Creating a work team is a delicate but strategic phase for any project manager. The outcome of the project will really depend on the choices made here.
Stephen Covey, famous writer and author of the book “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People” states:
“Interdependent people combine their own efforts with the efforts of others to achieve their greatest success”
Thanks to teamwork, the shared talent amplifies the value of each individual resource and increases the value of the group as a whole.
It is therefore essential that when defining the working group, particular attention is paid to all the people involved in the project. This means all the project associates, stakeholders, customers and partners.
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But let’s go into detail and see some fundamental aspects of this delicate activity.
First of all, it is good to remember that, in order to create a high performing Project Team, it is necessary to follow three key steps:
- Organizational planning necessary for the identification of the team;
- Staff acquisition, necessary for approval;
- Team development.
Organizational planning
Organizational planning identifies, documents and assigns project roles, responsibilities and relationships.
Before the project begins, all roles and responsibilities must be given. This will reduce any confusion after the start of the project.
Each team member will know exactly what is expected of him (or her) and will be able to follow the assigned tasks.
Also, having a staff development plan and an organization chart will reduce uncertainty and conflict.
Indeed, a staff development plan describes how and when human resources will be transferred and removed from the project team. This knowledge of the already planned events will make the whole team smoother.
The organization chart, on the other hand, is a graphical way to subdivide the project’s reporting relationship. A detailed organizational chart will avoid superfluous questions about relationships and connections.
For a winning project, it is then essential that there is a good organizational planning. This also includes all the supporting documents necessary to outline each job title and description or any training needs.
Staff acquisition
The acquisition of the people that have to deal with the project is the process to obtain the necessary human resources assigned that will have to work in the team.
Choosing the right people for a project is almost as important as the project itself. Without an experienced and close-knit team, the project will be much more difficult.
Some things to consider when choosing the team are the previous experiences. In fact, the interests, personal characteristics, availability, skills, could give the work team additional determinant capacities.
Team members can be chosen internally from the organization, thanks to negotiations with managers and other project teams, or from outside.
It will also be necessary to determine if each team member will work on the project full or part time.
Team development
The development of the project team includes the development of individual and group skills in order to improve performance.
Working together as a real team, the project will be more likely to succeed.
Team development can be achieved in various ways:
- Team building
- Management capacity
- Reward systems
- Frequent feedback and personal meetings
- Training
If the team has been properly developed, the project will work efficiently and achieve quality results.
How to choose the members of the project team
Here are 7 key elements in order to choose the right project team members.
1. Project analysis
It is essential to devote time and effort in order to understand and thoroughly analyze the project. You will have to define the steps and activities that will need to be worked out for a successful completion.
It will also be necessary to break down these steps into individual tasks and sub-activities. In this way it will be possible to easily detect the resources needed to complete the project and its duration based on the set productivity.
2. Project requirements
It is essential to verify what is required by the management. Time limits, budget or resource constraints are essential to plan the recruitment and the project team members accordingly.
3. Meeting with the Human Resources Department
The Human Resources Department can assist in finding the most suitable project team members, especially in the case of outsiders.
It will also be necessary to prepare, in coordination with this department, a recruitment campaign for the project and the specific training.
4. Meeting with other managers
Together with the Human Resources Department, it is also a good practice to meet the managers of internal employees in order to obtain a complete view of the staff available for the project.
You can ask other managers to provide ratings for their staff skills, technical skills and teamwork skills so that you can make the best decision based on real needs.
5. Refine the selection
Once the options have been assessed, a list of potential candidates suitable for the roles will be drawn up.
This will be the basis from which to select the members of the project team who will work for the implementation of the plan in the future.
6. The final choice
The list of candidates will be evaluated very carefully in all its details. Finally, the team members who will work on the project will be chosen.
These candidates should have the right mix of personal behavioral skills and attributes in order to become members of the project team.
If doubts continue about any of the employees, additional personal interviews can be conducted in order to collect additional information.
7. Analyzing the team
At this point the project team is made, but there still remains one thing to do: To conduct a continuous analysis in order to assess whether the team has the necessary balance to complete the project as planned.
It will also be necessary to regularly check whether there is a potential personality conflict between team members. Perceiving these conflicts and resolving them straight away, will avoid stress and creative blockages during the execution of the project plan.
It is very important to have a fully developed and dedicated project team in order to run the project properly.
The team includes several people who must work together to carry on the individual activities.
Organizations are constantly committed to forming increasingly performing project teams. Work teams that will be able to achieve even complex project goals and which will increase productivity, performance and returns for the organization.
Team members, together with the project manager, are the driving forces of a project, and it is therefore essential to know how to choose them well and to develop them to the maximum.
Have you ever created a project team? What process did you use to choose the project team members? Do you have any other suggestions? Write us your opinion.
