Module 1: Characteristics of a Successful Team

Module 1: Characteristics of a Successful Team

Site: TMAP Moodle Course: PM 5 Teamwork in the Project Environment (IL814F11A1) Book: Module 1: Characteristics of a Successful Team Printed by: Matthew Redmond Date: Friday, 21 October 2011, 06:20 PM

Table of Contents
Module 1: Characteristics of a Successful Team Lesson 1: Teams and Success Lecture 1: Definition of a Team Lecture 2: What Is Teamwork? Lecture 3: Success in the Project Environment Lesson 2: Individuals and Teams Lecture 1: Personal Responsibility on Teams Lecture 2: Ethics and Professional Conduct

Module 1: Characteristics of a Successful Team

Teamwork is the ability to work together toward a common vision. The ability to direct individual accomplishments toward organizational objectives. It is the fuel that allows common people to attain uncommon results. Andrew Carnegie This module introduces the key concepts related to teams and teamwork in a project environment. To be successful, a team needs to be more than just a group of members working together with a project manager. A successful team has members who all agree on a goal in advance, and who leverage one anothers diverse strengths to achieve that goal. In this module, we explore the factors that define a team in the project environment. We will also discuss the project managers responsibilities when leading the team to success.

Lesson 1: Teams and Success

This lesson focuses on what constitutes a team in the project environment. It also looks at some characteristics that a team will require in order to work effectively and successfully toward a common goal. Whether a project achieves success is generally a subjective judgment. In this lesson, you will review several models available to a project manager to clarify what success means. You will also be asked to determine what success would mean to you.

Learning Objectives
At the end of this lecture, you will be able to: Define team, Explain the importance of teams to the project management environment, Describe how teams are formed.

Lecture 1: Definition of a Team

What Is a Team?
The Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK) defines team in the project environment in the following way: - FORMAL DEFINITION Project team "Set of individuals, groups and/or organizations, including all contractors and consultants that are responsible to the project manager for undertaking project tasks." Source: Project Management Institute, 2004

While this definition is correct, it does not provide a complete picture. Consider the following, wider definition: A team is a group of people working interdependently to produce an outcome for which they hold themselves mutually accountable. Project teams have another characteristic: They will be temporary, formed specifically for the purpose of achieving the goal, after which they will disband. Source: Verzuh, 2005.

If we reflect on teams within the project environment, a more refined definition emerges: "The project team consists of the full-time and part-time resources assigned to work on the deliverables of the project, all of whom will help achieve the project objectives. They are responsible for: understanding the work to be completed

planning out the assigned activities in more detail if needed completing assigned work within the budget, timeline, and quality expectations informing the project manager of issues, scope changes, risk, and quality concerns proactively communicating status, and managing expectations Source: Alexandrou, 2010 That is, the undertaking of project tasks is not as simple as it may appear in the first definition above. There are additional elements to consider for project teams that are often neglected or ignored, which can result in poor team performance: these tasks are directed toward specific project objectives there is a balancing of different dimensions of expectations and the managing of these expectations there is a responsibility for proactive communication. On many projects, there is no specific effort to bring the team together to understand everyones distinct perspectives and individual needs and constraints, as well as to develop norms of behaviour that are effective at keeping the team working smoothly. As a project manager, you must focus not only on leading a group of people brought together for a specific purpose, but also on taking the action required to help the members of your group interact effectively with each other as they work toward a common goal. This involves a degree of finesse decision-making and sometimes even conflict-management skills. Being aware of and focusing on the people side of the project management equation forces the project manager to approach the team and team development as an integral part of the everyday project environment. This is a preventive effort that will reduce the challenges that many teams experience later in the project, and the costs of doing so early on are typically far less than the costs associated with conflict, misunderstandings and lack of productivity at a later date.

Teams and Projects

As projects grow in size and complexity, there quickly comes a point where one persons set of skills will be insufficient to solve all the project issues, and the time they have available will be insufficient to complete all the work in the desired time period. Creating teams becomes necessary as the complexity of delivering the projects goals increases. This is why most projects will require a team made up of members with a diverse skill set. It is also why the team must have a project manager who understands all the project perspectives. Because of this, relationships within teams will often be very complex, driven by personalities, cultures, project experience and technical backgrounds. Orchestrating all of these people to work together effectively can be a very difficult task for the project manager.

How Teams Are Created

In a perfect world, the project manager creates a team keeping in mind the specific outcomes for the project. Through careful analysis of a variety of potential candidates skills, knowledge and experience, the project manager selects team members based not only on their abilities, but also on their values, beliefs, shared goals and ability to effectively collaborate together.

