Managing Projects: What if the team starts off pessimistic about the project?
| Most team members are excited about working on a new project, even if a bit apprehensive. Generally they are excited about the possibilities and start off optimistic. It may certainly be “uninformed optimism” since they may not know enough about what the project entails just yet. But what if they start off pessimistic about the project from the start? All doom and gloom. And – as if that is not enough – as the project manager no matter what you try you just can’t headway with some of the team. For some of the team members - nothing is right, nothing is sufficient, nothing will work – it’s the end of the world. Take a deep breath! You can get past this. First, we’ll assume that you have a sponsor who is onboard, recognizes the issues and is supportive of you – and will jump in if you need him to do so. Begin by scheduling a meeting with the team members who have the issues to understand what is going on and develop a plan to move forward. We don’t all have to be best friends on the team but we must respect each other and learn how to work together effectively. Discussions in this meeting should focus on:
The goal is to understand the issues driving the pessimism and come to agreement on what the team needs that will satisfy them so they can move forward. Be really clear here regarding specifically what needs to be done. I have learned that for those team members who are just not going to move forward no matter what, you can spend way too much time trying to get them to come along to the detriment of the project. If it is needed, have the sponsor involved in this discussion with the team. There have been two instances when I needed the sponsor’s involvement because of the situation. Sometimes someone higher up needs to help the team to move forward. In one situation, the team just didn’t want to do the project because they were happy with the way things were in the organization and the project was a big change. As much as I tried to move them forward, it required my project sponsor to explain that the organization was moving forward and they needed to come along. When we can get the people together, we can begin to open up communications, share thoughts and address issues, in a professional manner. Consider an outside facilitator to help the team to listen to each other and really hear what someone else is saying. Until the team gets their concerns addressed, or feel heard, they cannot be productive. If they are not productive, the project cannot succeed. In one of the situations where I needed to get a sponsor involved, the ultimate decision made was to remove the team member from the team and replace him with another. I saw it as a personal failure on my part. I have always worked diligently to develop strong working relationships with individuals on the team and was never able to do so with this particular team member. Regardless of what I did, or didn’t do, it was always a problem for this person. I’ll call it a personality issue; it happens. Although I worked, with the support of the project sponsor, to repair my relationship with this individual, it never happened. The sponsor ended up replacing the individual on the team. Frankly I think it was more than a personality issue, the individual just didn’t want the project to move forward. Had I kept trying to work it out with him and keep him on the team, the project would have suffered. All of my energy was going to him. In many cases, with a bit of effort, the project manager can move the team past pessimism about the project. You just need to understand why the team is being so pessimistic. Often there is lots of history within the organization to consider. When you can get to the root of the issue, you can address it. Sometimes, it is just asking the question! |
Getting the Group to Work as a Team: A Mini Case Study
| Martha has been assigned a team of 10 people to help her plan a major customer appreciation event. They have been working together for over a month now and they just haven’t really come together as a team. She was sure she started off well. She contacted each individual on the team and let them know their responsibilities on the project. Each of the members gets the tasks completed, but don’t seem concerned with the others on the team. If someone needs help, no one pitches in to assist. If a team member has a problem, no one helps him to solve that problem. Just yesterday one of the team members had an emergency and asked if someone on the team could have a call with the sales team so she could leave early. No one offered to help so Martha jumped in to assist. Martha had to do something. This was a bad experience for everyone frankly and some folks already were talking about getting off the project. Plus she felt the event won’t be as good as it could if they just came together as a team.
Here is what Martha should have done: Martha never got the team together prior to starting the project to get to know each other and discuss how they will work together to accomplish the goals of the project. She could have done this by getting the time in one location or even using a virtual tool. In order to get the group to come together as a team now, Martha might step back and hold a team building session. During this time she should plan to accomplish the following:
When the team members get to know each other, they will begin to support each other and will be more concerned about their team mates. Bottom line, they will function as a team. |
Team Members are Unprepared for the Project Work: How can you get them “up to speed” quickly?
