After the project team clarified the requirement, made the plan, and started the design, any change means a "scope creeping." which the project managers would want to void in the first place. However, the competitive business environment demands the project team to adapt to changes. Then, The important thing is that we can't take just any of them. We need a work intake process that defines how new project requests are submitted, reviewed, approved, and added to the project plan. We share with your an example PMO guideline for work intake process setup. 

Project managers can follow the described steps to set up the work intake process for projects: 

• Create a SINGLE entry point for all new requests. 
• Clearly define what information is needed for each request with a template asking for: who made the request, what the request is, why the request is required, the impacts/benefits, the required delivery date, and the point of request contact. 
• Add epics in your project's EXISTING agile ticket tracking system. You need at least two epics: the "Change Requests for Review" hosting all new requests and the "Change Request for Approved" hosting all approved requests to be considered in the next sprint planning. 
• Form a work intake review committee responsible for reviewing the new requests and moving them from "Change Requests for Review" to "Change Request for Approved." Each committee member should have a clear responsibility. The project manager needs to control the reviewing process by requesting the reviews and approvals or scheduling review meetings. Each approved request should come with the review committee's opinions on the benefits, impact, suggestions for prioritization, and delivery timeline. 
• Keep the request transparent to your stakeholder and development team.

The work intake process is fundamental for project management practices, especially when the team complains of having too many requests coming from all different places. The process helps the team stay focused and invest valuable resources in tasks aligned with the organization's strategy.

Reference 

1. Tim Washington, PPM 101: How To Create A Successful Work Intake Process

Virtual meetings become prevalent after COVID-19. PMO needs to provide a guideline to project managers on hosting virtual meetings. An example guideline is shared as follows:

Before the Meeting

• Change background. Many meeting software allows changing the background. You may select different images to give your team some fresh look. 
• Make sure you have enough agenda items to cover in the meeting. If not, cancel the meetings or make them short. 
• ​Confirm that every invitee has a reason to be in the meeting to discuss and make decisions. If not, remove them from your invite. You can send meeting minutes to people who simply need to stay informed. ​

During the Meeting

• Share the agenda slide when waiting for people to dial in. The slide can outline the meeting agenda, tell the team what the meeting is about, and remind people to prepare for their updates. The slide can also remind attendees to test their connections and speakerphone. The slide can also include meeting attendee guidelines like muting while not speaking or asking questions in the chat window during the presentation.
• Start the meeting on time. You can leave sometime in the end, but discussion on time is essential. 
• Make introductions of new members and yourself. If there is anyone new or not, all people know each other, a quick introduction helps. An example interaction is like: Good morning. I an <name>. I am the project manager of …. I will host the meeting today. "
• Request everyone who isn't talking to put themselves on mute.  An example ask is "May I ask everyone to mute your line when you are not talking. Thanks.  You can unmute anytime by press ..."  
• Ensure everyone's participation. Virtual meetings direct attention to people who speak. It removes the possibility for side talks and communication among the attendees. Therefore, the meeting host needs to call everyone for participation. If anyone speak without announcing themselves, you may ask "who is speaking?"
• Repeat significant updates and decisions and ask for confirmation by the speaker and the team to ensure consensus. Speak slowly so everyone can follow.
• Use emotional icons. Emotional supports and feedback to speakers are essential for meeting communications. Since we can't attend in person, using emotion icons helps. As the host, you may teach people to use it by asking, "If you are ready to start, please put a thumb up. "" 
• Use Chat. The chat window can collect questions while not interrupting the speaker. Inviting people to ask questions is a best practice. If you have to leave early, don't interrupt. Type a notice before leaving.  
• Limit the Screen Sharing. Please select an application to share instead of sharing the desktop. If you need time, say, "Please give me a moment to share my screen." 
• Schedule breakout or offline discussions when you find out some deep-dive discussion that is not relevant to all meeting participate or the discussion need extra time. 
• End meeting typically by saying, "We got a lot done today. Thanks for your participation. Have a great day, everyone. We will talk next week." ​

In summary,  meeting hosts need to stay  professional, positive, and engaging. 

Effect Email is fundamental for business communications. I share with you several suggestions for professional and effective email communication. 

1. Start with One Meaningful Subject Line
The email subject line should summarize why you are contacting others in an email. It's important not to overload one email with multiple purposes because when the email could lead to an expanded discussion in an email chain. Mixing numerous unrelated topics can cause confusion. 