In addition, when creating a team the project manager would also consider such factors as: the companys organizational structure, ensuring that different functional groups have a representative on the team the opportunity to hire someone from outside of the company based on the need to add specific skills or talents to the team how the project may assist a team member with his/her personal development and future growth in the company. In the real world, however, you may not have much input into the selection of your team members. Teams are often developed using whatever resources are available at the time, and member selection can be affected by some or all of the following factors: competing projects budget limitations scheduling conflicts availability of resources in the marketplace other potential issues. Often, in this type of situation, the effectiveness of the team is left to chance. However, there are many tools and techniques available to the project manager to increase the likelihood that the team will be successful at reaching its intended goal. This course provides these tools and techniques. "How often do you get to select whos on the team? We pick the people that come into our company. On most of our [small] projects, its a question of Are you available? Yeah, Ill be free next week, but this is really something for Bob to do; or Yeah, I can do it most companies are about whos available. Things like Teds been around six years, theres no documentation and hes not easily replaceable. Very few people have to be thrown off the bus, most have gotten off the bus themselves, realize its not the right bus. Weve always been happy to open the door for them. Of course it costs a lot of money to hire and train people, but if its not working, it can suck the heart out of the others on the team. Geoff, Project Manager, Financial Services field

Key Learning Points

1. The project manager is responsible for developing and coordinating the team to ensure that there is effective communication throughout the project. 2. Diverse team memberships are required to complete complex projects, and this diversity can make coordination more difficult for the project manager. 3. Project managers do not always select their team members, and factors such as competing projects and budget limitations can affect how teams are created.

Suggested Reading

Griffin, M. A., Patterson, M. G., & West, M. A. (2001, Aug.). Job satisfaction and teamwork: The role of supervisor support. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 22(5), 537-550.

This article provides evidence from review of a large number of projects that there is a strong and complex connection between teamwork and job satisfaction.

Suggested Action Points

1. Think about teams you have been involved in, both within your current work environment and in other areas of life. a. What are the common characteristics of all of the teams in which you have been involved? b. Are there any distinctions that set one team apart? 2. Think about your current work environment and how your current project team was assembled. a. How was your current project team assembled? b. How much consideration was placed on how well the team members would work together, compared to the amount of focus on the collection of skills that were available? c. How do you think this affects how well the team members work together?

Learning Objectives
At the end of this lecture, you will be able to: Define teamwork, Describe the project managers responsibilities as team leader, Explain how personal responsibility relates to a collaborative team mindset.

Lecture 2: What Is Teamwork?

Good projects boil down to relationships. If theres a few people I get along with and respect, even in a dysfunctional organization, well buckle down and get the job done despite the noise going on around us. Interpersonal skills all about playing well with others. Albert, Project Manager, IT Teamwork Teamwork is the commitment of team members to each other as members of the team and to the end (project) goal. In teamwork there is a higher level of cohesiveness and collaboration as well as shared responsibility. Teamwork can mean different things to different people. Consider the following scenario: A team has been working together for a few weeks. The expectations for the project are fairly clear, and it looks like there will be a lot of work to keep everyone busy for the next few months. Juan mentions to the team that he is not able to commit more than his regular 9am-5pm hours to this project. He has some other activities he is involved in with his family that take priority outside of work. Natsuko is already feeling the stress. She has two young children, and this project requires her to learn some new skills on her own time in order to keep up. She does not believe it is her place to assert her own needs. She would like to request a lightened workload during the weeks she is taking the additional training her manager requested, as well as to leave at 4:00pm on Tuesdays for a family engagement. However, she would never speak up to request this, as she believes that, to be an effective team member, everyone needs to "keep their head down and do what it takes."

Juan's clearly stated expectations grated on her and she is becoming discouraged. After a while, the team members notice that Natsuko has been sick frequently, but no one knows what is going on. Other team members are frustrated with her and believe she does not have the right "team attitude."

Think about this: What do you think will happen to this team? What do you think is the problem here? As a project manager, how could you prevent this situation from happening again in the future? Different people come to a team with vastly different experiences, attitudes, cultures and norms of behaviour. In the example above, both Juan and Natsuko are probably working in a way that fits with their backgrounds and experience, and both are trying hard to be good team players. However, each has their own view of what commitment and teamwork mean in the context of the rest of their lives. Simply bringing people together as a team is insufficient to ensure there is the cohesiveness and collaboration described in the definition above.

Proactively Managing the Team

As the project manager, you are responsible for moulding your team into a cohesive group that effectively interacts together while working toward a shared goal. Consider the distinction depicted in Figures 1.1 and 1.2.
Figure 1.1 Traditional project team structure

Figure 1.2 Proactive project team structure

A traditional project team structure focuses primarily on collaboration for the delivery of a product. Teams that focus strictly on the final product or outcome sometimes end up doing so at the cost of their members. While delivering the product is, of course, the goal of any project team, a proactive team structure focuses on collaborating to develop effective teamwork on the project and creating healthy team dynamics. In other words, you are more likely to achieve overall success with your project if you focus on facilitating effective teamwork. Many project managers feel they must focus primarily on the project deliverables. However, effective team interaction, reasonable workload and the application of other soft skills such as effective conflict resolution and appreciation of everyones unique perspectives can have an even stronger positive effect on a team and a projects success.

