A project performance domain is a group of related activities that are critical for the effective delivery of project outcomes. Project performance domains are interactive, interrelated, and interdependent areas of focus that work in unison to achieve desired project outcomes.
There are eight project performance domains :
▶ Stakeholders,
▶ Team,
▶ Development Approach and Life Cycle,
▶ Planning,
▶ Project Work,
▶ Delivery,
▶ Measurement, and
▶ Uncertainty.
Together the performance domains form a unified whole. In this way, the performance domains operate as an integrated system, with each performance domain being interdependent of the other performance domains to enable successful delivery of the project and its intended outcomes.
Performance domains run concurrently throughout the project, regardless of how value is delivered (frequently, periodically, or at the end of the project). For example, project leads spend time focused on stakeholders, the project team, the project life cycle, the project work, and so forth, from the outset of the project to its closure. These areas of focus are not addressed as siloed efforts because they overlap and interconnect. The ways in which the performance domains relate are different for each project, but they are present in every project.
The specific activities undertaken within each of the performance domains are determined by the context of the organization, the project, deliverables, the project team, stakeholders, and other factors. The performance domains are presented in the following sections without specific weighting or order.
STAKEHOLDER PERFORMANCE DOMAIN
The following definitions are relevant to the Stakeholder Performance Domain :
Stakeholder.
An individual, group, or organization that may affect, be affected by, or perceive itself to be affected by a decision, activity, or outcome of a project, program, or portfolio.
Stakeholder Analysis.
A method of systematically gathering and analyzing quantitative and qualitative information to determine whose interests should be taken into account throughout the project.
Projects are performed by people and for people. This performance domain entails working with stakeholders to maintain alignment and engaging with them to foster positive relationships and satisfaction.
Stakeholders include individuals, groups, and organizations (see Figure). A project can have a small group of stakeholders or potentially millions of stakeholders. There may be different stakeholders in different phases of the project, and the influence, power, or interests of stakeholders may change as the project unfolds.
Examples of Project Stakeholders
Effective stakeholder identification, analysis, and engagement includes stakeholders who are internal and external to the organization, those who are supportive of the project, and those who may not be supportive or are neutral. While having relevant technical project management skills is an important aspect of successful projects, having the interpersonal and leadership skills to work effectively with stakeholders is just as important, if not more so.
STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT
Stakeholder engagement includes implementing strategies and actions to promote productive involvement of stakeholders. Stakeholder engagement activities start before or when the project starts and continue throughout the project.
Navigating Effective Stakeholder Engagement
Defining and sharing a clear vision at the start of the project can enable good relationships and alignment throughout the project. Establishing a clear vision that key stakeholders agree on can entail some challenging negotiations, especially with stakeholders who are not necessarily in favor of the project or its intended outcomes. As shown in Figure there are several steps to engage stakeholders effectively.
Identify
High level stakeholder identification may be carried out prior to forming the project team. Detailed stakeholder identification progressively elaborates the initial work and is a continuous activity throughout the project. Some stakeholders are easy to identify, such as the customer, sponsor, project team, end users, and so forth, but others can be difficult to identify when they are not directly connected to the project.
Understand and Analyze Once stakeholders are identified, the project manager and the project team should seek to understand stakeholders’ feelings, emotions, beliefs, and values. These elements can lead to additional threats or opportunities for the project outcomes. They can also change quickly, and as such, understanding and analyzing stakeholders is an ongoing action.
Related to understanding the project stakeholders is the need to analyze aspects of each stakeholder’s position on and perspective of the project. Analyzing stakeholders considers several stakeholder aspects, such as :
▶
Power
▶
Impact
▶
Attitude
▶
Beliefs
▶
Expectations
▶
Degree of influence
▶
Proximity to the project
▶
Interest in the project, and
▶
Other aspects surrounding stakeholder interaction with the project
This information helps the project team consider interactions that may influence the motivations, actions, and behaviors of stakeholders. In addition to individual analysis, the project team should consider how stakeholders interact with each other, as they often form alliances that help or hinder the project’s objectives. For example, if the project team believes a key business manager is highly influential but has negative perceptions related to the project, they can explore how to detect the business manager’s perceptions and respond appropriately as the project unfolds. In all cases, the analysis work should be held in confidence by the project team since the information could be misinterpreted outside the context for the analysis.
