Developing the Project Team

The definition of developing a project team is that it "improves the competencies and interaction of team members to enhance project performance" (PMBOK). The objectives include improving the skill sets of project team members so that future work will be done more effectively and efficiently and building trust between members of the team so that teamwork is improved. The first objective, improving skill sets, should be done systematically. The skills that need to be improved should be defined so that progress can be seen. It is particularly helpful to write down various milestones in skill development because this will be a part of the recognition of the professional growth of the team member.

The second of these objectives, building trust and cohesiveness, does not have a standard way of operating. There are so many issues involved in getting trust between project team members that the topics could have a separate chapter or even a separate book. It must be said that simply doing a few team exercises will not make the project team better. Building trust and cohesiveness is a lengthy process that does not happen on each project.

Q.	In order to provide rewards and recognition for the bettering of skill sets by the members of the project team, the expected outcome of skill training should be ________.
		A.	Formal and informal
		B.	Written and measurable
		C.	Tactical and strategic
		D.	Long and complex

The answer is B. Writing down expectations for skill set growth and having measurable milestones is necessary for successful project management.

The inputs to developing a project team are project staff assignments, staffing management plans, and resource availability. All of these have been discussed earlier in the chapter.

The tools and techniques used in developing a project team are general management skills, training, team-building activities, ground rules, collocation, and recognition and rewards.

For some reason, general management skills are styled "soft skills" in section 9.3.2 of the PMBOK. I am not certain what makes these skills (discussed at length earlier) "soft." These are usually the skill sets that determine the success of the project. The so-called "hard" skills often concern mathematical or statistical skills. I have yet to meet a person who can look me in the eye and say that getting a person to perform over a period of time is easier than getting a machine to do the same thing. Time to get rid of the pejorative term "soft skills" and start using "people skills" as the alternative.

Training includes activities used to make the project team members better at their project tasks. This can include online training, classroom work, computer-based training, and on-the-job training. The training may be formal, as when an instructor or teacher leads the training, or it may be informal, as when a colleague or mentor does it. In order to see the outcomes of the training, you should first measure the skills you are about to train and then measure them again at the end of the training to be sure that the people have gained something from the training.

Team-building activities are often very difficult to relate to the current project. Being able to do exercises together is not the same as being a good team. It is usually advisable to have professional facilitation.

Ground rules are the baseline rules by which the project will be run. Some of these will be formal, backed by the organization. Others may be informal but may have been put in place by the project team over a period of time or over several different projects. Usually the important ground rules about how to treat each other are not written down but instead are passed down from project to project. The project manager must set an example to make the ground rules work.

Collocation is advisable if at all possible. Having your people in the same place gives face-to-face communication opportunities that are not possible with project team members in different geographical locations. The place where collocated people meet is sometimes call the war room, although recent events in our country make these words a little insignificant compared to the dangers and perils facing our armed services.

Q.	Having your project team meet in a single location where they can work in a face-to-face environment is known as ________.
		A.	Collocation
		B.	Team structure
		C.	Team dynamics
		D.	Location construction

The answer is A. If at all possible, it is generally best to have the whole team in the same space at the same time. In international projects, this will not be possible.

The output from developing a project team is the team performance assessment. The project manager and the project management team should do assessments of the project team's performance and focus on the team as a whole. Although it is important to do individual reviews, it is just as important to reward and recognize the team as a whole. Dwight Eisenhower once said, "It does not matter who gets the credit, as long as the team wins."

Q.	Online, classroom, computer-based, and on-the-job are all examples of types of ________.
		A.	Ideas
		B.	Training
		C.	Tactics
		D.	Communication

The answer is B. These, and other types of training, will help raise the skill standards of individuals and the whole team.

Q.	Ground rules may be ________ and ________.
		A.	Hard, long
		B.	Simple, repetitive
		C.	Formal, informal
		D.	Complex, reflexive

The answer is C. Both types of ground rules, informal and formal, are important to manage as a project manager. Often the informal ground rules determine how the overall project will be run and how successful the project will be if all the project team members follow them.

Q.	The ________ skills of general management are often the ________ to do.
		A.	Soft, hardest
		B.	General, last
		C.	Hard, easiest
		D.	Tactical, hardest

The answer is A. People skills are almost always the hardest to learn and to master. Mathematical and technical skills are learned early. Handling people well is hard.