Project Management 2.0

Situation: You need your team to come together quickly.

We often say that knowing the right questions to ask can be even more important than "knowing" what to do. For that reason, in Project Headway, each task level activity includes a section called "Questions that you ask of yourself and others". The section below lists out the questions we currently include in Creating Incentives for Teamwork.  What would you add or remove from this list?

Questions to Ask of Yourself and Others

To better understand how to create incentives for teamwork, consider asking yourself the following questions:

• How are you encouraging teamwork on the project?

• Are your team members working well together?

• Where are their areas of conflict?

• Do you understand what needs to be in place to promote teamwork on this team? 

Consider asking your HR person, trusted colleague, or the team member the same questions.

Task Description

Build a team; develop teamwork. Encourage individual participants to work with others as a team, giving the team the authority to act within their level of responsibility. Facilitate communication between individuals and foster an attitude of cooperation. Ensure that team members have a clear understanding of their own tasks, the tasks assigned to other team members, and the relationships between the two. Let the team balance individual empowerment and group collaboration. Allow individuals to control their own style of work, while encouraging team members to develop methods of coordination.

Consider team assignments carefully. Weigh individual strengths and weaknesses carefully in making team assignments. Vary the roles played by each individual and the groups of individuals who work together as a team on project tasks. Reward effective teamwork.

Tips and Tricks

Obviously, you want to encourage people to work more as a team. Consider the following:

• Understand incentives. Before you go and offer incentives, be sure that people actually see it as an incentive. Offering the team tickets to an upcoming soccer game may appeal to some people, but not everyone. Find out from the team what they appreciate and value as incentives and means of recognition.
• Vary partners. There may be opportunities to have people work together as partners or in smaller groups. Vary the groups on a periodic basis to given people the opportunity to work closely with others on the team.
• Caution: Don’t change things too often. Change for the sake of change is not always a good thing. If things are working really well, consider staying in a holding pattern for a while longer.

Situation: A "story" would really help your cause, but you're not quite sure how to make it work.

A story can make a huge difference in your effectiveness as a Project Manager.  While you don't want to over-think it or turn telling the story into a complex process, there are a few things that are good to consider - especially if it's important that you get the message across in a clear, motivational way.  So here's some food for thought.

First establish a purpose...
Sometimes you feel like a story would be helpful, but you’re not sure why.   If you don’t clarify your purpose up front you might end up with a story that sort of fits - but not really.  In the end, that could just make things worse.  So start by figuring out why a story might help.

Why are you telling a story? (a few possibilities)

• To highlight a success that could be replicated in the future?
• To give people an emotional tie to an important point or larger theme
• To create greater understanding of complex relationships (perhaps everyone is missing the point and you need to get them back on track) 

Choosing a story to tell
Logically, if you understand your purpose, then you’ll either know of a story or find one on the web that suits your purpose. One you believe you’ve found one, ask yourself..

Is this your story?
Is it one that you are comfortable telling?  Does it fit with the values that people associate with you (would it be “weird” for you to tell this story?)

Is this their story?
Is it appropriate for the audience? Is it something related to their lives and interests?  Is it one that they would enjoy? (this could involve some testing with one or two people first)

Is this story right for now?
Is it appropriate for the time and place you are telling it?  Sometimes it’s easier to relate to if it’s compatible with a current event, the geographic area you are in, or time of day you are telling the story.

Will anyone care or remember it?
Does it involve interesting, memorable characters? Can you ensure that you develop the characters enough in telling the story that people care what happens to them? Does the story have repetitive patterns that make it easier to remember? Does it involve a resolution to a conflict?

I think that the points above are critical when picking a story to tell and thinking it through.  If you would like to go a bit deeper - tuning your story and rating your delivery of it, check out our new Project Management Story Telling Checklist. 

Happy story-telling!