A Real-World Project Situation

Lets look at a real-world situation where a project that faced serious challenges was brought back on track by a project manager who managed his team proactively. A global financial company was working on a large, mission-critical IT project for a major international client. Over time, the project scope grew: the schedule became four times longer in duration than was originally planned, and spending was five times higher than the original budget. The IT teams working on this project began putting in 14+ hours a day, six days a week. The project manager was carrying a pager 24 hours day, seven days a week, as were some of his team members. The project was clearly spinning out of control.

What Happened?
Management, feeling the pressure to deliver, took the toughen up and do

whatever it takes approach to dealing with any perceived limitations coming from the employees. It will come as no surprise that on this project, which spanned nearly a decade, there was a 40% annual turnover in the team members. On the team, there were multiple divorces and frequent illnesses, and many staff took extended time off for medical stress leave.

Something Needed to Change

The project manager was replaced, and the new manager took a different approach. Instead of encouraging his team to do whatever it takes at any cost just get the product out he decided to put his teams welfare ahead of the end product. He opened up communication about the team members needs and expectations and any other issues that came up. As a result, the team consciously worked together to make adjustments to meet both the team members needs and the needs of the overall project.

The Results
This iteration of the product cycle under the leadership of the new project manager was the only time the team delivered its phase of the project as expected. In putting the teams needs first, the project manager was able to meet production targets.

Think about this: Why do you think the project team was successful during the six-month period when this new project manager was leading? What factors could cause this project team to fall back into dysfunction? In the scenario above, the project manager placed the most emphasis on his teams well-being, which actually contributed to its success. Rather than focusing primarily on the project goals as a primary driver, the project manager took the time to ensure that everyone on the team had an opportunity to voice their opinions. In doing so, everyone on the team took responsibility for the success of the project, and the variety of ideas provided by the team allowed them to overcome all the obstacles that were in their way. Your goal, as a project manager, is to work with your team to create a shared definition of teamwork and apply this to your project. This will give the team members an opportunity to resolve their different perspectives of what teamwork is, based on their past experience, and work together more effectively.

Practical Application
When the team initially forms, as well as whenever the team dynamics change, make it your priority

to facilitate regular discussions with the team about members needs, desires, personal goals and vision for the project. Take time to work with the team members to align these individual differences and diversity of strengths so the group can move forward, united, toward its goals. As issues arise while working together, further discussions are required to keep members focused on a shared goal. Create a Shared Definition of Teamwork 1. Read the article on developing a group definition of teamwork on The Happy Manager website. 2. Set aside some time to work with your team in your work environment to develop a collaborative view of what teamwork means to the group. a. What was your groups definition of teamwork? b. How could the group members incorporate this definition into their daily interactions? c. Did team dynamics change in any way after developing a group definition of teamwork? How? 3. What did you learn from this process? You will learn many skills and techniques throughout this course to help you keep your team on track during a project and bring the members back into alignment when they move in different directions. While managing any team, be sure to take into account the following factors: the stage or stages your team is currently in the types of diversity present in the group each group members unique personality traits, skills and experience changes in group dynamics and group membership communication breakdowns and other types of dysfunction that may arise other unique factors that may affect your team. Managing your team and understanding the definitions of team and teamwork are an essential part of your project management duties at all times.

Key Learning Points

1. Teamwork is the commitment of team members to each other as members of the team and to the end (project) goal. In teamwork there is a higher level of cohesiveness and collaboration as well as shared responsibility. 2. Each team needs to define its own vision of what teamwork means to it. 3. The project manager's focus is to proactively take the action required to help the team members effectively interact with each other as they work toward a common goal. 4. No matter how a team is created, or by whom, the project manager is responsible for managing the team so it will successfully reach its goals.

Suggested Action Points

1. Think about your current work environment. a. What is your definition of teamwork in your project environment? b. How does this definition compare to the definitions your colleagues hold? 2. Think about a sports team that you participate in or watch.

a. What does the team do to build effective teamwork? b. How could you apply these techniques to your project environment?

Learning Objectives
At the end of this lecture, you will be able to: Explain what constitutes a successful team in a project environment; Describe the project managers responsibilities as team leader in defining team success; Explain how the project management triangle, agile triangle and multi-dimensional models of success relate to evaluating success for the project and project team.