| The problem The project you have been assigned has a short deadline. Given a recent increase in customer complaints over one of the company’s software products, you have been asked to take on a project to correct the problem with the product and release an updated version of the software. Although there are some individuals you’d like to have on the team, specifically because of their expertise in this particular software issue and their application development expertise, you are unable to get them assigned to the project because they are involved in another initiative. The individuals available to serve on the project team are more junior within the organization and don’t have the higher level skills you’d like to see for such a key project with a short deadline and the potential for a large financial impact on the company. You cannot hold off on starting the project; you’ll need to start with the team members available - even if they don’t have the exact set of skills you’d like to see on the project. You don’t want your team to feel incompetent because they aren’t the best qualified for this project. Doing so would only cause the project to fail because they will be afraid to try. Let’s assume you have a conversation with the sponsors for the project, and this is what you know:
The first team meeting At the first team meeting to kick off the project, you discuss the project that needs to be accomplished, the importance to the organization and the need to start immediately and complete as soon as possible (you are sensitive to the fact that you don’t want to give them the definite deadline just yet until you can work out a project plan in conjunction with the team.) You also acknowledge that while the team may not have the exact skill sets required, there are many great skills on this project team that will be of value. With the team, you delineate the exact skills needed and the level of skills (beginner, intermediate, advanced) needed. You also make a plan to “make up” for the skills that are lacking on the team, which includes:
To prepare for an upcoming meeting with the sponsors, based on this team meeting, you reach out to the individuals who are unable to participate on the team (those with the advanced skill sets required) and ask if they are able to provide ad hoc support for the project. They have agreed to do so. You have also taken the step of researching the cost of bringing in outside contract resources. After the team meeting, you develop a plan that includes:
You also develop an “on the job” training plan that includes the ability for individuals to partner up to complete tasks and through 2 hour workshops (coordinated with human resources) in order to provide project team members with some tips and best practices prior to them taking on a particular task. Per human resources, the cost of these 2 hour workshops will not exceed $4,500 (they will partner with an outside vendor). Your meeting with the sponsors In your meeting with the sponsors, you outline your plan for moving forward, emphasizing that while you are only requesting to expand the project timeline by 2 weeks, you may find that the project will need to extend beyond that time if you run into issues. You also discuss with the sponsors that while the project is certainly of strategic importance to the organization, equally important is providing the project team the resources and support they need to be successful. By focusing on the team members and providing them the support they need to be successful - you are increasing their skills and knowledge which will only be of long-term value to the organization. The sponsors agree to the additional requests you have made and the changes to the project plan, but suggest that you work diligently to keep the project within the requested additional 2 weeks. Wrap up Your team members are unprepared for the work ahead of them, but with a bit of pre-planning and thoughtful consideration on your part, you are using a variety of ways to increase their skills and build their knowledge. This includes:
Everyone has to learn skills in some way and need a starting point. How will you prepare team members for a project when they don’t have quite the right skills or level of experience? What are some options you might try? Please share your thoughts with others in the Comments field below. |
Acknowledge Members of the Project Team - 3 Simple Ways
| While it is important for project managers to recognize the efforts of the project team as a whole, there are times when they should also acknowledge the efforts of individuals on the team. When an individual team member stands out in some way – whether by pitching in to help another team member, managing a challenging stakeholder, or going out of her way to complete a task on time – acknowledge that individual team member. Do these three simple things:
What are some things you have done to acknowledge individual members of the team? |
The Five Stages of Team Development and the Role of the Project Manager
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Every team goes through the five stages of team development; there are no exceptions. Regardless of whether a team is working on a small, simple initiative or a large, complex global initiative, the team will progress through the five stages. What’s important for the project manager is to understand the five stages and how to manage the team through the stages so that they can work more effectively as a team sooner rather than later, thereby making progress on the project tasks earlier on in the project launch.
Let’s look at the role of the project manager in each stage, as well as explore each stage in more detail: Forming: In this stage the team members are testing each other and the project manager and exploring where they fit in to the project. Team members are worried about how they fit in with the others and how their capabilities and skills compare. They are looking to the project manager for clarity and direction. Your role as the project manager: Be very clear about the team goals and project goals and provide clear direction on the project. The project manager must work with the team to establish team norms for working together. Storming: In the Storming stage, there are struggles for power and to determine how the team will work together. In this stage, differences of opinion are common and the team is trying to determine how to work together effectively, what the rules are and how to resolve differences. The team competes for their ideas to be heard and implemented.
Norming: The individuals are beginning to see how they form a team, how to work together effectively and have set rules and group norms to work by. They have learned how to resolve their differences of opinion and are becoming much more comfortable with each other, trusting each other to get the job done. Performing: The team is performing consistently at a high level. They are focused on reaching the project goals as a team. The individual does not exist, the team members are interdependent. They can solve problems on their own and do not rely on the project manager for day-to-day oversight of the group. Adjourning: When the team is done with the project, there is a feeling of loss about having to move on to other projects. This is particularly common with very high performing teams. They have learned how to work together effectively and will miss the interactions. Your ability as a project manager to facilitate the team through the stages ensures that you have a high performing team as quickly as possible to meet the project’s objectives. As a project manager, you must learn to guide your team effectively - providing strong guidance and direction early on and letting the team solve their own problems and resolve differences as they move through the stages. |
The first four stages of the team development model was proposed and developed by Bruce Tuckman in 1965. In 1977, Tuckman teamed up with Mary Ann Jensen and added the 5th stage – adjourning.
