Working with people will be a challenge that requires careful planning. As a Program or Project Manager your “people” skills will be tested to build
an effective project team willing to work together to achieve one goal – project success.
Project team members will have their egos and character quirks. You will need to be patient to develop a relationship with your sponsor, stakeholders and project team members.
Here are three important steps to building an effective project team:
Understanding and Communicating Roles and Responsibilities
Understanding and communicating roles and responsibilities is a crucial step in building an effective project team. My project kick-off meetings always have roles and responsibilities defined. This is a process I begin before each project kick-off by interviewing each key project team member. In addition, I look to assign a “technology lead” to drive the project technology efforts.
Listen to Your Project Team
Learning to be a good listener is a skill I developed mid-way into my career and it has become an important asset in building an effective team. Being a good listener is key to building the relationships and effective teams to be successful in your program or project. It is the first path to developing trust. I recently took over a troubled project and the first step I took was to meet with key team members and listen to their concerns, pain points and recommendations to improve the project. This approach works. Team members always appreciate a good listener and will usually respond in positive fashion.
Provide Constructive Feedback to Your Project Team
Providing constructive feedback is an invaluable tool in building an effective project team. If you want your team to grow and make corrections for the better of your Program or Project you will need to provide constructive feedback as the Program or Project progresses. When the project team is convinced your feedback is constructive and not meant to shame or embarrass, you will find team members reaching out to you on their own seeking your opinion and feedback. This will be the start of building an effective team.