Lecture 3: Success in the Project Environment

What Is Success?
If you were to ask 100 different people what the term success means to them, you would receive 100 different answers. It is no different in a project environment. Success can mean very different things to you, your team members and other project stakeholders. In order for the project to be successful, there needs to be a common understanding of what constitutes success for both the team and the project. Take a look at what some project managers from various industries had to say about success: A successful team: everyone is focused on the goal, rather than bringing their petty issues or childish behaviours to work, or their looking after their own little fiefdoms everyone is interested in getting the job done rather than backbiting one another. Its nothing more than getting everyone to see what the goal is get buy-in get a read on the team, see who enjoys doing what balance the load, make sure nobody sees themselves as always sweeping up the floor. Albert, Project Manager, IT company From my perspective, it is a team that works well together and is driven to produce a lot you need the motivators there so that they want to work and theyre not just being. A lot of smart people around, wont stick around if theyre not motivated to do well. Jessica, Project Manager, New Media company

A Real-World Project Situation

Consider the following scenario. A project begins with a final deadline to deliver the end product six months from the start date. The team members agree that

they will work to meet that deadline. However, four months into the project, it becomes apparent that the original goal is not realistic. The team and stakeholders agree to a new deadline, which brings the planned project completion time to eight months from the start date. This cycle of creating a deadline, realizing it is not achievable and then setting a new deadline happens several more times before the team delivers the product very close to the final date set.

Think about this: Was this project successful? What definition of success did you use to make this decision?
Summary

Some people might argue that since the team delivered the product very close to the final deadline, the project was indeed a success. However, we need to take into account all of the previous target dates that were set and missed. Timelines, budget and scope of a project are often adjusted as the project goes forward. However, the history of these changes is usually lost, leading to an overly optimistic perception of success. While some might adopt an optimistic perception of the results, others might have a different view. As noted previously, success will have very different meanings for different people. In the scenario above, it may be reasonable to consider that delivering the required scope is most important for this project. Alternatively, taking their time and delivering reasonable quality may have been most important for the team members.

Traditional View of Success

The Project Management Triangle

As the discipline of project management evolves, our understanding of the complexity of what success means on a project and to a team evolves as well. The project management triangle represents what PMBOK calls a triple constraint. - FORMAL DEFINITION Triple constraint "A framework for evaluating competing demands, the triple constraint is often depicted as a triangle where one of the sides or one of the corners represents one of the parameters being managed by the project team."

Source: Project Management Institute, 2004 Traditionally, the three constraints that project managers manage are scope, schedule and cost A project begins with a final deadline to deliver an end product six months from the project start date. The team members agree that they will work to meet that deadline. However, four months into the project, the marketing team asks for additional functionality to be added to the product, due to market research results. The marketing department has already sent out sales releases, and product demonstrations are scheduled to take place at an important conference in two and a half months. The delivery deadline cannot change and there are no additional resources to bring into the project. However, the project manager pushes hard, and the team puts in extra hours and completes the project on time, delivering the product very close to the final deadline.

Figure 1.3 Project Management Triangle

Source: Project Management Institute, 2004 A joke often told in project management circles goes as follows: A project manager says to the project sponsor, Scope, schedule or cost? Pick two; you cant have all three. While this might sound funny, it is often true. When one of the constraints changes, at least one of the other two is affected. For example, if the scope of the project increases, it will usually take more time and more money to complete the project. Unfortunately, in the real world, project managers often experience pressure from stakeholders to retain the original schedule and budget expectations, even if the scope of the project expands. Over and above the fact of the change, this more importantly means that the project team has to adapt to these changes.

A Real-World Project Situation

Consider the scenario we read about earlier, but with a few changes: Think about this: Was this a successful project? Do you think any factors of success were sacrificed? If so, which ones?
Summary

Some people might argue that the project was indeed a success, since the team delivered the product very close to the final deadline even though the scope changed in midstream. However, what were the hidden costs associated with the team completing the project on time? Did the quality of the final product suffer in any way? How did the additional stress from long, unpaid extra hours affect the team members? What will be the effects on the team members moving forward to the next project? Did the project serve to set up the team to be successful on future projects? What was the impact on the environment from the project? As you can see, looking only at scope, schedule and cost is insufficient if you want to develop a comprehensive understanding of what success means to a project and the project team.

