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Project Management – 3 Lessons Learned

“Nobody’s perfect,
but a team can be.”

Title of an Article by Meredith Belbin, included in a Bates

Project Management course taken many years ago

Boyd Carter
Originally presented by Boyd Carter
Elegantsolutions.ca
while at Cap Gemini Ernst & Young November 20 & 21, 2006
on December 12, 2001
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Project Management – 3 Lessons Learned

 The essence of “TEAM”
 Roles for the team members
 Designated roles of team members
 Psychological roles of team members
 Optimal traits for each role
 Optimal attitude – “R.I.S.E. TEAM”

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1 - The Essence of “TEAM”

 "No coach has ever won a game by what he knows; it's what his
players know that counts.“
 "I'm just a simple plowhand from Arkansas, but I have learned over
the years how to hold a team together. How to lift some men up,
how to calm others down, until finally they've got one heartbeat,
together, a team."
Coach Bryant instinctively knew that a team
member had two roles, one the designated role
of the player; the other, the psychological role
the player defaults to under stress. He excelled
at managing that psychological role.

With three hundred twenty-three career wins, Bryant was

lauded as the “winningest” coach in college football history.
His leadership was the Alabama Crimson Tide's cornerstone to
two hundred thirty-two wins, six national championships, and
twenty-three straight bowl appearances.

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2a - Roles for Team Members

Plan the Project and select the team based on:

 Project Requirements
 Skills Required, Skills Available and Time Constraints
But Before we finalize the project plan
 Team members must “own” their roles and their time allocations
 Therefore – Role Owners must participate in the planning!!!

If this is not allowed to happen, the risk must be

identified, accepted and contingency added to
compensate for a known “unknown”

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2b - Psychological Roles for Team Members

 Plant - very creative, the ideas person

 Resource Investigator - extrovert, good at making outside contacts
and developing ideas
 Monitor Evaluator - shrewd and prudent, analytical
 Shaper - dynamic and challenging
 Co-ordinator - respected, mature and good at ensuring that talents
are used effectively
 Implementer - practical, loyal and task orientated
 Completer Finisher - meticulous and with attention to detail also full
of nervous energy
 Team Worker - caring and very person orientated
 Specialist - high technical skill and professional as opposed to
organisational prime loyalties

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2c - Optimal Traits for Each Role

 Coordinator - respected, mature and good at ensuring that talents are used effectively
Traits: Stable Dominant Extrovert Designated Role – Project Manager
 Plant - very creative, the ideas person Traits: Dominant, very high I.Q., introvert
Designated Role – Logical Design / JAD Leader
 Resource Investigator - extrovert, good at making outside contacts and developing ideas
Traits: Stable, dominant, extrovert Designated Role – Client Interface / User Requirements / User Access
 Monitor Evaluator - shrewd and prudent, analytical Traits: High I.Q., stable, introvert
Designated Role – Physical Design
 Shaper - dynamic and challenging Traits: Anxious, dominant, extrovert Designated Role –
Team Leaders
 Implementer - practical, loyal and task orientated Traits: Stable and Controlled Designated
Role – Documentation
 Completer Finisher - meticulous and with attention to detail also full of nervous energy
Traits: Anxious, introvert Designated Role – Developers
 Team Worker - caring and very person orientated Traits: Stable, extrovert, low in
dominance Designated Role – Administration
 Specialist - high technical skill and professional as opposed to organisational prime
loyalties Traits: Very high I.Q., introvert, passive, single-minded Designated Role – Subject
Matter Expert

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2d - Optimal Traits for Combined Roles

 Coordinator / Shaper Designated Role – Project Manager / Team Leaders Traits: stable
dominant, extrovert / anxious, dominant, extrovert
 Implementer / Team Worker Designated Role – Documentation / Administration Traits:
stable and controlled / stable, extrovert, low in dominance
 Completer Finisher / Specialist Designated Role – Developers / Subject Matter Experts
Traits: anxious, introvert / very high I.Q., introvert, passive, single-minded
 Plant / Monitor Evaluator Designated Role – Logical Design / JAD Leader / Physical
Design Traits: dominant, very high I.Q., introvert / high I.Q., stable, introvert
 Resource Investigator Designated Role – Client Interface / User Requirements / User
Access Traits: stable, dominant, extrovert

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3 - Optimal attitude – “R.I.S.E. TEAM”

(Or How to Manage the Psychological Role)

 Respect for the Individual

 Integrity in Our Dealings With Others
 Stewardship of Resources in our Care
 Excellence in Everything We Do
 TEAM Principles Must Prevail

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