Challenges in establishing winning project teams

Although creating winning project teams is a desire of all project managers, some common problems make it hard to develop teams. Some of these challenges include:

• Different points of views of the various stakeholders. Each stakeholder should understand the project objectives and interests
• to mitigate the problem.
• A capable team is hard to form when the objectives are not clear to all the team players.
• Lack of a credible leader. Teams are often ineffective if the team leader is perceived as incompetent by the other members.
• Lack of commitment from other team players: It is hard to form a winning team if members are disinterested in the project. Problems also arise when some of the team members are incompetent.
• Communication problems: Effective communication could overcome most of the challenges in developing a team.

The phases of project team development 

Forming winning teams is achievable through the five stages of team development. The steps include forming, storming, norming, performing, and adjourning. Bruce Wayne Tuckman developed the stages.

1. Forming is the first stage and involves the team members introducing each other. The team leader needs to communicate the project goals and objectives at this stage effectively.
2. In the storming phase, the team members compete for status and ideas. As such, conflicts are frequent in the stage. The period is difficult for team members who dislike conflict. However, the project manager needs to ensure that team members listen, appreciate, and respect each other’s ideas. Some teams rarely move beyond storming as they dwell on the conflicts leading to low morale
3. Team working together as a unit marks the norming stage. Now, the team does not compete. Instead, the focus is on established procedures and practices.
4. Unlike the other stages, the performance phase doesn’t require oversight. Nevertheless, the team leader continues to monitor progress while celebrating milestones. Still, there is a chance of team reverting to previous stages. For instance, a new member joining the unit may cause the team to return to the forming stage.
5. The adjourning stage occurs when the project comes to an end, and the team members move into different directions. It is a good idea for teams to have a review during adjournment to document the lessons learned.

 Resourcing your team effectively

A resource is an umbrella term that refers to the people working on a project, the equipment they will use, and the site of the project. Even though resources may refer to assets in general, here, resources refer to the people on your team.

 Nowadays, companies are under immense pressure to deliver technologically advanced services and products with reduced budgets. But make no mistake; ineffective resource management leads to reduced productivity, poor quality, low morale, and increased costs, amongst other negative consequences.

When it comes to managing resources, high utilization of people does not mean proper resource management. Instead, ensure that your resources work on projects that are specific and aligned with their skill set. Also, take care not to over-commit your funds, as it may limit people’s innovation and growth.

The following are the best practices for resource management

• Identify the resources in short supply and adjust your plans according to their availability. This practice will help you avoid unnecessary delays in your project.
• Find a common approach to prioritize work when resources must be shared.
• Deploy the use of different methodologies to work with different people within your organization.
• Resource management is a continuous process. Understand that changes are inevitable, and conflicts will occur. Resolving resource conflicts is a primary concern.
• Plan your work, and where possible, make use of automated processes to help with the administration work.
• Always account for the non-project time. When planning for both short term and long term, consider your teams off days, paid time, and overtime. Also, account for the loss of time on everyday routines like a delayed email response, general meetings, etc.
• Limit or avoid multi-tasking. It may appear efficient on surface value, but the results are often low productivity.

In summary, establishing a winning project team is no accident. It requires a deliberate selection of team players from the various stakeholders. Of importance is that the team players have a clear understanding of the project goals throughout the phases of team development.