Prioritize
On many projects, there are too many stakeholders involved for the project team to engage directly or effectively with all of them. Based on its analysis, the project team can complete an initial prioritization of stakeholders. It is common to focus on stakeholders with the most power and interest as one way to prioritize engagement. As events unfold throughout the project, the project team may need to reprioritize based on new stakeholders or evolving changes
Engage
Stakeholder engagement entails working collaboratively with stakeholders to introduce the project, elicit their requirements, manage expectations, resolve issues, negotiate, prioritize, problem solve, and make decisions. Engaging stakeholders requires the application of soft skills, such as active listening, interpersonal skills, and conflict management, as well as leadership skills such as establishing the vision and critical thinking.
Communication with stakeholders can take place via written or verbal means, and it can be formal or informal. Examples of each type of communication are shown in Table.
Types of Communication
Communication methods include push, pull, and interactive communication :
▶
Push.
Communication sent to stakeholders such as memos, emails, status reports, voice mail, and so forth. Push communication is used for one way communications with individual stakeholders or groups of stakeholders. Push communication inhibits the ability to immediately gauge reaction and assess understanding ; therefore, it should be used deliberately.
▶
Pull.
Information sought by the stakeholder, such as a project team member going to an intranet to find communication policies or templates, running internet searches, and using online repositories. Pulling information is used for indirect sensing of stakeholder concern
Engagement goes deeper than pushing or pulling communication. Engagement is interactive. It includes an exchange of information with one or more stakeholders such as conversations, phone calls, meetings, brainstorming, product demos, and the like. With all forms of communication, quick feedback loops provide useful information to :
▶
Confirm the degree to which the stakeholder(s) heard the message.
▶
Determine if stakeholders agree with the message.
▶
Identify nuanced or other unintended messages the recipient detected.
▶
Gain other helpful insights.
Monitor
Throughout the project, stakeholders will change as new stakeholders are identified and others cease to be stakeholders. As the project progresses, the attitude or power of some stakeholders may change. In addition to identifying and analyzing new stakeholders, there is an opportunity to assess whether the current engagement strategy is effective or if it needs to be adjusted. Therefore, the amount and effectiveness of stakeholder engagement is monitored throughout the project.
The degree of stakeholder satisfaction can often be determined by having a conversation with stakeholders to gauge their satisfaction with the project deliverables and the overall management of the project. Project and iteration reviews, product reviews, stage gates, and other methods are ways to obtain periodic feedback. For large groups of stakeholders, a survey can be used to assess the degree of satisfaction. Where necessary, the stakeholder engagement approach can be updated to achieve higher stakeholder satisfaction.
INTERACTIONS WITH OTHER PERFORMANCE DOMAINS
Stakeholders permeate all aspects of the project. They define and prioritize the requirements and scope for the project team. They participate in and shape the planning. They determine acceptance and quality criteria for the project deliverables and outcomes. Much of the project work is around engaging and communicating with stakeholders. Throughout the project or at its closure, they use the project deliverables and influence the realization of project outcomes.
Some stakeholders can assist in lowering the amount of uncertainty present on a project while others may cause an increase in uncertainty. Stakeholders such as customers, senior management, project management office leads, or program managers will focus on measures of performance for the project and its deliverables. These interactions are samples of how the Stakeholder Performance Domain integrates and interweaves with other performance domains, though they are not inclusive of all the ways stakeholder concerns interact throughout the performance domains.
CHECKING RESULTS
Table identifies the outcomes on the left and ways of checking them on the right.
