07 Aug 10 Tips For Managing A Project Team
No project has ever been successful without the project team working together. The better the team knows how to collaborate, the better is the project result.
We all know the story of Apollo 13. In fact, it is a movie every project manager should watch! This evergreen movie was based on the NASA Apollo 13 lunar mission where the astronauts were supposed to land on the moon for the third time. Everything was going on as planned before the astronauts realized that the oxygen tank had exploded. The Lunar landing was cancelled, but it was really difficult, almost next to impossible to bring the astronauts back on the earth alive! Extremely well planned and executed collaboration brought the crew back on the earth. The team actually wrote history with their superb efforts.
A team that is well bonded together, knows what work needs to be done and how it needs to be done can deliver the best results. Every project manager dreams of such a team. A project manager needs to make continuous efforts to help the team bond well together. A good pm needs to remember following tips to build a great team.
1. Choose your team carefully
The team needs to be chosen carefully. It has to be a good mix of skillsets and attitude. The project manager should be clear about the roles and responsibilities of the team members on the project. Getting these roles and responsibilities clear before you assign faces to them will help you onboard a team that would be able to deliver the project successfully.
Saying so is many times easier than actually doing as the skillsets and attitudes combination may not be available in your organization
2. Align with the Line Managers of the team
In functional organizations, or anytime when you need to get resources through line managers, it makes sense to network well with those line managers and establish a good rapport with them so that your team members are not withdrawn frequently.
3. Ensure Clarity
As soon as team members join your team, ensure that they are absolutely clear about what is expected from them. What is the work they are supposed to do? What impact their work has on the project success and other team members’ work. Helping them realize the impact of their work on others’ work and the project success is very important as this will lead to they taking the responsibility.
4. Ensure Buy-in
Once the team members know their work, they may feel overwhelmed or they may feel that delivering what is expected from them is a little tough. Getting a very clear agreement on the work will have the team committed to work and time lines.
5. Develop A Team Charter
The team needs to collaborate with each other and also other stakeholders. There are many different interactions that are bound to happen on a project. To ensure smooth collaborations, expectations of the team members and the project manager have to be understood clearly. Discussing with the team and developing a project charter will solve this problem and the team can work without friction.
6. Remember, Tuckman Ladder Model Works
Give your team a chance to settle in. they may not be productive as soon as they join your team. They need to understand and bond professionally with each other before they can fulfil your expectations from them. If they have not worked together before, they will undergo all the 5 stages of the Tuckman Ladder Model (Forming/Storming/Norming/Performing/Adjourning). HElp them bond together faster by planning activities that encourage bonding
7. All Work And No Play Makes Jack A Dull Boy
Ensure that you have some time to have fun with the team. It does not necessarily have to be a formal activity. Just having a few minutes of ice breaker when the team is “Forming” or having some fun activity together or having a one on one informal chat with each team member goes a long way!
8. Be A Servant Leader
The team needs your support. Rather than being a “Manager”, if you anticipate what issues the team is likely to face or understand the problem the team is facing right now and solve the problem for them, the team will be able to work better together. To give 2 examples, coordinating with a difficult stakeholder who is not giving time to the team or helping the team collaborate with the vendor removes problems from the team’s way, freeing them to concentrate on their work. This would invariably result in improved work.
9. Let The Team Plan The Work
If your team is clear about what work is expected from them, the timeline and they are bonding well, it is them who know what work they should do and when! They are the subject matter experts who know their responsibility. Again if they plan their work, they will be more committed. A project manager needs only to coordinate and remove the problems in their way while they are planning.
10. Use Your Interpersonal Skills to support
If a team member is not working as expected, a project manager needs to see why. As a project manager, try and understand what is stopping him. Use your empathy and active listening skills to know the real problem and help the team member resolve that problem or just be there to support him without being intrusive. Make the team member feel that he is valued and belongs to the team. A team member who feels valued will be worth his weight in gold for a project manager.
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