9.3 Develop Project Team

Up one level

"The process of improving competencies, team member interaction and overall team environment to enhance project performance."

The definition shown above in italics is taken from the Glossary of the Project Management Institute, A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge, (PMBOK® Guide) – Fifth Edition, Project Management Institute Inc., 2013

Project Management Institute, A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge, (PMBOK® Guide) – Fifth Edition, Project Management Institute Inc., 2013 Figure 9-9 Page 273

Teamwork is a critical factor for project success

Developing effective project teams is a project manager’s primary responsibility

A team is:

A group of people with different but complimentary skills
Working to a common purpose, vision and project objectives
Accountable for their actions, taking the risk of conflict but working to resolve it

Bruce Tuckman: Ladder of Team Development

Forming

The team members get to know each other and trust one another.

Storming

Team members begin to assert themselves and control issues as they emerge. They resolve conflicts and achieve consensus.

Norming

The team begins to work productively, without worrying about personal acceptance or control issues.

Performing

The team is working at optimum productivity and are collaborating easily, communicating freely, and solving its own conflict problems.

Adjourning

The team members complete their assigned work and shifts to the next project or assigned task.

Question

You are 4 months into your project to build and implement a bespoke sales CRM system which is integrated with HR for employee and supplier data.

You have increasingly seen signs of tension within two of your 15 teams and last week, there was a noticeable frosty atmosphere between 4 sets of coders from two separate sellers, after a new supplier was brought in to develop the next phase of functionality

Which phase of team development are you in?

A. Storming as this is just a passing phase and this level of conflict is to be expected
B. Forming as they are just “being lads” and will soon settle down
C. Norming as these differences will resolve themselves very quickly
D. Lazing because you have not attended to their needs yet

Is this better?

Training

Steps taken to acquire or improve knowledge, skills, or attitude(s).

Covers whatever topics are needed

Comes in many forms:

On the job; off the job
Reading, online, webinars, seminars
Single/Multi-day, formal workshops.
Coaching and mentoring
Buddy systems
Team Building Activities

PMBOK says training

Could be charged to the project budget
Or borne by the seller if useful on future projects

Role of a PM or Junior PM

Provide a vision
Agree goals and targets
Agree plans and allocate tasks
Provide support and resource
Give and receive information
Exercise many skills:
- Summarizing
- Clarifying
- Motivating
- Counseling
- Communicating
- Coaching
- Monitoring
Create a climate of openness and trust.

Team-building activities

Designed to help team members work together more effectively and develop better working relationships:

Experiential off-site workshops e.g. Building a raft, a tower from A4 sheets of paper, a maze
Communications training
Conflict resolution
Planned team outings
Shared space, publicity and symbols to create a team identity

Interpersonal skills: PMBOK Appendix X3

Interpersonal Skills Include:

Communication

verbal – 7%
non verbal – 55%
paralinguistic – 38% (the way the words are said)

(http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/beyond-words/201109/is-nonverbal-communication-numbers-game)

Emotional Intelligence

“Know your staff”
Understand and acknowledge concerns
Resolve people issues quickly

Assertiveness and Confidence Building

May need to do this as part of using emotional intelligence intelligently

Negotiation and Conflict Resolution

Later in Communications Management

Influencing Skills and Building Trust

Team Building and Facilitation

Stakeholder Engagement

Interpersonal skills for a Project Manager

Managers do things right while Leaders do the right thing

Leadership – ability to make things happen

Communicate the vision
Strong and inspirational
Vary style according to the needs of the situation
- Directive/assertive
- Delegative – involves letting go to a degree
- Facilitational – empowering whilst stepping back
- Supportive – showing trust in them to go and do
Flexible according to the needs of the situation (Hersey and Blanchard “Situational Leadership)

Influencing

Collect information; Talk and listen
Understand
Give/Develop understanding
Persuade others to ones own point of view/seeing weakness in theirs

Decision making

Focus on goals and targets
Stimulate team creativity
Negotiate and influence
Manage opportunity and risk

Build Trust

Reward and Recognition Systems

Reinforcing performance or behavior systematically
Motivating the team to perform better
Rewards include:
Additional vacation time or other perks.
Awards or trophies; Gifts; a bonus
Training or role rotation opportunities
Recognition and Praise

Ground Rules:

Allows team members to discover values that are important to one another as well as to share their commitment to the rules
Can be Implicit or explicit
Establishes expectations as to what is acceptable / unacceptable behaviors

Personnel Assessment Tools

Attitudinal Surveys
Competency Assessment Centres
- Structured test (in tray exercise)
- Aptitude (Numerical, verbal and logical reasoning tests)
Structured Interviews
- Interview Assessment Plan
Ability Tests
Aptitude Tests (SHL; 16pf; OPQ; Thomas International)
Focus Groups

Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs

Source http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maslow%27s_hierarchy_of_needs

An individual moves through these levels during their lifetime
Goes up and can come down
- Redundancy
- Career change
- Mid life crisis
Helps us to manage by understanding our team and where they are in this model.
Model subsequently updated later to include a top layer of Self Transcendence

Herzberg's Motivation-Hygiene Theory

Motivators

Achievement
Recognition
Work Itself
Responsibility
Promotion
Growth

Hygiene Factors

Pay and Benefits
Company Policy & Administration
Relationships with co-workers
Supervision
Status
Job Security
Working Conditions
Personal life

McGregor

Theory X

The average worker is

Inherently lazy
Must be supervised
Threat of punishment needed
Does not like responsibility

Theory Y