Week 7 Discussion

Please respond substantively to the following (2–3 paragraphs):

• When you’re searching for contractors, consultants, business partners, software, and hardware, what are some methods you use? Be very specific and detailed in how you research these resources and give more than one example (contractor and software search, for example).
  • What method do you use for keeping track of your contacts and leads?
• Once you have a list of resources, how do you decide which to recommend to your company to select for your project? (If you have never done this, research a methodology and report on how you plan to do it.)
  • If you are selecting contractors, consultants, or other human resources, recommend an interview process and gather the costs.
  • If you are looking at software, hardware, or other non-human resources, talk about how you determine the most value to the company for the money. The company is making an investment; how do you determine the best investment for the greatest return? (Be specific on the methodology you use or would use.)
• After responding to the above, write an additional paragraph on why you think your recommendation should be followed and how you can be confident that your recommendation is best for your organization.

Please respond substantively to at least one other post (1–2 paragraphs each post). Choose to respond to those who have few or no responses, as well as interesting conversations you want to join. Remember to get in early in the week for your initial post and then come back a few other times during the week for the best experience.

In your response to your classmate, consider the following (choose one or more):

• Respond to someone whose post focuses on a different kind of resource than yours. Do you see any similarities in the methodology they’re using, or do you think it would work to apply a similar methodology to your research?
• Look at the methodology a classmate is using and talk about how you think it would be helpful for someone on your committee to use. How would you suggest your classmate’s methodology be used by your fictitious company’s counterpart on your project team without insulting that team member? (Diplomacy and interpersonal relationships are important soft skills).
• Comment on whether you think a classmate’s methodology would be easier or more difficult to put onto a spreadsheet than yours. Why or why not?