Checking Outcomes—Stakeholder Performance Domain
TEAM PERFORMANCE DOMAIN
This performance domain entails establishing the culture and environment that enables a collection of diverse individuals to evolve into a high performing project team. This includes recognizing the activities needed to foster project team development and encouraging leadership behaviors from all project team members.
The following definitions are relevant to the Team Performance Domain :
Project Manager.
The person assigned by the performing organization to lead the project team that is responsible for achieving the project objectives.
Project Management Team.
The members of the project team who are directly involved in project management activities.
Project Team.
A set of individuals performing the work of the project to achieve its objectives.
PROJECT TEAM MANAGEMENT AND LEADERSHIP
Project management entails applying knowledge, skills, tools, and techniques for management activities as well as leadership activities. Management activities focus on the means of meeting project objectives, such as having effective processes, planning, coordinating, measuring, and monitoring work, among others. Leadership activities focus on people. Leadership includes influencing, motivating, listening, enabling, and other activities having to do with the project team. Both are important in delivering the intended outcomes.
Centralized Management and Leadership
While leadership activities should be practiced by all project team members, management activities may be centralized or distributed. In an environment where management activities are centralized, accountability (being answerable for an outcome), is usually assigned to one individual, such as the project manager or similar role. In these situations, a project charter or other authorizing document can provide approval for the project manager to form a project team to achieve the project outcomes.
Distributed Management and Leadership
Sometimes project management activities are shared among a project management team, and project team members are responsible for completing the work. There are also situations where a project team may self organize to complete a project. Rather than having a designated project manager, someone within the project team may serve as facilitator to enable communication, collaboration, and engagement. This role may shift among project team members.
Servant leadership is a style of leadership that focuses on understanding and addressing the needs and development of project team members in order to enable the highest possible project team performance. Servant leaders place emphasis on developing project team members to their highest potential by focusing on addressing questions, such as :
▶
Are project team members growing as individuals?
▶
Are project team members becoming healthier, wiser, freer, and more autonomous?
▶
Are project team members more likely to become servant leaders?
Servant leaders allow project teams to self-organize when possible and increase levels of autonomy by passing appropriate decision-making opportunities to project team members. Servant leadership behaviors include :
▶
Obstacle removal.
Since it is the project team who generates the majority of business value, a critical role for the servant leader is to maximize delivery by removing impediments to their progress. This includes solving problems and removing obstacles that may be hampering the project team’s work. By solving or easing these impediments, the project team can deliver value to the business faster.
▶
Diversion shield.
Servant leaders protect the project team from internal and external diversions that redirect the project team from the current objectives. Time fragmentation reduces productivity, so shielding the project team from noncritical, external demands helps the project team stay focused.
▶
Encouragement and development opportunities.
The servant leader also provides tools and encouragement to keep the project team satisfied and productive. Learning what motivates project team members as individuals and finding ways to reward them for good work helps keep project team members satisfied.
Common Aspects of Team Development
Regardless of how the management activities are structured, there are common aspects of project team development that are relevant for most project teams. These include :
▶
Vision and objectives.
It is essential that everyone is aware of the project vision and objectives. The vision and objectives are communicated throughout the project. This includes referencing the intended outcomes when the project team is engaged in making decisions and solving problems.
▶
Roles and responsibilities.
It is important to make sure project team members understand and fulfill their roles and responsibilities. This can include identifying gaps in knowledge and skills as well as strategies to address those gaps through training, mentoring, or coaching.
▶
Project team operations.
Facilitating project team communication, problem solving, and the process of coming to consensus may include working with the project team to develop a project team charter and a set of operating guidelines or project team norms.
▶
Guidance.
Guidance can be directed to the overall project team to keep everyone headed in the right direction. Individual project team members may also provide guidance on a particular task or deliverable.
▶
Growth.
Identifying areas where the project team is performing well and pointing out areas where the project team can improve helps the project team to grow. Working collaboratively, the project team can identify goals for its improvement and take steps to meet those goals. This also applies to each individual on the project team. Individuals may want to grow their skills and experience in certain areas, and the project manager can assist with that.
