Building a Project Team (free Business e-Coach)

"It is amazing what you can accomplish if you do not care who gets the credit."

5 Factors that Make a Project a Success

By: Eric Verzuh, the author of The Fast Forward MBA in Project Management

To be successful, a project must have:

Agreement among the project stakeholders – the team, customer, and management – on the goals of the project... More

GREAT Model

By: Michael S. Dobson

To make your project team function effectively, the first thing you need to know is the GREAT model: Goals; Results; Expectations / Performance; Accountabilities / Abilities; Timing.

The GREAT model specifies what people must know before they can work together effectively... More

Project Management: Business Synergies Approach

The 10 Key Project Leader Skills

Leadership skills; leading the project team through the stages of team development... More

50 Rules of Project Management

Everyone asks for a strong project manager – when they get them they don’t want them.

Managing IT people is like herding cats.

You can con a sucker into committing to an impossible deadline, but you cannot con him into meeting it... More

How To Break Down Barriers To Communication

Organize cross-functional teams for all sorts of projects. Make them as loose or as formal as you see fit but be sure that there is good mixing and that all of the departments contribute... More

Stages of Project Team Development
Forming	The team first comes together; discovering "Why? What? Who? When?". Conflicts have not begin to emerge yet
Storming	Disagreements arise about what needs to be done and who will do it. People merge their individual perceptions of how the work should be done and mold a group perception. Having a strong common goal is one of the most important driving forces to resolving conflicts. This is a necessary and useful stage is you want to create, alignment and ownership.
Norming	The goals, roles, and boundaries have been clarified and accepted by team members. They have taken ownership and accountability for getting the work done. Regular team meetings are required at this stage so that team members can monitor progress and solve problems as they arise.
Performing	The team becomes a true team, working in unison, supporting one another. The team, not the leader, manages the project. Team members make adjustments to keep the deliverables on track; they monitor progress and manage change. The team takes full ownership and accountability, not only for the work to be done, but for the team dynamics as well.

Team Assessment

Adapted from "Project Management", by P.Martin and K.Tate

Complete the following team assessment, using a 1 to 5 scale:

1 = never

2 = sometimes

3 = half the time

4 = most of the time

5 = all of the time

Team member goals are aligned with the organization's/project's goals
The team is focused on interdependent actions
Team members participate in the planning and monitoring/control processes
Major decisions are made primarily by consensus
The organization/project leader and team members own the work/project plan and its execution
Team members are empowered
Conflicts arise and are resolved collaboratively
People on the team feel listened to and supported
Individual style differences are honored
Individual needs are of concern to the team

Free Micro-course

Project Management

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Project Management

Setting Up a Responsibility Matrix: 4 Steps

Jokes

7 Phases of a Project

Murphy's Law in Project Management

Model of a Team Leader

Support them with tasks whenever they have a problem – giving them another resource or working with them... More

Ten3 Mini-Courses

New Management Model (45 slides)