PROJECT MANAGEMENT
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A. Tools and techniques in developing a project team
Developing a project team is an undertaking that pools together a team, that is members who are in a unity of purpose, while capitalizing and honing in on their skills and expertise. This, is done to enhance the team’s environment and maximizing productivity and performance. It starts from team management and team building activities to create an internal working environment. At the backdrop, is the contextual flow of timely information amongst all team members to ensure seamless completion of the project. The end game is value-addition to skills set and competencies among members, and a positive team culture of cooperation, mutual trust, and optimum productivity.
Tools, act as drivers to ensure ultimate completion of the project. They act as ingredients of a successful project development team. Some tools project managers would look into include:
The Project charter. A service charter give formal and legitimate authority, initiates the project and sets the pace for all planning activities. It could be done by the project team manager, or the team, but must involve the clients and the financers. It is thus an approved document.
The project mission and vision statement. A set of working philosophies and statement of the project scope. Frequently, done in the prior stages of the project. It puts the team endeavors, goals and aspirations on track, acting as a constant reminder preventing digressing. It is important for members to get acquainted with the mission and vision statements since they are the drivers of service.
The techniques, are a set of methodologies which ensure the project development process is continuous, not prompt.
Team building techniques. This is all about relationships — professional working and meaningful relationships. Granted this, project team members are united and work in harmony, and create a feeling of trust. Conflicts and personality differences are thus reconciled and checked. Team building follows these stages:
Forming. Here team members, gather, share and appreciate each other’s interests and concerns. The first meeting ore akin to an orientation. Here leaders and members create first impressions, set out the objectives, map out the roadmap to getting thee project done.
Storming. Members here will appreciate and understand each other’s ideas. Conflict result is an important skill. Team playing, active listening, turn taking are key skills to ensure each member gets a fair chance to express themselves. Effective communication will thus be set allowing for governance and mutual consensus of thought.
Norming. Team leaders set the playing roles, rules, ideals and operating procedures regarding the project. Opinions, value and differences are upheld and respected. Creation of trust and cooperation amongst each other. Problem solving and self-drive are pointers of success here.
Performing. Execution and implementation is at top gear. Materializing the concepts, as a e unit. Combined sum of the individuals, ensures bringing together efforts. Noteworthy, not all members could make to this stage; the project team could roll back to previous stages if anyone starts to work independently or the forming stage if a new member joins the team.
Adjourning. When the project’s team work is realized, the organization is dissolved, successes are analyzed and charting a future. Since the projects have been realized, it is time to take different directions.
Team training techniques. Ensuring acquisition of skills and relevant competencies among the project team members. Training involves the activities — online tutorials, webinars, seminar presentations, on-job training, classes, and mentorship – as envisaged in the project human resource plan.
Team co-location techniques. Distribution of all project team members in the physical work station. The workstation layout should be flexible for meetings, supervision and team working while paying attention to the dynamics of the workstation – virtual meetings, distant working and online cooperation.
Rewards and recognition techniques. Awarding excellence and ethical performance. Incentivizing the team to motivate and encourage top performance. This goes a long way in achieving support within.
B. Inputs to developing a project team
Projects staff assignment. A compiled list of the taskforce who will engage in team development project activities. They are key since they are the main inputs.
Resources schedules. This one stipulates the time when members undertake project development activities.
Project management plan. This is an operational framework which provides for: member’s training and job description of each individual member, serving as a working guideline or reference in taking actions and decision making, and the mode of execution of the project, and the human resources relative to their working environment. These programs improve performance and competencies of team members.
C. Tools and technique for managing a project team
Apparatuses that alleviate project team management. They could be computerized programs or manually calculated.
The Traditional Project Management. A classical method of project management. At its basic, it involves analysis of tasks needed to see a project to completion, and monitoring processes. Project managers can assess, monitor, and engage team members in the methodologies to the outcome. Befits the small groups where members could work independently.
Waterfall project management. Team members are entwined and indispensably working together to realize projects. The larger the task, the more the team members since there are more openings to complete the task. An example is the Gantt chart model involving projects interdependencies and timeliness.
