Publications
Partners
A project would be nothing without the people working on it. One of the most important roles of the project manager is to pick the right group of team members to tackle the project. Often, this requires finely balancing availability, the necessary skills and people’s own interests. Here are five tips for creating the ideal project team.
1. Outline what skills you need
As with all aspects of project management, you must outline your requirements simply, clearly and comprehensively. Once you have established the goals and outcomes of the project, you must consider what skills are necessary to carry them out. Make sure that you cover all the skills you need; one of the most difficult challenges is bringing a new team member in mid-way and catching them up on the project’s progress and nuances. Evaluate whether the necessary skills are available internally or whether you will need to hire outside help (freelancers, consultants or others).
2. Double up on essential skills
If there is a skill that is absolutely essential to the success of the project, make sure that other team members also have this skill in case a problem arises. For example, if the outcome of the project is that a presentation is given to an important group of people, make sure that you have a back-up public speaker in your team in case your primary one falls ill. It is also extremely useful if less important skills are shared, since team members will be able to help out if one part of the project is lagging behind. There needs to be an element of flexibility among team members: they need to adapt to deadline changes and reallocation of tasks in case someone falls ill or needs support to complete a task.
3. Involve just the right number of people
Over- and under-hiring on a project both present serious difficulties. Over-hiring can lead to pressure on the budget, confusion over divided roles, communication delays and time wasting. Under-hiring can cause time pressure, exhaustion, a deficiency of skills (and back-up skills) and necessary reduction in the project goal’s scope and functionality. The project manager must hire as many people as are necessary, and as budget allows, and no more. In most cases it is very difficult to achieve the perfect balance of staff in a project team, especially at the onset of a project. However, over time experienced project managers learn to gauge resource requirements both in skills and in number and can predict when to stock up on skilled staff.
4. Get people who care
A project will not run optimally if the people working on it have no interest in it. The project manager must make sure to hire team members who are well versed in the field, interested in the project’s outcomes and able to provide meaningful contributions and ideas. Projects often fail or get delayed because the team members have other priorities and are not interested enough to commit their time and energy.
5. Consider personalities
The project manager must know the team members well enough to be able to manage the personal dynamics of the team – namely their personalities. It is often better to exclude those who are likely to argue or challenge each other constantly for the sake of the smooth running of the project (and the mood of other team members). The project manager also needs to be very self aware of their own mood, tone, communication style and personality. Appearing calm and in control at all times is essential to a project manager as this directly effects the morale and attitude of the team members. The project manager must also be sensitive to individual characteristics and personalities, and must make sure to tailor responsibilities to the right people – an independent worker will chafe if made part of a highly co-dependent project, while a shy person is not likely to contribute meaningfully to a dynamic marketing brainstorm session. A project manager must always be in tune with the team’s needs, level of skill and ambition, and must ensure that all members feel like they have played an invaluable part in the success of a project.
What kind of team member are you? Tell us in the box below.
Anna Malczyk is the content manager for the University of Cape Town Project Administration short course, which starts on 14 March 2011. For more information contact Lyndsay on 021 685 4775 or lyndsay@getsmarter.co.za, or visit www.getsmarter.co.za
1. Outline what skills you need
As with all aspects of project management, you must outline your requirements simply, clearly and comprehensively. Once you have established the goals and outcomes of the project, you must consider what skills are necessary to carry them out. Make sure that you cover all the skills you need; one of the most difficult challenges is bringing a new team member in mid-way and catching them up on the project’s progress and nuances. Evaluate whether the necessary skills are available internally or whether you will need to hire outside help (freelancers, consultants or others).
2. Double up on essential skills
If there is a skill that is absolutely essential to the success of the project, make sure that other team members also have this skill in case a problem arises. For example, if the outcome of the project is that a presentation is given to an important group of people, make sure that you have a back-up public speaker in your team in case your primary one falls ill. It is also extremely useful if less important skills are shared, since team members will be able to help out if one part of the project is lagging behind. There needs to be an element of flexibility among team members: they need to adapt to deadline changes and reallocation of tasks in case someone falls ill or needs support to complete a task.
3. Involve just the right number of people
Over- and under-hiring on a project both present serious difficulties. Over-hiring can lead to pressure on the budget, confusion over divided roles, communication delays and time wasting. Under-hiring can cause time pressure, exhaustion, a deficiency of skills (and back-up skills) and necessary reduction in the project goal’s scope and functionality. The project manager must hire as many people as are necessary, and as budget allows, and no more. In most cases it is very difficult to achieve the perfect balance of staff in a project team, especially at the onset of a project. However, over time experienced project managers learn to gauge resource requirements both in skills and in number and can predict when to stock up on skilled staff.
4. Get people who care
A project will not run optimally if the people working on it have no interest in it. The project manager must make sure to hire team members who are well versed in the field, interested in the project’s outcomes and able to provide meaningful contributions and ideas. Projects often fail or get delayed because the team members have other priorities and are not interested enough to commit their time and energy.
5. Consider personalities
The project manager must know the team members well enough to be able to manage the personal dynamics of the team – namely their personalities. It is often better to exclude those who are likely to argue or challenge each other constantly for the sake of the smooth running of the project (and the mood of other team members). The project manager also needs to be very self aware of their own mood, tone, communication style and personality. Appearing calm and in control at all times is essential to a project manager as this directly effects the morale and attitude of the team members. The project manager must also be sensitive to individual characteristics and personalities, and must make sure to tailor responsibilities to the right people – an independent worker will chafe if made part of a highly co-dependent project, while a shy person is not likely to contribute meaningfully to a dynamic marketing brainstorm session. A project manager must always be in tune with the team’s needs, level of skill and ambition, and must ensure that all members feel like they have played an invaluable part in the success of a project.
What kind of team member are you? Tell us in the box below.
Anna Malczyk is the content manager for the University of Cape Town Project Administration short course, which starts on 14 March 2011. For more information contact Lyndsay on 021 685 4775 or lyndsay@getsmarter.co.za, or visit www.getsmarter.co.za