There are several models that describe the stages of project team growth included in Section 4.
When project teams form across different organizations based on a contract, strategic partnership, or other business relationship, specific roles that perform various functions may be more formalized and less flexible depending on the contract or other terms. Such arrangements often require more up-front work to establish a “one team” mindset, ensure project team members understand how everyone contributes to the project, and establish other enablers that integrate skills, capabilities, and processes.
PROJECT TEAM CULTURE
Each project team develops its own team culture. The project team’s culture may be established deliberately by developing project team norms, or informally through the behaviors and actions of its project team members. The project team culture operates within the organization’s culture but reflects the project team’s individual ways of working and interacting.
Human beings have a set of biases, some of them unconscious and some of them conscious. For example, one person may feel that unless a schedule is displayed using a software-generated Gantt chart, that it is not a true or valid schedule. Another person may have a contrasting bias that detailed planning any further out than 30 days is a waste of time. Being open and transparent about biases up front establishes a culture of openness and trust that can enable consensus and collaboration.
The project manager is key in establishing and maintaining a safe, respectful, nonjudgmental environment that allows the project team to communicate openly. One way to accomplish this is by modeling desired behaviors, such as :
▶
Transparency.
Being transparent in how one thinks, makes choices, and processes information helps others identify and share their own processes. This can extend to being transparent about biases as well.
▶
Integrity.
Integrity is comprised of ethical behavior and honesty. Individuals demonstrate honesty by surfacing risks, communicating their assumptions and basis of estimates, delivering bad news early, ensuring status reports provide an accurate depiction of the project’s status, and in many other ways. Ethical behavior can include surfacing potential defects or negative effects in product design, disclosing potential conflicts of interest, ensuring fairness, and making decisions based on environmental, stakeholder, and financial impacts.
▶
Respect.
Demonstrating respect for each person, how the person thinks, the person’s skills, and the perspective and expertise the person brings to the project team sets the stage for all project team members to adopt this behavior.
▶
Positive discourse.
Throughout the project, diverse opinions, different ways of approaching situations, and misunderstandings will occur. These are a normal part of conducting projects. They present an opportunity to have a dialogue rather than a debate. A dialogue entails working with others to resolve divergent opinions. The goal is to arrive at a resolution that all parties can embrace. A debate, on the other hand, is a win-lose scenario where people are more interested in winning personally than they are in being open to alternative solutions to a problem.
▶
Support.
Projects can be challenging from the perspectives of technical challenges, environmental influences, and interpersonal interactions. Supporting project team members through problem solving and removing impediments builds a supportive culture and leads to a trusting and collaborative environment. Support can also be demonstrated by providing encouragement, showing empathy, and engaging in active listening.
▶
Courage.
Recommending a new approach to a problem or a way of working can be intimidating. Likewise, it can be challenging to disagree with a subject matter expert or someone with greater authority. However, demonstrating the courage that it takes to make a suggestion, disagree, or try something new enables a culture of experimentation and communicates to others that it is safe to be courageous and try new approaches.
▶
Celebrating success.
Focusing on project goals, challenges, and issues often sidelines the fact that individual project team members and the project team as a whole are steadily progressing toward those goals. Because work takes priority, project team members may defer recognizing demonstrations of innovation, adaptation, service to others, and learning. However, recognizing such contributions in real time can keep the project team and individuals motivated.
HIGH-PERFORMING PROJECT TEAMS
One goal of effective leadership is to create a high-performing project team. There are a number of factors that contribute to high-performing project teams. The list below is not comprehensive, but it identifies some of the factors associated with high-performing project teams.
▶
Open communication.
An environment that fosters open and safe communication allows for productive meetings, problem solving, brainstorming, and so forth. It is also the cornerstone for other factors, such as shared understanding, trust, and collaboration.