Evolving View of Success

Model 1: The Project Tetrad

As discussed in Project Management Fundamentals, many interpretations of the Project Triad add a fourth dimension, quality, either in the middle of the triangle or at the apex of what would be a fourcornered pyramid. This added dimension of quality highlights that some projects may appear to be successful despite overcoming the triple constraint of the Project Triad; projects may be delivered on time and on budget, even with significant increases in scope during the project. But doing so often means the

quality of the product degrades considerably. If quality is held as another dimension on par with the first three, giving us a project tetrad, this gives us an opportunity to discuss the balance between these four dimensions, and explicitly define quality on our projects at the same level as the three traditional dimensions. Success, in these terms, is defined by explicitly describing the relative importance of each of these dimensions. One of these will be the primary driver on the project, while the others will be subservient to some degree. The project team succeeds by balancing those secondary dimensions to meet the key value of the primary driver. Here are some examples of projects and the primary dimension of success for each: medical device-- quality (patient safety concerns) a game console-- schedule (many consumer products need to be ready for sale before the major shopping holidays) a new drug to market-- scope (no steps can be skipped in the evaluation process) home renovations-- Often cost (as delays are common, ideas are often dropped and do it yourself efforts are often poor quality).
Model 2: Multi-Dimensional Model of Success

Another model, developed by Aaron Shenhar and Dov Dvir (2007), postulates that there are many dimensions for a project manager to evaluate when determining project and project team success. This model is valuable in that it recognizes that there is a wide range of possible considerations for the success of the project. These considerations cover the traditional scope, cost and schedule issues; the support and well-being of the team; and potentially other issues related to the business, environment and strategy.
Figure 1.4 Multi-Dimensional View of Success

Source: Shenhar & Dvir, 2007 Click on the picture above for a larger picture There may be even more dimensions to consider when evaluating project and project team success, especially considering the human aspect of the project. Defining and redefining the teams view of success is an ongoing process and is an important part of project management. Your goal is to work with your team members to create a shared definition of success, then apply this to your project. Success on a project is almost always a combination of a number of dimensions, and it is important to identify these dimensions as soon as possible so that the project team can work toward completing the project successfully in these terms. Wide participation ensures that you will have the different perspectives necessary for a comprehensive definition of success. In addition, there are often trade-offs with these dimensions, and performing this analysis forces you to discuss and resolve these tradeoffs early on, when you have the greatest flexibility in resolving them.

Practical Application
As a project manager, you are responsible for holding regular discussions with your team members about their vision of success for the project and the team. Again, there are many more components to the concept of success than just did we complete the project within scope, on time and within budget?
Create a Shared Definition of Success

1. Set aside some time to talk about your teams definition of success in your work environment with the goal of coming to a consensus. 2. Select one of the models included in this lecture (we suggest selecting the multi-dimensional view of success diagram). 3. With your team, identify the dimensions of success that are important for the project. Be sure to include the personal dimensions of success. A personal dimension of success is the goal an individual has for him or herself in relation to the project. For example, I want experience in leading a team or I want to use this different technology. 4. Through discussion and negotiation, prioritize these important views of success, and come to an agreement about which will drive the project. This dimension will be the single most important dimension of success for the project and will bias the effort toward achieving that goal. It is important that the project manager look at the team members definitions of success both for the project and for themselves personally. If you ignore or suppress the personal goals dimension, you lose the opportunity to include these dimensions in the project plan. However, if you proactively discuss and include these dimensions in your planning, your team members will become more committed to the project. This improves the likelihood that each individual sees value in the project and is committed to doing his or her part. In addition, if personal views of success are at odds with the overall project success criteria, it is

better to know this from the start and to deal with the discrepancy at this time, rather than to wait for the conflict to reveal itself later, when it can lead to difficulties for the project.

Key Learning Points

1. Success is subjective. Every person on a team may have a different view of what project and project team success means to them. 2. In order for the project to be successful, there needs to be a common understanding of what constitutes success for both the team and the project. 3. The project management triangle model evaluates success based on three constraints: scope, schedule and cost. 4. The project management tetrad expands on the triangle model by explicitly capturing quality as a fourth dimension. 5. The multi-dimensional model evaluates success based many different factors, including, from a team standpoint, efficiency and impact on the team. 6. It is the project managers responsibility to hold regular discussions with the team and other stakeholders to align their visions of project success.

Suggested Reading

Highsmith, J. A. (2004). Agile project management: Creating innovative products (2nd ed.). Boston: Pearson Education. This book describes a wider range of definitions of success to consider for technology projects, including delivery of value to the customer.

Suggested Action Points

1. Think about a project you are currently working on with your team. a. How does your team currently define success for this project? b. Is this an explicit, commonly understood definition, or is it one that you feel is merely implied? c. How would you define success for this project?

Lesson 2: Individuals and Teams

This lesson emphasizes that every participant has responsibilities in a team, and that the project manager is responsible for ensuring that the members work together as an effective team. It also identifies the role of ethics in defining and clarifying how project managers should behave in a team environment.

Learning Objectives
At the end of this lecture, you will be able to: Explain the main responsibilities of each type of project stakeholder as they relate to the team environment, Describe the project managers role in building a successful team.

