Keeping the Team on Track

A Case Study for PMP® Certification Course

Table of contents
1. Introduction
2. Challenges
3. Solution
4. Approach
5. Final outcome
6. Critical success factor
7. Lessons learned
Introduction:

The project team is identified and onboarded to deliver the project. The induction to
the team has been completed and all the team members are provided the necessary
information and clarity about their roles and responsibilities.

Now it is very important to keep the teams on track, so that their performance
contributes to the success of the project. They are able to deliver the results as
expected.

Since the project is global and needs better collaboration and communication
enabled through the use of technology platforms, the performance of each is equally
important. It is also required for the project manager to demonstrate a great
leadership skill so that the team aligns to required direction with required motivation
and empowerment.

Considering the required collaboration and use of effective communication, a

detailed communication management plan is developed for the project, depicting
the ways the communication has to be conducted.

Besides, the project manager has to engage with the team effectively and ensure:
• The team motivation and empowerment
• Effective communication and collaboration
• Right capability and skills for performing the project tasks
• Identification and resolution of conflicts
• Promotion and improvement of team’s performance

The project manager, both global and regional has to have the insight towards the
team dynamics and has to handle them successfully.

Challenges
The varied skills and capabilities are required for the project, and the team has to
perform and accomplish the results required. The various challenges involved in
keeping the team on track would include:
• Team performance management
• Management of skills and capabilities
• Balancing between the individual interest and project interest
• Conflict resolution and management
• Creating culture and behavior suitable for project environment
• Keeping the team together

Solution

The team engagement and management play a critical role for ensuring the
performance of the team. This requires close association with the team and creates
the working environment, both virtual and physical.

The project being spread across 100 countries, the barrier related to the culture,
language, etc., needs to be considered and eliminated. Accordingly, the solution for
keeping the teams on track shall have the consideration of the following:
• Team leading to set the right direction
• Regular appraisal of the team for enabling better team performance
• Address and remove impediments, obstacles and blockers
• Conflict management
• Stakeholders collaboration
• Mentoring the stakeholders
• Application of emotional intelligence to promote team performance

Approach

Considering the solution provided, and for the effective implementation of the same,
the required approaches have to be defined and followed. The below sections
provide the detailed approach for keeping the team on track:

1. Team Leading to Set the Right Direction

While leading the team there are multiple approaches which can be considered
keeping the global environment in mind.

It depends on the scenario at level relating to all aspects of the team dynamics. This
involves:
● Setting the vision and mission clear specific to the project
● Identifying and supporting the diversities among the team
● Recognizing and performing various leadership styles like servant leadership,
participative leadership, etc.
● Regular motivation of the team through inspiration, motivation, and
influences
● Identifying and analyzing the various influencers of the stakeholders and
handling them effectively
● Defining and distinguishing the various ways and methods to lead the team
and stakeholders
● Maintaining the team to enable their performance and achievements
complimenting the project

2. Regular Appraisal of the Team for Enabling Better Team Performance

While the team, on the ground having the right set of skills and capabilities, performs
to accomplish the role objectives, the project manager has to enable them through
supporting the efforts and performance. This requires:
● Regular appraisal of the team and checking the performance based on the key
performance indicators defined
● Identifying and developing the team for the required capability and skills
● Defining and evaluating the performance, and providing the regular feedback
to enhance performance
● Ensuring the team recognizes the accountability they need to demonstrate
while they perform the tasks

To make these more effective, defining a responsibility assignment matrix (RACI

Chart), creation of performance reports, using task boards, burn-up charts, earned
value analysis, information radiators, etc., are essential.
3. Address and Remove Impediments, Obstacles, and Blockers

Throughout the project lifecycle, the team would come across a lot of hurdles which
may not allow them to progress smoothly and perform tasks efficiently and
effectively. Any such hindrances’ reduction in productivity and ability to achieve the
objectives of the project.

Project managers have to take action to remove these hindrances that are restricting
the progress of the project. These includes:
● Identification and analysis of the impediments, obstacles, and blockers for the
team
● Analyzing the prioritization of the critical impediments, obstacles, and
blockers for the team
● Identification and implementation of the solution to eliminate the
impediments, obstacles, and blockers for the team
● Regular assessment and re-assessing impediments, obstacles, and blockers
for the team

The effective handling of the removal of impediments, obstacles, and blockers for
the team are done through re-prioritizing the backlogs, regularly checking the risks,
and updating the task boards, etc.