▶
Shared understanding.
The purpose for the project and the benefits it will provide are held in common.
▶
Shared ownership.
The more ownership of the outcomes that project team members feel, the better they are likely to perform.
▶
Trust.
A project team in which its members trust each other is willing to go the extra distance to deliver success. People are less likely to do the extra work it may take to succeed if they do not trust their project team members, project manager, or the organization.
▶
Collaboration.
Project teams that collaborate and work with each other rather than work in silos or compete tend to generate more diverse ideas and end up with better outcomes.
▶
Adaptability.
Project teams that are able to adapt the way they work to the environment and the situation are more effective.
▶
Resilience.
When issues or failures occur, high-performing project teams recover quickly.
▶
Empowerment.
Project team members who feel empowered to make decisions about the way they work perform better than those who are micromanaged.
▶
Recognition.
Project teams who are recognized for the work they put in and the performance they achieve are more likely to continue to perform well. Even the simple act of showing appreciation reinforces positive team behavior.
LEADERSHIP SKILLS
Leadership skills are useful for all project team members whether the project team is operating in an environment with a centralized authority or a shared leadership environment. The following sections describe some of the traits and activities associated with leadership.
Establishing and Maintaining Vision
Every project has a purpose. Understanding that purpose is critical for people to commit their time and energy in the right direction toward achieving the project purpose. The project vision summarizes the project’s purpose clearly and succinctly. It describes a realistic, attractive view of the future project outcomes.
In addition to briefly describing the desired future state, the vision is a powerful motivational tool. It is a way to create passion and meaning for a project’s envisioned goal. A common vision helps keep people pulling in the same direction. When immersed in the details of everyday work, a clear understanding of the end goal can help guide local decisions toward the desired project outcome.
A vision developed collaboratively between project team members and key stakeholders should answer these questions :
▶
What is the project purpose ?
▶
What defines successful project work ?
▶
How will the future be better when the project outcomes are delivered ?
▶
How will the project team know that it is drifting from the vision? A good vision is clear, concise, and actionable. It does the following :
▶
Summarizes the project with a powerful phrase or short description,
▶
Describes the best achievable outcome,
▶
Creates a common, cohesive picture in project team members’ minds, and
▶
Inspires passion for the outcome.
Critical Thinking
Throughout the various project performance domains, there is a need to recognize bias, identify the root cause of problems, and consider challenging issues, such as ambiguity, complexity, and so forth. Critical thinking helps to accomplish these activities. Critical thinking includes disciplined, rational, logical, evidence-based thinking. It requires an open mind and the ability to analyze objectively. Critical thinking, especially when applied to discovery, can include conceptual imagination, insight, and intuition. It can also include reflective thinking and metacognition (thinking about thinking and being aware of one’s awareness). Project team members apply critical thinking to :
▶
Research and gather unbiased, well-balanced information;
▶
Recognize, analyze, and resolve problems;
▶
Identify bias, unstated assumptions, and values;
▶
Discern the use of language and the influence on oneself and others;
▶
Analyze data and evidence to evaluate arguments and perspectives;
▶
Observe events to identify patterns and relationships;
▶
Apply inductive, deductive, and abductive reasoning appropriately; and
▶
Identify and articulate false premises, false analogy, emotional appeals, and other faulty logic.
Motivation Motivating project team members has two aspects: the first is understanding what motivates project team members to perform, and the second is working with project team members in such a way that they remain committed to the project and its outcomes.
Motivation to perform can be intrinsic or extrinsic. Intrinsic motivation comes from inside the individual or is associated with the work. It is associated with finding pleasure in the work itself rather than focusing on rewards. Extrinsic motivation is performing work because of an external reward such as a bonus. Much of the work done on projects is aligned with intrinsic motivation.
Examples of intrinsic motivation factors include :
▶ Achievement,
▶ Challenge,
▶ Belief in the work,
▶ Making a difference,
▶ Self-direction and autonomy,
▶ Responsibility,
▶ Personal growth,
▶ Relatedness, and
▶ Being part of a project team.
