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