4. Conflict Management

Conflict is a common phenomenon while the multiple team members work together.
It is natural. This can have impact on the project, both negatively and positively.
Conflicts occur for various reasons and those need to be addressed immediately to
safeguard the interest of the project.

For effective conflict management it is required to ensure the following:

● Identifying and analyzing the sources of conflicts
● Analyzing the conflicts relating to the various scenarios of the project
● Evaluating, recommending, reconciling, and tracing the effectiveness
● Identifying and analyzing the root causes of the misunderstanding
 ● Identifying and analyzing the potential misunderstanding

Active listening, emotional intelligence, and empathy are few techniques which can
be used for effective conflict resolution.

5. Stakeholders Collaboration

Success of the project which is globally spread requires an effective engagement and
management of the stakeholders. Better the collaboration, better the visibility and
delivering the value to the business. The various stakeholders include sponsors, end
users, customers, government agencies, suppliers, employees, etc.

Working collaboratively requires constant evaluation, effort, and balancing between

competing objectives. Further, considering and addressing the following helps for
better stakeholder collaboration:
● Regular evaluation of stakeholder engagement needs
● Optimization of the alignment between project objectives, stakeholder needs,
and expectations
● Building the trust and influencing the stakeholders to accomplish objectives of
the project

6. Mentoring the Stakeholders

The various stakeholders involved in the project require to have the correct
understanding of the project and the significance of their involvement in the project.
This enables them to engage and conduct the activities complementing the project
objectives.

This requires mentoring the stakeholders regularly and providing the necessary
insights required. Project manager has to ensure:
● Allocating the time for regular mentoring
● Identifying and actioning the opportunities for mentoring
● Determining the appropriate feedback mechanisms for ensuring the
effectiveness
These can be achieved through defining the training and mentoring plan, group
coaching, and checking the effectiveness of the training, regularly.

7. Application of Emotional Intelligence to Promote Team Performance

Every individual in the team comes from a different background and will have
different opinions, behaviors, perception, and preferences. It is required to bring
everyone on the same page to accomplish the common objective of the project.

It is very important to understand how each other looks at every aspect of the
project. To ensure the team has a common understanding regular collaboration is
required. However, due to individual dynamics, influencing them to move towards
the common objectives of the project requires the application of emotional
intelligence.

Accordingly, it is required to ensure:

● Supporting and recognizing the growth and development of team members
● With the use of personality indicators, behavior has to be assessed
● Adjusting to the needs of the key stakeholders by analyzing the indicators of
personality

This requires personality profile assessment, understanding the motivation triggers,

creation of performance reports by applying the techniques of emotional
intelligence, empathy, listening skills, etc.

Final outcome

By ensuring the team is in track the achievement of the project objectives becomes
smoother and the team is able to deliver the results with minimal or no deviation.

A team with the right set of skills and capabilities requires less effort of grooming,
in a way saving time, resulting in optimizing the efforts and achieving better results.
While the team collaborates, there can be innovation which leads to better
performance and contribution.
A team which contributes together, brings the success to the project by ensuring
better alignment to the project objectives. Besides, there may be rooms for
conflicts, which are resolved effectively with active involvement of the members
related.

Regular appraisal and feedback help teams to clarify and understand the
expectations, eliminating the confusions if any.

Stakeholder mentoring facilitates consensus and also better clarity in them, so that,
what to expect and what not to, is set.

Removal of impediments, obstacles, and blockers results in smooth running of the

project as the team would function without any hurdles to limit them.

Critical success factor

The team being the main force behind the success of the project and their critical
success, factors are as follows:
• The demonstration of right leadership skills suitable to the scenario
• Determining the right methods and metrics while conducting the appraisal
for team performance
• Identification and demonstration of team motivation initiatives
• Effective engagement across all the levels (i.e., global, regional, and cell)
• Timely resolution of issues and conflicts

Lessons Learned

While the team is on track the required effort to accomplish the objectives is
smooth. The effort being put to ensure the team is on track, has ensured the
success of the project and also has resulted in an improved ability of the team.

The deviations and conflicts occurred during the project have also become sources
of learning so that better insight towards managing the teams is obtained.
Besides, it is very important to understand the team dynamics changes based on
the change in the environment, type of project, and type of stakeholders involved.

Since the project proportion is huge and complex the structured approach to
manage the team enables the better management of resources and facilities.

Finally, with a proper structure, skills, and capabilities, teams can be kept on track
and ensure smooth running of the project.