People are not motivated by just one thing; however, most people have a dominant motivator. To effectively motivate project team members, it is helpful to know each member’s dominant motivator. For example, a project team member who is motivated by challenge will respond well to stretch goals and problems to solve. A project team member who is motivated by relatedness will respond to being part of a dynamic working group. Project team members who thrive on autonomy will perform better if they can establish their own ways of working and even their own work hours and cadence. Therefore, tailoring motivation methods based on individual preferences helps to elicit the best individual and project team performance.
Interpersonal Skills
Interpersonal skills that are used frequently in projects include emotional intelligence, decision making, and conflict resolution among others.
▶
Emotional intelligence.
Emotional intelligence is the ability to recognize our own emotions and those of others. This information is used to guide thinking and behavior. Recognition of personal feelings, empathy for the feelings of others, and the ability to act appropriately are the cornerstones for effective communication, collaboration, and leadership.
Since projects are undertaken by people and for people, emotional intelligence the ability to understand one’s self and effectively sustain working relationships with others is critical in project team environments.
There are multiple models for defining and explaining emotional intelligence. They converge on four key areas :
▹
Self awareness.
Self awareness is the ability to conduct a realistic self-assessment. It includes understanding our own emotions, goals, motivations, strengths, and weaknesses.
▹
Self management.
Self management, also known as self-regulation, is the ability to control and redirect disruptive feelings and impulses. It is the ability to think before acting, suspending snap judgments and impulsive decisions.
▹
Social awareness.
Social awareness is about empathy and understanding and considering other people’s feelings. This includes the ability to read nonverbal cues and body language.
▹
Social skill.
Social skill is the culmination of the other dimensions of emotional intelligence. It is concerned with managing groups of people, such as project teams, building social networks, finding common ground with various stakeholders, and building rapport.
Self awareness and self management are required to remain calm and productive during difficult project circumstances. Social awareness and social skills allow for better bonds with project team members and project stakeholders. Emotional intelligence is a basis of all forms of leadership.
Figure shows the key points for each of the four aspects of emotional intelligence and how they relate. The aspects having to do with oneself are on the top, and the social aspects are on the bottom. Awareness is on the left side, and management and skill are on the right side.
Components of Emotional Intelligence
Some models for emotional intelligence include a fifth area for motivation. Motivation in this context is about understanding what drives and inspires people.
▶
Decision making.
Project managers and project teams make many decisions daily. Some decisions may be fairly inconsequential to the project outcome, such as where to go for a team lunch, and others will be very impactful, such as what development approach to use, which tool to use, or what vendor to select.
Decisions can be made unilaterally. This has the advantage of being fast but is prone to error when compared to engaging the wisdom of a diverse set of people. Unilateral decision making can also demotivate people who are impacted by the decision since they may feel their views and concerns were not considered.
Group-based decision making has the benefit of tapping into the broad knowledge base of a group. Engaging people in the decision making process also increases buy-in to the outcome, even if the option selected may not have been everyone’s first choice. Generally, inclusion increases commitment to the decision. The downside of group decision making is the time required and interruption to teamwork that can occur when taking people away from their work to be consulted in a decision.
Project team decision making often follows a diverge/converge pattern. This means stakeholders are first engaged to generate a broad set of solution alternatives or approaches. This is often done individually to avoid the effect of senior or charismatic stakeholders unduly influencing other stakeholders. Then, after a broad spectrum of decision alternatives have been generated, the project team converges on a preferred solution.
The goal is to make decisions quickly while engaging the diverse knowledge of a group in an inclusive and respectful manner. Some decisions may be made in a different direction than some people prefer, but everyone has an opportunity to explain their position. In the end, the deciding authority, whether an individual or a group, makes a decision based on the presented analysis and with consideration for stakeholder expectations.
