseminated using several channels that best suit the audience.
Written communication
The Data Center Move project is relocating the Ultimate Data Center to other locations; a different computer laboratory, a new joint area, and a disaster recovery site situated on a remote location. Relocations will commence in the second quarter of 2021 and continue through the last quarter of 2021. Dissolution of the data center must occur by the end of 2021 to prepare for necessary restructurings. The project team is closely working with the facilities and IT partners to prepare for the move and support end-users to minimize business interruption.
Key Message
The data center relocation presents the company with the opportunity to organize its information technology infrastructure for future opportunities. Relocation of the IT data centers gives the company a chance to create space for any future technological change that may benefit the company. Another key message is that the project management team has established a well-structured and comprehensive strategy to mitigate the risks that may occur during the data center relocation process.
The team has evaluated the possible risks and developed a plan to solve such troubles. Also, for the smooth relocation of the data center, business leaders, top management, owners of the applications, business partners, and the end-users need to assist in the migration process. Their assistance is essential as they are vital to providing necessary resources required for a successful relocation (Hodosi & Rusu, 2019). Lastly, the project management team has a well-outlined procedure for supporting the businesses that depend on the data center during the transfer process. The support will ensure that the repositioning does not affect operations of these businesses.
Is the main point directly presented?
The main point is directly presented to the target audience since the information is straight to the end and clearly stated. Thus, can easily be understood and noted down as intended.
Is the message clear and concise?
The message is clear and concise since it does not contain redundant details. The message is also straight to the point, and the audience can easily comprehend it. Also, the message uses just a few words to convey the intended information to the target audience.
Is the message aligned with your audience’s goals and needs?
The message precisely responds to the target audience goals and needs. The target audience has always wanted to relocate to other locations to expand their data center workspace and improve their infrastructure. The message answers some of the compelling questions that the audience has been asking for: Will the migration process affect business operations of the users who depend on the data center?
Necessary information
The project team has developed a comprehensive plan to mitigate the risks involved throughout the relocation. During this process, we will need IT partners, business leaders, application owners and other stakeholders for a smooth transition process (Reddy, 2018). The project team has also laid down an appropriate strategy to support businesses that depend on the submission during the relocation of the applications.
My position as a trusted colleague
I have a great sense of formal and informal relationship with the team members, having served as a software developer in the organization for more than two years. During that period, I frequently consulted and communicated with the project leaders on a wide range of topics concerning issues related to project management. Consequently, it enabled me to gain great information from this kind of projects. I was also able to prioritize the teamwork aspect by allowing it to be part of the performance administration method. In addition, I did win the top management’s trust, having showcased my ability during my tenure as a software developer.
Supporting Points
What three to four points, reasons, or justifications support your message?
The data center move is prompted by site transformation; we must evacuate the legacy data center by the last quarter of 2021.
- We are using the chance to improve our infrastructure and organize our data center, which will guarantee better performance in the near future.
- The migration has business benefits such as IT expansion, advanced interactive technologies in networking and energy savings.
We have researched all the possibilities of relocation and established a comprehensive outline of risk mitigation.
- The project involves a pilot phase to test and plan all the facets of the data center move.
- Careful planning and preparation will help resolve challenges during the process and guarantee the least business disruption.
The project team relies on the application owners to disseminate information, share, and test and transfer our applications.
- The project team depends on the IT leadership to receive the support of the application owners by communicating the importance of the project to their productivity. Therefore, the team is working in collaboration with IT partners to develop technical support to aid end-users of the application.
- The clients will be able to request support from the help center in the event of any issues that may arise with the usage of the above innovation. This is important since it will ensure client confidence and satisfaction in the offered services.
What sources will you use to obtain facts and data about your message?
I will employ the use of existing examples of successful data center relocations conducted in the recent past. Having worked as a software developer in the IT team which had the mandate of leading the migration process, I will be able to recognize some of the significant setbacks that a repositioning data center can experience. Similarly, I have regularly communicated with the top management concerning the relocation of the same and acquired meaningful information on the end project’s ideas and expectations. My experience in dealing with such projects will also be of great significance at this particular stage.
Action Request
What is your action request?
The primary action request is to transfer the data center to other locations and to organize the involved infrastructure for improved productivity.
Is your action request clear, concise, and easily actionable?
The action request is concise, clear, and easily achievable since the project’s time frame is limited. The availability of an accomplishment plan makes the task easily manageable.
Audience
Who is your target audience?
The target audience includes the company administrators, investors from various economy sectors, software developers and network engineers. The last two groups of experts possess a wide range of skills on migrating a data center efficiently from one location to another. The target audience is responsible for making informed decisions on how the data center relocation process will occur. Thus, these professionals will play a vital role in ensuring a smooth relocation of the data center.
What are the professional positions of the audience members?
The professional positions for the audience members include: network engineers, quality assurance specialist, data center virtualization personnel, project management professional, system security manager and cloud architect specialist.
What demographic characteristics will the audience comprise?
The target audience does not have specific demographic characteristics. However, there exists a large group of professionals whose primary aim is to conduct the migration process successfully. For instance, the top management has a keen interest in the fiscal and organizational productivity impacts of the planned project.
What is your relationship with the audience?
As a software developer in the organization, I have developed a decent rapport with many of the audience, and have also established a formal and informal friendship with most of these individuals. I have also interacted with those who held the same position in the past. As a respectable team player I do understand that if group participants have decent working interactions, it will positively influence their performance. Good relations comprise respect, communication and uprightness, which can be advantageous when functioning as a team.
