Working with Project Teams
Although the topic of learning project management skills continues to be a hot topic, there doesn’t seem to be a lot of discussion about working with project teams. How can you, as a Project Lead, build a strong relationship with the project team? I was thrilled when I was approached recently to deliver a Lunch N’ Learn on the topic of leading project teams. Here are a few of the ideas that I shared with the participants:
Identify the needs of the project - this may seem simple, but it is often overlooked. In order to provide your project team with a solid understanding of why the project is important, we need to make sure that we clearly define the project with the help of the Project Sponsor. What are we doing? Why is this project important to the organization? What problem are we trying to solve?
Identify the needs of the project team - this is a critical step in the overall process of leading project teams. What does the team need? Let’s provide them with some tools during the Kick-Off meeting that will help lay a solid foundation for their contributions to the project. For instance:
Share the approved Project Charter with the team - this one document will provide the high level goals for the project and why it’s important to the organization. If everyone on the team has the same opportunity to discuss the Project Charter, there is no room for interpretation. We want everyone rowing in the same direction!
Review the project lifecycle for your organization - this discussion may be new to some team members or a good refresher for other team members. How do projects unfold in your organization? Providing a visual project process map will strengthen their understanding of how the project will progress through the process. This will also provide all team members with the same image of the various steps included in the progression of the project.
Discuss roles & responsibilities for the project - there may be vendors, consultants, staff members from various business units all participating in the project. It would be highly beneficial to discuss who is doing what on the project!
Team protocols - the Kick-Off meeting is a good opportunity to discuss how the project team will be working together. Use the Project Team Handbook as a guide to some of the topics to be discussed, such as:
Technology - the project team will be using the following technology for the project work - chat applications, video conferencing systems, collaboration tools, project tracking software, time tracking tools, etc. Who needs software licenses for these applications? Who needs training?
Status reports and meetings - are the team members responsible for submitting status reports? When are they due? What format/system will be used? Will there be team meetings? If so, when and where?
How will the team handle vacations? Onboarding of new team members? How will issues or challenges be addressed within the team?
Communication - this continues to be one of the Top 5 reasons for project failure. How will you be communicating with the team? What are the expectations of the team with respect to communication? Is there a preference for a specific method of communication? Transparency is important to everyone.
Engagement of the project team - successful projects have engaged project teams. As the Project Lead, it will be your responsibility to lead the way. Ask questions, ask for ideas, input or solutions to problems. Ask for feedback on project processes or protocols. Inclusion is also important for a comprehensive stakeholder management plan, risk plan, and change management plan. Building the work plan will also benefit from the contributions of the project team.
These are just a few ideas on some simple ways that you can collaborate with your project teams. If you are looking for additional ideas, check out the Free Resources on my website. You may find what you’ve been looking for! If not, let me know and I can point you in the right direction!