Careful selection of which decisions should go for group discussion and voting limits the interruptions and task switching experienced by the project team. Many approaches such as Roman voting, wideband Delphi estimating, and fist of five voting use the diverge/ converge pattern. They aim to engage individual input while voting at the same moment, which minimizes groupthink.
For those decisions that are beyond the authority of the project team to decide, the project team can investigate alternatives, consider impacts of each alternative, and escalate the decision to someone with the proper authority. This process aligns with the philosophy of “don’t bring me problems, bring me solutions,” while remaining aligned with organizational governance regarding decision making authority.
▶
Conflict management.
Conflict happens on all projects. Projects operate in dynamic environments and face many mutually exclusive constraints including budget, scope, schedule, and quality, which can lead to conflicts. It is not uncommon to want to avoid conflict, but not all conflict is negative. How conflict is handled can either lead to more conflict or to better decision making and stronger solutions.
Addressing conflict before it escalates beyond useful debate leads to better outcomes. The following approaches can help :
▹
Keep communications open and respectful. Because conflict can cause anxiety, it is important to keep a safe environment to explore the source of the conflict. Without a safe environment, people will stop communicating. Make sure words, tone of voice, and body language remain nonthreatening.
▹
Focus on the issues, not the people. Conflict is based on people perceiving situations differently. It should not be personal. The focus is on resolving the situation, not casting blame.
▹
Focus on the present and future, not the past. Stay focused on the current situation, not past situations. If something similar happened previously, bringing up the past will not resolve the current situation. In fact, it can serve to intensify the current situation even more.
▹
Search for alternatives together. Damage incurred from conflict can be repaired by looking for resolutions and alternatives together. It can also create more constructive relationships. This moves the conflict into more of a problem solving space where people can work together to generate creative alternatives.
There are several models for addressing and resolving conflict. Some of them are discussed in Section 4.
TAILORING LEADERSHIP STYLES
As with all aspects of projects, leadership styles are also tailored to meet the needs of the project, the environment, and the stakeholders. Some of the variables that influence tailoring of leadership styles include :
▶
Experience with the type of project. Organizations and project teams with experience on a specific type of project may be more self managing and require less leadership. When a project is new to an organization, the tendency is to provide more oversight and to use a more directive leadership style.
▶
Maturity of the project team members. Project team members who are mature in the technical field may need less oversight and direction than project team members who are new to the organization, the team, or the technical specialty.
▶
Organizational governance structures. Projects operate within a larger organizational system. There may be the expectation that the organizational leadership style of top management is recognized and reflected in the team’s leadership. The organizational structure influences the degree to which authority and accountability are centralized or distributed.
▶
Distributed project teams. A global project workforce is more common today than in the past. In spite of the best efforts to connect people virtually, it can be challenging to create the same level of collaboration and relatedness that is achieved when working face to face. To minimize the pitfalls of distributed project teams, technology can be used to increase and improve communication. Examples include :
▹
Ensure there are collaboration sites for working together.
▹
Have a project team site to keep all relevant project and project team information available.
▹
Use audio and video capabilities for meetings.
▹
Use technology to maintain ongoing contact, such as messaging and texting.
▹
Build in time to get to know remote project team members.
▹
Have at least one face to face meeting to establish relationships.
INTERACTIONS WITH OTHER PERFORMANCE DOMAINS
The Team Performance Domain emphasizes the skills used by project managers and project team members throughout the project. These skills are woven into all other aspects of the project. Project team members are called on to demonstrate leadership qualities and skills throughout the project. Communicating the project vision and benefits to stakeholders while planning and throughout the life cycle is one example. Another example is employing critical thinking, problem solving, and decision making while engaging in project work. Accountability for outcomes is demonstrated throughout the Planning and Measurement Performance Domains.
CHECKING RESULTS
Table identifies the outcomes from effective application of the Team Performance Domain on the left and ways of checking them on the right.
Table Checking Outcomes Team Performance Domain
No comments:
Post a Comment