Lecture 1: Personal Responsibility on Teams

How many times have you walked into a coffee station and seen coffee spilled on the counter? Occasionally youll come into a station and see someone wiping up something they didnt spill. For me, that is an indication that it is something more than just about me that they are a team player, willing to do things to see that happen. Whatever we produce, in essence we are creating a piece of ourselves if we can have pride enough in it, as people, such that we feel responsibility for it when it is out in the world, and have done a good enough job on it to know it is going to perform it all boils down to professionalism, pride in ones product. Albert, Project Manager, IT

Teamwork Is an Individual Skill

Traditionally, people are brought together for a specific purpose and are then expected to work effectively together, since they are on a team. However, being on a team does not ensure that effective teamwork will take place. Group members need to understand their own needs, desires, expectations and goals, as well as those of the other group members, in order to begin working well together as a team. Christopher Avery, in his book Teamwork Is an Individual Skill (2001), says that working on a team may seem to be a group skill, but it is actually an individual skill. He proposes a model where each member first needs to take personal responsibility for his or her own actions on the team. In his model, Avery demonstrates that personal responsibility, partnership, shared purpose, trust in other members and group collaboration toward a shared goal are foundational and interdependent for team effectiveness
Figure 1.5 Personal Responsibility Comes First

A Real-World Project Situation

In almost any team conflict situation, the people involved feel very strongly about their position and believe they are right. In this case, Alice and Bob each believed that they were being reasonable and that the other person was stepping over the boundary. Alice thought Bob was being arrogant and dismissive with her when they were in meetings together, and she dealt with this by making sure that her position was heard and respected by the group. Bob, on the other hand, thought Alice was a hothead who pushed too hard to get her way and that she didnt respect the experience he brought to the table. The situation reached the point where neither one would even listen to what the other would say. There appeared to be no way to break the impasse. Only when each of them had an opportunity to vent to their

manager did things change. Surprisingly, though, it wasnt because the project manager agreed with either of them outright. Instead, he suggested that both of them were being reasonable, when viewed from their own narrow context. When he pushed further to suggest that each of them was contributing to the situation between them in a negative way and that each of them had responsibility for that contribution, they started to see how their own behaviours led to their differences and each began to appreciate what the other brought to the team. Source: Avery, 2001, p. xii

This model relates to everyone involved in the team. Your goal as a project manager is to help everyone on the team appreciate their contribution to and responsibility for the project in a manner that builds trust and eventually a collaborative mindset.

Think about this: How did this real-world situation help you to view interactions between team members differently in your work environment? Will you change how you lead your team in any way as a result?

Roles and Responsibilities

There is a wide range of stakeholders involved on any project. As a project manager, you need to be aware of who is directly involved in your project, both within your immediate team as well as externally. Remaining in contact with these stakeholders will assist with creating a successful outcome for your project and the team. Figure 1.6 lists the main types of stakeholders and their responsibilities in ensuring project success. The responsibilities listed in bold relate directly to the teamwork elements on a project as described in this course.
Figure 1.6: Responsibilities for Success

Stakeholder Role and Responsibilities Project Identifies the benefits to be achieved and is responsible for attaining the intended Sponsor benefits. Articulates the organizations strategy and vision to the organization and project team in collaboration with the project team. Documents and owns the business goals. Works with the project manager to define the projects objectives.

Works with the project manager to define the terms of project success and norms of behaviour that support teamwork. Ensures project objectives are linked to business goals. Defines the measures against which business goals and project objectives will be assessed. Ensures ongoing alignment between organizational strategy, vision, business goals and project objectives as the project proceeds. Owns the project objectives and is responsible for achieving them. Ensures that all project efforts are properly aligned with the project objectives. Works with the project sponsor throughout the project to ensure continual alignment between project efforts and the organizations business goals. Works with the project manager to define the terms of project success and norms of behaviour that support effective teamwork, when possible. Supports the project objectives. Ensures the requirements put forth are aligned with and support the overall project objectives and business goals. Works with the project manager to define the terms of project success and norms of behaviour that support teamwork. Works with the project manager throughout the project to ensure continual alignment between project efforts and the project objectives. Provides the standard of work necessary to support the success of the project. Source: UBC Fundamentals of Business Analysis, Module 3, Lesson 1, Lecture 1 Table 3.2 The process of working together to define shared goals, expectations and norms of behaviour should involve all stakeholders and is an ongoing process throughout the project. The key is to ensure that everyone who is involved in the project is involved in the conversations related to working toward a successful outcome to the project. To do this, everyone needs to see the connection between their own personal responsibility and their contribution to that successful outcome. Recall that while Figure 1.6 describes external stakeholders, anyone who is involved with, influences or can influence the project is a stakeholder. All the project participants from inside the organization, including the project sponsor, the project manager, and all project staff, are internal stakeholders. External stakeholders can include customers and users of the product, business partners that are involved in the project, and even external regulators, who may not even be aware that the project exists.

