Keeping the Band Together

Kenneth has 14 years of healthcare experience in government and private industry. Over eight years of experience managing healthcare IT projects, operations, contracts, and personnel. His work experience includes project management, contracts and procurements, data analysis, claims adjudication, business writing, and business process modeling. Kenneth was certified in 2006 as a Project Management Professional.

  Communications Management  

Rock bands are notorious for self-destructing. From the Beatles to Guns N’ Roses, it seems that as soon as there is a group that makes great music together and makes great albums, they immediately start fighting amongst themselves and then they break up. Usually, they split up and you find out that individually they are not capable of making the same caliber of music, but sometimes the band continues with a lineup change. And in rare cases, the band breaks up and then gets back together to go on tour again (the Eagles).

The dynamics of a team that works so closely with each other can be very difficult to manage successfully; this is true in a rock band and in a successful project team. What can the project manager do to keep the band together?

Airing the Issues
One of the most important strategies for keeping a team together is to air the issues that are occurring between team members, on the project and with the customer or client. Airing the issues does not mean holding a full team meeting to discuss why one person is constantly running late with his tasks; that may be even worse than not discussing the issue at all.

Instead, you should be discussing issues with the appropriate people, not ignoring it or sweeping it under the rug. If one person is having a problem with work assignments, then talk to them and determine what the underlying issue is. If more …

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