Forming Teams A Critical Stage for Project Managers Paul Cruz, JSC Kathy Doyle, GSFC Clay Yonce, KSC PM Challenge February 9, 2011 Used with permission
Forming TeamsA Critical Stage for Project Managers
Paul Cruz, JSCKathy Doyle, GSFC
Clay Yonce, KSC
PM ChallengeFebruary 9, 2011
Used with permission
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A team is a small number of people with complementary skills who are committed to a common purpose, set of performance goals and approach for which they hold themselves mutually accountable.
What is a Team?
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Team
Shared leadership roles Individual and mutual
accountability Specific team purpose that
the team itself delivers Collective work-products Encourages open-ended
discussion and active problem-solving meetings
Measures performance directly by assessing collective work-products
Discusses, decides and does real work together
Working Group
Strong, clearly focused leader
Individual accountability The group’s purpose is the
same as the broader organizational mission
Individual work-products Runs efficient meetings Measures its effectiveness
indirectly by its influence on others (e.g., financial performance of the business)
Discusses, decides and delegates
Team vs. Working Group
Stages of Team Development
Stage 1
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Forming “Testing”
Storming “Infighting”
Norming “Disciplined”
Performing “Productive”
Adjourning “Closure”
Stages of Team Development
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Forming Behaviors
Purpose and goals for the team are unclearMembers feel varying degrees of commitmentMembers are cautious, don’t initiate and avoid
responsibilityCommunication is low and a few members often dominateMembers are dependent on directive leadership
TasksBuild a common purpose; clearly establish the expectations
of the customers or sponsorsUnderstand personal expectations and interestsClarify accountability, recognition and rewardsAssess resources - see who has what to contributeLeader provides direction and drives the team process
Putting the Right People in the Right Places
“Great vision without great people is irrelevant” – Jim Collins
What will it take to get my project team where it needs to be?
KnowledgeSkillsAbilities
Pitfalls“I need a team of people who think like I do”“I need a team of people who will always agree with each
other”“I want to make sure I have past experiences with everyone
on my team”“I don’t need anyone’s input on membership – I have
enough information to make these decisions myself”
Get the right people on the bus…
Describe the team’s structure Clarify your requirements Establish your candidate pool Assess the candidates Make tentative assignments Review the team’s composition Refine membership as needed
Establishing the Membership of Your Team
Roles/Positions Relative Importance Teamwork vs. Individual Performance
Team Structure
Position-specific requirementsTeam-related requirementsRepresentative requirementsTeam role requirements
Clarify Requirements
Eligible team membersRequired team membersConstraints
Establish Your Pool
Position readinessTeam attributes
Assess the Candidates
Requirements Individual readinessTeamwork readinessOverall assignment
Make Tentative Assignments and Review
AdjustmentsPreparation
Refine as Needed
First Who, Then What…
Visioning & Setting Goals
Vision and Mission In order to best identify goals for the team, a leader should have a vision for
the team. This vision can be used to establish an official mission statement Consider linkage between:
Agency Mission Center/Program Mission Directorate/Branch/Project Mission
Questions to Ask WHO
Who does the team ultimately serve? Who are our the team’s customers/stakeholders?
WHAT What is the mission of the team? What are the deliverables?
HOW How do the roles of individual team members contribute to the mission of the
project?
Visioning
Look at the answers to the “who,” the “what” and the “how” in order to develop a mission statement that captures the true spirit of the team
Solicit input from the team in order to obtain buy-in
Establishing buy-in helps to make the mission (and goals) more salient to members of the team
Mission Statement Development
Goals:Facilitate a shared understanding of what needs
to be achievedEstablish measures of successIlluminate a path to successCan provide links from individual tasks to larger
team goals
Consider:TimingResourcesDemands
Goal Setting
SMARTSpecificMeasurableActionableRealisticTime-oriented
Think SMART
Start Simple:Examples:
We want to meet stakeholder expectationsWe want to be a better leaderWe want to reduce errors
Build on the SimpleExample:
We want to exceed stakeholder expectations such that we receive
zero complaints about the project schedulean average stakeholder satisfaction score of at
least 4.5 out of 5.0
Creating Goal Statements
Solidify with SMARTExample:
I want to meet stakeholder expectations such that we:
receive no more than one complaint about the project schedule
over the duration of the project life cycleby carefully managing resources
Review each Smart Goal with the TeamAsk the team if they agree with each goalKeep in mind: some goals may not be as flexible as
othersConsider how each member of the team will contribute
to goal achievement
Solidify and Review SMART Goals
Setting Expectations, Roles and Responsibilities, and Understanding of the
Team’s Purpose
When setting expectations - make sure they are REALISTIC
Expectations should beconnected to the goals and objectives of the teamclear and agreed upondeveloped jointly
By setting high expectations…the leader plays an important part in helping those
they lead to rise to new levels of achievement
Setting Expectations If you expect nothing, you’ll get nothing…
Leader Define roles of team members necessary to achieve the team’s project/mission
Roles are specific contributions expected from each team member to accomplish the mission
Important to be very clear about team goals and provide clear direction regarding the project/mission
Work with the team to help establish how they will work together (”team norms”)
Team Members Every team member is assumed to be competent in his/her specific discipline or
function - formal role Team members may face many new challenges - informal role
i.e., coordinator, troubleshooter, trainer, facilitator Each team member needs to be honest as well as open Encourage a diversity of opinions on all topics Everyone given the opportunity for equal participation Be open to new approaches as well as listen to new ideas
Roles/Responsibilities
Forming the team is an important first step and vital to making teams work
Formation phase sets the stage for all other team activities relationship building project performance
Team develops the foundation for working together toward a common goal, so it is critical that they
Build and maintain effective relationships within the team and external (customers, stakeholders, etc.)
Model a common process or methodology as it pertains to problem solving, decision making, etc.
Confirm understanding of the shared purpose Understand and manage the expected outcomes
Understanding of the Team’s Purpose
Summary Forming the team is the critical first-step
in team development Forming involves:
Selecting the right peopleEstablishing a visionSetting goalsSetting expectationsDiscussing rolesUnderstanding purpose
Back–up Slide
Human Systems Engineering OD is a holistic approach through partnership
that develops organizations, teams, and individuals contributing to NASA’s mission success
It is the process of working across multiple levels of organizational systems to develop strategy, improve performance, and build effective relationships
OD is a collaborative, planned process for guiding an organization from current state to desired future state
Organization Development