Project Manager

External Stakeholders

Project Team

The Project Managers Role

Ultimately, it is your responsibility as the project manager to bring the appropriate people into the conversation to ensure that everyone has the same criteria of success for both the project and the project team. While the project manager is responsible for ensuring that these activities take place at the beginning, everyone on the team is responsible for full, open, honest, appreciative participation and ongoing commitment to the team itself. Your role throughout the project management process is to: ensure that needed conversations are held with all relevant stakeholders identify the specific skills required by the project, including team skills match the project structures to team capabilities identify the goals of each of the team members collaborate with the team to define communication structures for the project monitor for and manage issues as they arise. Your goal is to support your team to create an environment that supports individual responsibility for the team and the project.

Activity: Reading

Please read the article Bringing Out the Best in People by Wiseman and McKeown. (This article is part of the Harvard Business Review reading package. Click here for purchase instructions.) This article talks about how to bring the right people together in an environment that allows their strengths to emerge. As you read through the article, think about your role as a project manager in managing team members to project success. Are you a multiplier or a diminisher? How might the concept of multiplier be applied to the roles and responsibilities listed in the preceding section of this lecture?

Practical Application
When a new team forms, it is important to have a discussion with each member to help align values, expectations and goals. It is also important to include other stakeholders in this process to ensure that everyone has the same understanding. Remain aware of what is happening in your team throughout the duration of the project. Facilitate regular discussions with the project members to ensure that everyone holds the same understanding and expectations, and is working toward a common purpose for the project. Whenever issues arise throughout the working relationship, you will need to have further discussions to keep members focused on a shared goal. Involve Appropriate Stakeholders 1. Perform a stakeholder analysis in the initiation stage of your project, as outlined in section 10.1.2 (Identify Stakeholders: Tools and Techniques) in PMIs Project Management Body of Knowledge (2004). 2. Identify all of the people who are directly involved in the project at any stage, and include this as part of your stakeholder management strategy.

3. Include as many of these stakeholders as is reasonable when you hold discussions with your team, both at the beginning of the project as well as throughout it, as needed. Your stakeholder analysis should provide insights into the degree of participation that is expected for each stakeholder. Depending on the relationships you have with other stakeholders on the project, you may not be able to include certain people in these conversations. For example, some barriers to including certain stakeholders in these discussions may be: wide geographical distance between stakeholders interaction may not be as rich as in face-to-face discussions time zone differences may limit participation in some discussions strong vertical culture in the organization, limiting access to people higher in the organizational structure than the manager to whom you report strong power distance in an organizational culture that limits access to upper management. This is part of your standard stakeholder analysis, which is described and reviewed in The Project Managers Toolkit courses.

Key Learning Points

1. While working on a team may seem to be a group skill, it is actually an individual skill; each member of a team first needs to take personal responsibility for his or her own actions on the team. 2. The project manager needs to bring everyone who is directly involved in the project, both within the immediate team as well as externally, into conversations to ensure they have the same understanding and vision of the successful project outcome.

Suggested Action Points

1. If possible, set aside time to speak to your team about how the Avery model relates to your own and your team members responsibility in the team environment.

Learning Objectives
At the end of this lecture, you will be able to: Define the meaning of aspirational standards and mandatory standards for professional conduct as described by the Project Management Instituted (PMI), Describe how the PMI Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct relates to the project team environment, Apply the PMI Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct to real-life project scenarios.

Lecture 2: Ethics and Professional Conduct

Just about every issue my team faces can be related in some way to an ethical issue or professional conduct. Project Manager, Aviation Project As a project manager, you are expected to help team members define personal and team roles and responsibilities to ensure a smooth project workflow. But part of managing the team is also connected to your professionalism in how you manage situations that may arise out of team interactions that might be ethical in nature. The PMI has developed a code of ethics to help you make decisions that may be complex in nature. This code of ethics outlines the best practices that all project managers should follow.

PMIs Code of Ethics

Activity: Reading and Video

Please take a moment to review the following document and video: Project Management Institute Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct document the Project Management Institutes Ethics and You video As you are reviewing these resources, think about how this information relates to the work you do as a project manager leading teams.