What background knowledge and expertise does the audience have?
The audience has comprehensively developed interaction with informational technologies and the management of different projects in information technology. All the top employees of the company have a profound knowledge of both data center and application migration. This group also has an understanding of how to mitigate the risks involved in transferring the data center.
What does the audience know, feel about, and expect concerning this communication?
There are varying feelings and expectations about migrating the data center to other locations. The top management has embraced and welcomed the idea hoping that it will have immense organizational and financial benefits. However, the end-users of the application have an opinion that the operation may significantly disrupt their activities, resulting in loss of income. The employees are concerned that the whole process of relocating to other locations may cause them to lose their jobs. Information technology investors on their part are concerned that the occurrence may result in time constraints.
What preconceptions or biases do you possess that might prevent you from building rapport with your audience?
Communicating to the new team at early stages may be difficult since my relationship with its members is not yet established. Furthermore, I am also not aware of their communication preferences, and understanding them might take a considerable amount of time. Likewise, my informal relationship with other employees may hinder task performance at the project implementation’s preliminary stages. On the positive side, however, I have managed to create a respectable working bond with the project administration team members. This will allow me to undertake some of the tasks with the assistance of the appropriate knowledge of specific team members through consultations and team work. Therefore, I intend to utilize this relationship in achieving the objectives of the project.
What information is available about your audience?
I am well acquainted with the audience preferred method of communication, attitudes and choice of various interaction channels. Normally, people prefer a servant leadership style; and the information I have regarding this particular group’s workplace preferences, will aid in earning their trust, which will allow me to perform my duties effectively.
What research or sources will you use to obtain information about the audience?
Apart from applying the current plan to provide a basis, I will also be using personal experiences, manager feedback, and knowledgeable individuals to obtain data and facts. It will also be of great value to utilize the Universal Studios Team Member guidebook to ensure company guidelines are met. Thus, a combination of all the above sources will provide a great amount of crucial and beneficial information which will ensure a successful transfer of the data center project.
What conclusions have you been able to draw about the audience?
The target audience involved in the relocation was much interested in the benefits of the project implementation. They had several questions about the quantitative outcomes of the process. They were also interested in how the data center’s migration would impact their jobs and workplace settings since the employees will have to be separated or divided when the project is completed.
What tone will you use to convey your message?
I will primarily use the formal tone to communicate my message, since it is the most recommended and acceptable professional tendency. However, I will need to be relatively informal in special cases where casual communication is the best method to convey the intended idea successfully.
Is the setting casual or formal?
The setting of communication is formal since it will involve top management, project leaders and other audience who will require well-structured information that can only be delivered by formal communication.
Is the communication personal or impersonal?
Since I have an informal relationship with the audience, I would like the communication to be personal. Therefore, I would monitor every management process with ease since most of the employees may consult me concerning the various processes involved in the relocation process. It is in the best interest of this project that any issue raised by the audience should be dealt with in an appropriate and effective manner to ensure confidence and trust.
Channel Selection
What communication style will you employ and why?
I will employ the use of consult-join procedure to convey the message to the target audience. This method has a relationship pattern that best suits the company’s communication culture. The group aimed at receiving the message is well knowledgeable on the merits and demerits of the consult-join approach, enabling them to easily understand the communication passed using that methodology. Similarly, my main objective is to share my vision of the planned project and help other team members ensure that the end goals are achieved (Bhushan et al., 2018). Therefore, consult-join is the most appropriate approach in disseminating the message to the target audience.
What channels will you use to deliver your message, and why will they be the most effective?
Electronic mails, presentations, social media updates and online meetings via zoom are the primary methods that I will employ to disseminate information to other stakeholders. This is because the channels offer the fastest, cheapest, safest, and the most convenient techniques of conveying information in an organization. Correspondingly, a large portion of the audience is familiar with these communication links, making them the best means to use.
What purpose is served by each style and channel selected?
Emails convey crucial information to the audience precisely, efficiently and conveniently. They are essential when one has important updates that need to be handled instantly. Similarly, presentations provide a large audience coverage and allow individuals to ask questions concerning the message being conveyed. In regards to online meeting through Zoom, this feature can accommodate all the stakeholders, thereby ensuring that all parties are well informed about the data center migration plans. Social media updates are also important as they can be easily accessed by a substantial number of target audiences (Appel et al., 2020). Thus, it can be used to pass the message on a large platform since it covers an even wider region. Another channel is the specification print outs, where the audience should be given pamphlets or brochures to further their understanding and to help them acquire information needed to implement the project.
References
Appel, G., Grewal, L., Hadi, R., & Stephen, A. T. (2020). The future of social media in marketing. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 48(1), 79-95.
Bhushan, U., Gujarathi, R., & Kaur, J. (2018). Analysis of human resource outsourcing with regards to competitiveness of organizations. Open Access Journal of Science, 2(4), 265-272.
Hodosi, G., & Rusu, L. (2019). IT Outsourcing: Definition, importance, trends and research. In Risks, relationships and success factors in IT outsourcing (pp. 1-9). Springer, Cham.
Reddy, D. M. (2018). Evaluating the potential risks associated with HR outsourcing in cross sectional industries – a perspective of employees. International Journal of Culture and Tourism Research, 11(1), 21-28.