Team Health: The Pulse of Team Management (Part 3)--Palpation

Dr. Deepa Bhide, PMP is a physician and currently an independent healthcare IT and project management consultant. She has a postgraduate degree in Pediatrics and Neonatology from the University of Health Sciences, India. Deepa is an advocate of using project management in healthcare and related domains. She has worked extensively in the confluence of clinical medicine, IT and project management domains with hands-on experience in managing projects from conception to closure.

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Drawing a parallel between clinical medicine and project management, the first part of Team Health: The Pulse of Team Management was to introduce the concept of team health and the applicability of the physical exam technique to team management, while Part 2 looked at the first of four techniques: inspection.

Once inspection has revealed a suspicious part, palpation goes a step further in detecting/examining the abnormality. The project manager is ultimately responsible for the success or failure of the project. A successful PM recognizes the importance of risk management and takes adequate upfront measures to mitigate such risks.

Just as an unhealthy body is a risk to a healthful and productive life, an unhealthy team is a risk to the success of a project. The PM's responsibility lies in identifying team health problems and determining a "best-fit" solution. Whether or not problems (symptoms) exist or surface, a keen observation (inspection) yields cues that need be further evaluated. As we march on our journey from "suspicion to decision," let's look at the next destination: palpation!

"The true spirit of conversation consists in building on another man’s observation, not overturning it."
-- Edward G. Bulwer-Lytton 

Palpation is the act of feeling by touch to determine size, shape, location and mobility of a body …

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