2. Annotate the Subject Line to Make It Your Friend
This refers to creating a subject line with more information and driving results. The subject line needs to clearly describe the email and answer the recipient's question, "Why did I receive this email?". The subject can also include Call to Action (CAT) wording to be clarified for the ask, such as: 

• [5 Minutes Feedback]
• [Action Request by <Date>]
• [Approval Needed]
• [Task Due <Date>] ​

​
3. Keep the Email Content Clear, Professional, and On Purpose 
Email is meant to be short, concise, easy to read, and nicely serve its communication purpose. Create the content with simple language, highlight the main points, and discuss questions upfront. Make the content scannable with bullets and bold or colored font to emphasize. Email content at work needs to be formal and professional. This means the email content should follow business etiquette. Things like "Hi Guys.." "What's Up?" would generally be avoided. You also would assume that the email can be forwarded without your content.

4. Create Your Email Signature
You might easily overlook the importance of your email signature. You don't know how often people contact and get to know you. An example signature in the plain text is as follows: 

Name | Role 
Team Information 
Phone: | email: 
"Something links or information about your work." 

When setting up emails, set up the email signature right away. It's critical to show professionalism, connect with colleagues, explain your roles, and publish your expertise.

5. Spicing up with various proper sign-offs can catch people's attention. Avoid using the boring "best regards" every day. Making a change sparks joy. Please include your contact information in the signature so they don't need to look up for you when they need to reach out. 

Tip: Creating a Sign-off to Save Time 
The following is an example signature—the "Hi" reminders to add greetings. The name is added to void repeatedly typing names. The main signature content tells the role and contact information. We leave out the sign-off so we can be creative to add variants. The benefit is that we maximize the retyping in each email. 

Example Email: (Bad)
Subject:  FY2023 Budget Planning
Email Content:
Hi All, 
​
The budget planning for FY2023 is starting, and we request your input by Monday, 05/31 (May 31). Please provide your best budget estimate, including the number of projects, project timelines, including start, end time, and the go-live date, and estimated support hours per month before the due date.

Please forward this email to your teams as appropriate. Thank you.

Best regards,
Sukee 

​Example Email: (Good)
​​Subject:  [Action Request by 5/31/2022] FY2023 Budget Planning Inputs
Email Content:
Hi All, 
​
The budget planning for FY2023 is starting, and we request your input by Monday, 05/31 (May 31).

Please provide your best budget estimate, including: 

• The number of projects
• Project timelines, including start, end time, and the go-live date
• Estimated support hours per month before the due date.

Please forward this email to your teams as appropriate. Thank you.

Best regards,
Sukee Parker 
Managing Director, PMO Advocates
Phone: (670) 543-2222 | Email: [email protected] 
http://pmoblog.weebly.com/pmo PMO who makes innovation thrive.

6. Select Recipients with Consideration 
Every To, CC or BCC name should be well studied. Putting the recipient's name later or after the email is ready can avoid accidentally sending out unfinished emails. BCC is often used when the recipient doesn't need to receive replying emails. If anyone is not included in earlier emails, you can add them via " + Name for visibility" or "+Name for the discussion." Avoid replying until it is necessary. It's polite to avoid jamming others' inboxes. 

7. Stay on One Email Thread for the Same Topic 
​The suggestion tells that you reply to the previous email instead of creating a new one if the discussion is still on the same topic. This helps the audience quickly determine the context. If the email is about a request or an issue follow-up, replying from your previous email emphasizes the history of the discussion and demands attention to resolve the issue in time. We can't emphasize more the importance of clear context for email discussion. If the context is not said correctly, you can summarize the previous discussion or recap the earlier discussion before replying. 

8. Never resolve conflict and differences in email 
This is a golden rule. Because email doesn't capture emotions, tones, and even body gestures, you will have difficulty understanding others' perspectives and showing your empathy via email. If a conflict arises, pick up a phone or schedule a meeting to discuss this in person. We saw people use the inline comment multiple rounds or even quote others' earlier emails to clear and respond. There is an alert telling me it's time to discuss in person. 

9. Reading over 
You need to proofread emails before sending them. Take time for each email you send as they are permeant records. As we talked about earlier, there is no need to rush on anything. Others can wait. Make it right, not quick. Pause before sending to check if there could be any miss understanding. ​​

Follow these tips for your next emails. ​

Editor's Notes: There are some additional tips for emails. (1) Assuming people can forward it to anyone without your permission but not forwarding any email yourself without asking for sender’s permission. (2) Knowing it is a permanent record. (3) Stopping when the discussion becomes emotionally and sensitive. Picking up the phone or meet in person instead. (4) Changing sign-off to fight the boringness.

The project kick-off meeting should start timely when project starts and cover the major areas, including:

• Invite all stakeholders 
• Make time for a team introduction.
• Share the key project details, including project description, benefits, scope, timeline, stakeholder list, assumptions, and risks. 
• Provide the current status, tentative plan, and the next steps. 

We might not confirm all the requirement details at the kick-off meeting.