Critical Path Project Management. To variables of task duration and dependencies form the basis of this tool. Well, this is similar to the Program Evaluation Review Technique PERT, which monitors time. Relative attention to tasks is based on time and speed. Projects are thus broken down into the time aspect and can be gauged based on time.
Critical Chain Project Management. This is aa blend of both PERT and CPT methodologies. Teams and objectives are thus centered around finance and limitations. Thus, paying attention to costs, project planners are able to save on costs by making decisions informed of budget. This model is best suited for the competitive industries,
Extreme Project Management. This relies on web-based software to develop and manage projects. It is dynamic and ever-changing with decisions being made in the slightest times and quickest turnarounds. User requests inform the urge to change tact in management. Examples of these techniques are agile programming and Scrum programming.
Techniques are much of soft skills and strategies, a set of values to lead the team.
Communication. The most important skills are sharing of thoughts to create mutual understandings among parties. It guides the relationship with colleagues and your subjects. Active listening comes handy in this respect. Always keeping I touch with all players ensures support from the team. An environment of honest feedback and constructive criticism fosters effective management.
Be a Team player. Collaboration on projects, jointly working together on projects ensures all skills and relevant strengths of individual members are put in the project earning its success.
Recruitment and delegation. Hiring should be a prudent initiative, merit-based and matching competencies to gaps in the project. Assigning duties to the juniors should also be in a way that the manager still oversees the project. This ensures the right people do the job and new ideas and approaches are explored.
Time management. The confines of time and schedule in projects’ life cycle ensures that timed durations are utilized carefully to manage he projects. Members must have ways to track their time and progress in projects. Project reminders and timely goals, objective broken down into time frames ensure realization of projects.
Recognize and reward. Recognition of exemplary team members motivates them into working harder. Human beings’ needs are the cause for work. The ERG theory is a set of three needs every human has: existence needs, relatedness needs, and growth needs. Addressing these needs is motivation. Additional bonuses and financial incentives thus ensure tem dedication.
The best practices comprehensive checklist will start from definition of clear project scope (goal, objectives, budget, resources and schedule). Next, consensus of agreement on the project scope, to ensure the stakeholders pull together and take responsibility for their roles. Then, tasks breakdown, projects is trimmed down to size (task-based, product-based and time-based breakdown). Afterward, creation of a timeline either through tools like the Gantt chart, Chronology, and the Kanban model. Also, daily targets ensure long-term deadlines are managed and met. This is followed by risk and change management, which ensure agility in the face of change. Lastly, is the exit plan, providing for proactive change in case the project fails.
References
Project-Management.Com (2018). The Five Stages of Project Team Development. Retrieved November 10, 2019 from https://project-management.com/the-five-stages-of-project-team-development/ https://project-management.com/the-five-stages-of-project-team-development/
Develop Project Team Process. Retrieved November 10, 2019 from https://www.pm-primer.com/develop-project-team/
MyManagementGuide.com. Project Team Developing. Retrieved November 10, 2019 from https://mymanagementguide.com/guidelines/project-management/hr-management/project-team-developing/
Taylor J. 7 Easy Project Management Techniques for Every Project Manager. Retrieved November 10, 2019 from https://www.brighthubpm.com/project-planning/3441-top-seven-pm-techniques-every-project-manager-needs-to-employ/ https://www.brighthubpm.com/project-planning/3441-top-seven-pm-techniques-every-project-manager-needs-to-employ/
Team Management Tools and Techniques to Improve Your Team Management Skills. Retrieved November 10, 2019 from https://www.nutcache.com/blog/team-management-tools-and-techniques-to-improve-your-team-management-skills/
Managing Project Teams. Retrieved November 10, 2019 from https://www.ksl-training.co.uk/free-resources/performance-management/managing-project-teams/
How to Manage a Project Team Effectively? Good Practices Worth Following. Retrieved November 10, 2019 from https://financesonline.com/manage-project-team-effectively-good-practices-worth-following/
