Lecture: Managing Project Teams / MotivationUnit 6: People in Projects. Essential Reading Pinto, J. K. (2013) Project Management: Achieving Competitive Advantage. Harlow: Pearson Education

Document Content and Description Below

Unit 6 Study Guide (pp. 76 – 93) Pinto, J. K. (2013) Project Management: Achieving Competitive Advantage. Harlow: Pearson Education Managing Project SIM 335 Managing Project Teams / MotivationU ... nit 6: People in Projects. Essential Reading Pinto, J. K. (2013) Project Management: Achieving Competitive Advantage. Harlow: Pearson Education Study Guide: (pp.76 - 93) Additional Reading: Maylor, H. (2010) Project Management 4th ed. Edinburgh: Pearson Education Limited (pp. 130-173) Schwalbe, K. (2009) An Introduction to Project Management. 2nd Ed. Boston: Cengage Learning (pp. 105-146; 161- 204) EffectiveTeams  IneffectiveTeams  Multi-disciplinary Teams Tuckman (1965), Belbin (1996)  Project Leadership Leadership Styles  The Project Manager’s Role  Technical Experts vs. Generalists Summary UNIT STRUCTURE A group or team has certain attributes that a random crowd does not possess:  The members have a sense of identity: there are boundaries to the group which define it.  Members are loyal to the group: they conform to the norms of behaviour and attitude that bind the group together.  Purpose and leadership: most groups have a purpose and a set of objectives. What is a Team?Project Manager Planner Engineer Accountant Procurement Secretary Expeditor Designer Transport person The project will almost certainly require a range of skills, which any one person is unlikely to have.  A suggestion from one person can generate many ideas from others.  Once a team has made a decision the team will commit to the course of action.  Project teams help and enhance motivation.  Team members support each other when they need help both technically and emotionally. Range of skills which match the tasks within the project  Project Leader who understands the strengths in the team and applies them effectively  Team supports individuals  Processes support objective ◦ Regular communication ◦ Range of views and opinions which stimulate new approaches to problems 8 Combines talents and skills  Involves wider perspectives (implementers, planners, managers)  Motivates through shared goal  Evaluates ideas  Develops individuals  Social contact 9Team support each other Motivation good practice Better Sharing of good practice Minimise duplication of work Transfer of Information All members contribute Feedback Constant drive for new ideas The Advantages of Teams in Projects Efficient Peer Support Resource More Freedom Minimise impact of hierarchy , Better Ideas Project Benefits Clear objective  Shared responsibility  Leadership  Combination of skills and knowledgeWhy Teams Succeed ? Good spread of Mental Skills Spread of personalities that gave the team Balance. Appropriate management Style for the project Innovative ideas by team members to solve problems and identify new markets Project leader gains respect from team members It is part of the project manager’s job to pull together a team to ensure that the team works with a unity of purpose.  Project managers need skills of planning, scheduling and controlling to run projects successfully.  Projects fail when the project manager does not build a strong team. Managing projects successfully poses particular “people issues” for project managers.  Project managers need to be able to motivate groups to work well.  Leadership skills are essential if the team is to work willingly towards the successful achievement of organisational goals. Wrong size  Communication breakdown ◦ duplication of effort ◦ tasks left incomplete  Obscure objectives  Personality clashes  Run out of time  Inadequate resources  Fails to take advantage of Opportunities  Unable to change with the timesCharacteristics of High-performing Teams 1. Share a sense of common purpose 2. Make effective use of individual talents and expertise 3. Have balanced and shared roles 4. Maintain a problem solving focus 5. Accept differences of opinion and expression 6. Encourage risk taking and creativity 7. Sets high personal performance standards 8. Identify with the teamIdentify and / Understanding Team Role Underst anding team roles  The plant  The Resource Investigator  The co-0rdinator  The Shaper  The Monitor Evaluator  The Team worker  The Implementer  The Completer  The SpecialistA Team Vs A Group  It’s all about performance  Urgency and skill  The kick-off and basic rules of engagement  Quick wins and continually challenge  Time and positive feedback. Goals, direction and leadership  Roles, responsibilities and skills  Climate and interpersonal skills  Methods and operating procedures  All integrated through effective communicationThe Discipline of Teams The Discipli ne of Teams  Common commitment and purpose  Performance goals  Complementary skills  Mutual accountability  Teams that: • Recommend • Make or do things • Run things.Team Building Blocks • Balanced roles • Clear objectives and agreed goals • Openness and confrontation issues • Support and Trust • Co-operation and conflict issues • Sound procedures • Appropriate leadership • Regular review • Individual development • Sound inter-group relations • Good communicationsThe Five-Stage team Development Model• Ten or fewer team members • Voluntary team membership • Continuous service on the team • Full-time assignment to the team • An organization culture of cooperation and trust • Members report only to the project manager • All relevant functional areas are represented on the team • The project has a compelling objective • Members are in speaking distance of each otherThe Punctuated Equilibrium Model of Group DevelopmentCreating a High performance Project Team• Recruiting Project Members –Factors affecting recruiting • Importance of the project • Management structure used to complete the project –How to recruit? • Ask for volunteers –Who to recruit? • Problem-solving ability • Availability • Technological expertise • Credibility • Political connections • Ambition, initiative, and energyProject Team Meetings Conducting Project Meetings Establishing Ground Rules Planning Decisions Tracking Decisions Managing Change Decisions Relationship Decisions Managing Subsequent MeetingsEstablishi ng a Team Identity Effective Use of Meetings Co-location of team members Creation of project team name Team ritualsProblem Identification Generating Alternatives Reaching a Decision Follow-up• Encouraging Functional Conflict o Encourage dissent by asking tough questions. o Bring in people with different points of view. o Designate someone to be a devil’s advocate. o Ask the team to consider an unthinkable alternative • Managing Dysfunctional Conflict o Mediate the conflict. o Arbitrate the conflict. o Control the conflict. o Accept the conflict. o Eliminate the conflict.• Informal Techniques o Institute new rituals. o Take an off-site break as a team from the project. o View an inspiration message or movie. o Have the project sponsor give a pep talk. • Formal Techniques o Hold a team building session facilitated by an outsider to clarify ownership issues affecting performance. o Engage in an outside activity that provides an intense common experience to promote social development of the team.Challenges:  Developing trust • Exchange of social information. • Set clear roles for each team member.  Developing effective patterns of communication. • Keep team members informed on how the overall project is going. • Don’t let team members vanish. • Establish a code of conduct to avoid delays. • Establish clear norms and protocols for surfacing assumptions and conflicts. • Share the pain. Projects pose particular problems of building and managing project teams.  Project managers need to be able to motivate groups to work well.  Selection of the project team is critical in obtaining the right balance of skills, experience and personalities.  The issue of leadership, from the project manager, is a little more complex than ordinary management.  The biggest problem here is motivating and keeping people when the project nears completion.Burke, R. (2003) Project Management, Planning and Control Techniques. London: John Wiley and Sons. Maylor, H. (2010) Project Management. London: Prentice Hall Pinto, J.K. (2012) Project Management A Competitive Advantage. 3rd Ed. London: Pearson Education Limited (Chapter 9) PMBOK Handbook (1992). Volume 6, Project and Program Risk Management.Thank You. [Show More]

Last updated: 2 years ago

Preview 1 out of 36 pages