The Project Team

The most imperative part of any project is the team. Whether they are chosen and appointed by you or are imposed on you by the project brief - be they directly employed, freelance, contractors, suppliers, consultants or other partners - gaining their commitment to the project is of cardinal importance to its success.

The team should be established as soon as possible, during the early phase of the project planning, because by appointing the team early, their ownership and buy-in to the project is maximised, which therefore maximises what they can contribute. But as a word of caution: be wary of appointing people before you are sure of how good they are, and not until they have committed themselves to the project, upon terms that are clearly understood and accepted.

In the current international economic climate, project management on a tight budget can be a stressful business. As such, it is not always necessary to have a team that is full of paid and official members. Often, some of the most valuable advice and assistance comes from informal advisers, mentors, and helpers who want nothing more than to be involved and be offered a few words of thanks.

Four key factors for the success of the Project Team are:

Communicate the project plan to the team

This is a twofold exercise, in that it informs people of what is happening, and obtains essential support, agreement and commitment. If the project is a complex one, team involvement from the start of the planning process will ensure buy-in, ownership, and accountability. An added benefit to the project will be input and consultation from the relevant parties during the early stages.

Agree and delegate project actions

Actions and activities need to be very clearly described, including all applicable parameters, timescales, costs, and deliverables. When delegated tasks fail this is typically because they have not been explained clearly, agreed with the other person, or supported and checked while in progress.

Manage and motivate the team

Team and activity management and motivation is achieved through meetings, communication, support, and decision-making. One of the big challenges that the Project Manager faces is deciding how much freedom to give to the team on each delegated activity.

Tight parameters and lots of checking are necessary for inexperienced people who like clear instructions, but this approach is not the solution to experienced, entrepreneurial and creative people, who need a wider brief, more freedom, and less checking. Manage these people by the results they get - not how they get them.

Review performance and inform project team and others

The progress of activities should regularly be checked against the plan, and performance reviews should then be communicated to team members. Be sure to use transparent, pre-agreed measurements when judging performance.

There are a number of project management software options available, such as Advanced Microsoft Project, many of which are useful, but before employing them a Project Manager needs to concentrate on developing pure project management skills (some of which we have a looked at above), as the best software in the world will not be of any benefit if you cannot master these fundamentals.