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Module 3: Team members: getting the best, avoiding the worst

This is the first tutorial in a series dedicated to project planning and startup.  Module 1 introduces the project plan.  Module 2 discusses the importance of scope.  Module 3 provides considerations for your project team membership.  Module 4 examines the effective use of consultants.  Module 5 addresses your project approach and methodology.  Module 6 summarizes the importance of effective planning and provides tips for successful planning.  This tutorial series is taken from Prosci's Project Planning Toolkit which includes a complete project plan template.

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Introduction

It is useful to think of your team structure in 3 levels: stakeholders, core team, and extended team.

The stakeholders are key business leaders ultimately accountable for the success of the project. Their role is to provide high-level guidance to the team, help remove barriers, and provide funding. The core team is the group responsible for the design and implementation of the solution. Your extended team includes other people in the organization contributing to the project on an as-needed basis. These extended-team members include subject-matter experts.

Team Management Model

Having the right core team can make or break a project. Take care when selecting your team members.

The elements to consider regarding your team include:

• overall team composition

• team selection criteria

• team size

• research findings and best practices

Team composition

A well-rounded team includes a mix of people and skills. The team should include:

• some individuals who intimately understand the current process (experts – could be at any level in the organization)

• some individuals who actively use the process and work closely with customers (including union involvement when applicable)

• some technical wizards

• some individuals who are completely objective toward the process and outcome (consultants may fall into this category)

• customers of the process (when possible) and suppliers (those people who are involved with the process at the boundaries)

• some individuals who are not familiar with your process (someone who brings a fresh perspective and outlook to the team)

Team selection criteria

You need the “best and brightest” on your team, but even they must work well together for the project to succeed. When selecting team members, make sure that they are:

• creative and open minded

• good team players

• well respected among peers, stakeholders, and other business leaders

If your stakeholders are helping select team members, share this criteria with them and be clear on your expectations for the team.

Team size considerations

The recommended size for project teams is 4 to 10 members. Smaller teams (3 or 4 members) work faster and tend to produce results more quickly. Teams greater than 7 or 8 members require additional facilitation and often require subteams to be formed in order for the team to operate effectively.

The argument for larger teams is greater functional representation. This representation brings different business perspectives to the table and a greater knowledge base. The trade-off is that larger teams move more slowly through the creative process and, given resource constraints, the members are often part-time.

If you require more than 8 members, we recommend establishing a small core team of three to four people to manage the overall project, and then divide into sub teams consisting of 2 to 4 members each.

You may consider using fewer than 5 people for the design team, who report periodically to a larger representative group. This structure would enable the design team to move quickly, but they would benefit from the knowledge and insights of the larger group.

The results in the next three sections come from the 2002 benchmarking study with 327 project teams from 53 countries.  The goal of this study is to provide real-life lessons from the experiences of project teams recently or currently involved in projects.  Learn more about the best practices report.

Benchmarking findings - top 10 contributors to successful teams

The top contributors to effective team selection as cited by study participants were:

1. Team members:

• were enthusiastic and motivated 
• were willing to take risks
• were driven to succeed
• assumed ownership of the project
• demonstrated a positive attitude
  
  

2. Team members were well-networked and respected.

3. Team members communicated easily with management and peers.

4. Overall the team had a breadth of knowledge and understanding across the business.

5. The team was creative, externally focused, and capable of innovative problem solving.

6. The team included diverse representation of departments, functions, experience, and knowledge.

7. Team members had project management skills.

Benchmarking findings - top inhibitors to  team success

The top inhibitors to successful teams as cited by study participants were:

1. Limited time commitments from team members. Some team members had conflicting work priorities that inhibited their ability to work and maintain focus on the project.

2. Ineffective change management skills.

3. Poor selection of team members.

What should be done differently

Participants had a number of recommendations on how to improve team selection.

1. They would ensure that each team member could dedicate the needed time for the project. In fact, more than 80% of participants citing this concern stated that they would make the project a full-time assignment.

2. They would select a smaller team.

3. They would personally interview the candidates, picking the best and the brightest and not just who was available. They wanted people who were experienced, yet open to new ideas. They also wanted people who could communicate with management and the rest of the organization effectively.

4. They would ensure that their team had adequate administrative support.

5. They would have all team members selected before starting the project.

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