Background

If you hold or are working toward a Project Management Professional designation from PMI, you are bound to the institutes Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct. This document provides guidelines for professional behaviour expected of all members of the global project management community. The intent of this is to give members an understanding of what behaviours PMI deems to be appropriate for a professional working in the area of project management. A common understanding

provides consistency in the quality of service provided by members and raises the reputation of the project management profession, overall. Reading and referring back to this document will help to guide you in decision-making, especially in ambiguous situations where ethics come into question.
Structure

The foundation of this document is a set of four key values the global project management community has defined as essential to the work they do: Responsibility taking ownership of decisions, actions and their consequences. Respect showing consideration to ourselves, other people and resources. Fairness ensuring that all decisions are made impartially and objectively. Honesty aligning words and actions with what is believed to be the truth. For each of these four key values, the code makes a distinction between aspirational and mandatory standards. - FORMAL DEFINITION Aspirational standards The aspirational standards describe the conduct that we strive to uphold as practitioners. Mandatory standards The mandatory standards establish firm requirements and, in some cases, limit or prohibit practitioner behavior. Source: Project Management Institute, 2006

IMPORTANT: While there are two levels of standards, you must follow all of standards listed under both aspirational and mandatory in the PMI Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct document. If you do not, you may face disciplinary action from PMIs Ethics Review Committee. For example, the Code contains examples that clarify many of the standards. An example of an aspirational standard, found in section 3.2.4, states we avoid engaging in gossip and avoid making negative remarks to undermine a persons reputation. We also have a duty under this Code to confront others who engage in these types of behaviors. Similarly, a mandatory standard describing conflict of interest, found in section 4.3.2, states that Even if we believe that we can set aside our divided loyalties and make decisions impartially, we treat the appearance of a conflict of interest as a conflict of interest and follow the provisions described in the Code. All members are expected to Uphold this Code and hold each other accountable to it" (2.2.6) and "Report unethical or illegal conduct to appropriate management and, if necessary, to those affected by the conduct (2.3.2). More information about how to bring forward complaints about violations of this code is listed in section 2 of the PMI Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct.

Ethics in a Team Environment

You will find that you are able to link almost all breakdowns in team communication back to one of the four key values identified in the PMI Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct.

Activity: Ethical Scenarios

Take a moment to read the examples presented below. For each situation, complete the following: Identify what you believe to be the ethical issue. Refer to the PMI Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct document and identify which aspirational or mandatory standard is being compromised. Think about how you would handle the situation. 1. During a university online course development project, the project manager discovered that some of the material written by the subject matter expert (SME) came directly from an Internet website, without being properly cited. The SME is a professor in a well-known faculty and is highly respected but to complicate matters even further, he is a PhD supervisor for the project managers boss. The project manager knows that the university enforces a strict plagiarism policy. 2. It has been a challenging market for finding work, and Bob has been unsuccessful in all of his job applications for almost a year. He has decided that he needs to mention having a bit more technical experience in some areas than he actually has. His rationale is that he will not likely need to show that he has certification in these areas, and that the skills he will need for the new position he would be able to learn on the job. 3. Charlie has been working as a project manager for a few years and people on his teams know how to interact with him effectively. They know that he is a no-nonsense guy and they interact with him accordingly. Charlie has a difficult time accepting failure, and people have received severe reprimands in the past when they attempted to explain to him the reality of the situation on a project. On one project that has been running for a few months, Charlies team members realize that they will need to find a way to make it look like they have achieved what they promised. Think about this: Were you able to identify the areas in which ethics or professional conduct was or may have been compromised in the team environment? How did the PMI Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct help you to better understand the situation and how to handle it? The Project Managers Responsibility In a team environment, it is essential that everyone understands and follows the PMI Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct. As a project manager, you are responsible for initiating open discussion of issues with your team when and even before the issues arise. In these conversations with your team, be sure to refer to the PMIs four identified key values and to any other values your team identified. It is also important to note that what might appear to be a breakdown in team communication may be

rooted in questionable ethical behaviour that one or more team members is exhibiting. It is a good idea to use these ethical standards as a way to broach conversations with the team. Facilitating clear communication and expectations between all team members will help your team to work together effectively throughout the project.

Key Learning Points

1. Project managers are bound to the PMICode of Ethics and Professional Conduct, which provides guidelines for professional behaviour expected of all members of the global project management community. 2. Standards of behaviour are separated into four key values: responsibility, respect, fairness and honesty. These are further categorized into aspirational and mandatory standards. 3. A project manager must follow all of the standards listed under both the aspirational and mandatory categories in the PMI Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct.

Suggested Action Points

1. Think back to a situation at your place of work where something was off track. Maybe there was tension between team members, someone was not fulfilling his or her part of the agreement, or pressure from outside of the team seemed to compromise successful completion of the teams goals. a. What was your interpretation of the problem? b. Refer to the PMI Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct and identify whether any aspirational or mandatory standard has been compromised. (You are quite likely to find this to be the situation.) c. How did you handle the situation? d. How might you change your way of handling this same type of situation in the future, after having reflected on PMIs Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct? 2. Consider other governing bodies that apply to the work you do. How do their ethical codes compare to PMI's Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct? a. How do the different codes provide the user with support for ambiguous situations? b. Are the different codes complementary, or do they conflict in any way? c. How does the PMI code add to the rules you are already bound by through other governing bodies?