I think it’s good to have a mix of both. Working with people you have a good relationship with might lead to mistakes. For example, at my previous job, two of my coworkers were very good friends, and they trusted each other. They were following the SOP and doing check bys in an experiment. One of them just signed it off because he trusted his friend. There ended up being a mistake in one of the steps and it costed the company million of dollars. I believe that team members should be chosen based on their knowledge as it’s more important. As long as the team members have basic team skills such as communication and teamwork then the project should go smoothly. However, being compatible with your team members and having a good relationship with them is also important to make the project even smoother.
I prefer to have people on my team with a similar work ethic as I do. If I had to create a hierarchy of how to form a project team, this certainly would be number one. The next one would have to be related to different backgrounds, past experiences, etc., because teams are successful when it is made from a mixture of people. Having a good relationship with your team members is always good, but I’m sure the quality of the relationship will vary between each member, and that’s okay. What is important is learning how to be professional and achieve a common goal.
As we know, forming a project team is partly making sure every member is working toward the same goal(s). Each member should be able to contribute something valuable to the project according to their expertise/role.
How would you best form a project team, and what mistakes would you try to avoid? For example, is it better to work with people who you have a better relationship with, or with people who are more knowledgeable in their department role?
The formation of a project team is an important factor to consider. There is a balance of selecting someone who is not only qualified for the position, but also an individual who has the ability to collaborate with others to achieve the same goal. Some may have difference opinions on what is the best way to measure the ladder, however, some may usually bring up working with others which they already know. There are pros and cons to this, it should be stressed that the relationship in this case should be a professional one, as at times it may be harder to hold someone responsible for a task if there is a conflict of interest. Therefore, working with someone new is a pro in this regard and working with someone who is an expert in their field is always a plus.
I feel like its better to work with people who are more knowledgeable in their department role. Working on a project team with people who already have a pre-existing relationship with can get dicey. There would be interdepartmental struggles of responsibilities and it would seem more loose and less tasks would get achieved on time. It can also ruin the relationship between the people on the team because work and pleasure don't always mesh well.
@cassiem I totally agree with you on the fact that the team would be most effective when made up with different types of people. When you involve different types of people on the team with different professional backgrounds and a variety of expertise it can allow for not only a lot of ground to be covered in the planning portions of the project, but also for different ideas to be played around with.
@cassiem I totally agree with you on the fact that the team would be most effective when made up with different types of people. When you involve different types of people on the team with different professional backgrounds and a variety of expertise it can allow for not only a lot of ground to be covered in the planning portions of the project, but also for different ideas to be played around with.
A successful project team is not defined by how skilled everyone is, but how goal oriented the team is. If the only goal for the team is to complete the project in a timely manner, or in a successful manner everything else will flow smoothly. Additionally, its not just about technical skills that are required to be successful for the project, soft skills also a play a role. As it one should know how to ask for things, and tasks to be completed. Key point is a very personable project manger. He/She should know how to solve differences between personal, and drive the team towards completion of project.
It's critical to hire the proper personnel for a successful project team. Professional performance, as well as personal traits, must be evaluated. We often have little control over who joins our team. If at all possible, we should select knowledgeable individuals and team players. The Project Manager's job is to see who fits in well with the team and is receptive to new ideas. The project's duties should be apportioned among the team members from the start to keep the project on track. Communication is, in my opinion, one of the most critical aspects of a successful project team. Poor communication among employees and the ramifications of their unwillingness to share information can lead to project failure. To complete the project correctly and reduce the chance of failure, the PM should convene a meeting and discuss if all activities are on track.
To form the best project team, I would first look at what major skills are needed for this project to succeed in a timely manner. After establishing the necessary skills, I would then seek out team members based on who would best fit the skill set needed. By pulling people who are experts in each area of project, the chances of your project succeeding are high. While this is important, it is also important to have a project team that gets along well. While it is ideal to work with people you have a good relationship with, it is more important to work with people who you know can contribute significantly to the success of your project. The best interest of the project should always be prioritized for optimal results in my opinion.
I think it depends from person to person. If it was me, I would chose someone I already know and we could collaborate to learn and work together. However, we don't always get the choice so in that case I would definitely choose a group or person who is knowledgeable about a topic. But in general, not all of us are perfect. Some of us will have more knowledge than the rest. Therefore, whoever we choose, if we collaborate, learn together, and follow the instructions, it is possible to excel in that group project.
From the lecture we know, there can be three different types of organizations where tasks are performed in three different ways. Project teams can be formed based on the employee's skillsets, availability, or compatibility.
Though there are certainly some downsides of matrix organization, the process followed to build project teams in those organizations is the best. As we heard from Dr. Simon in the lecture, this is the best way of utilizing resources of the company. Moreover, there are no silos between employees of the company and knowledge transfers well in this setup. The main disadvantage of this system is the excessive workloads those employees or staffs face due to being involved in projects and departments at the same time. If we can manage it well, teams formed in a matrix organization will work the best.
When forming a project team it is important to ensure all team members have a common goal. Additionally, it is important to ensure that each team member has a clear vision of the project outcome. This is the foundation for ensuring a fully functional and successful team. It is ultimately the project leader's decision who will be on his or her team, however it is important that all of the team members are able to work together well. All team members should be involved early on in the planning process and each should have accountability for the project outcome deliverables. If conflict arises between group members it should be addressed immediately. If you have been on a project team before, what are some ways to be a good team member? What are some ways to deal with conflict if it arises?
Although working with someone with who you have a better relationship is very beneficial, what good will they do if they aren’t qualified enough? Having someone who is more knowledgeable will help you get your work done faster and better. If your goal is to have fun then yeah working with your friends is a better option but it’s not professional. Professionalism requires compromise and choosing to work with people whom you don’t know or like will help you in the long run.
Nuran Kavakli
Most of the time the type of team that is created for a role depends on the project that they are working on. In some projects it may be better to have a group with similar ideas to you where you can build off of one another and collaborate on a project. For other projects, it may be good to create a group that is not afraid to challenge your decisions and where each person is an expert in their own department. Groups like this may make your team think about a project from a bunch of different angels allowing you to come up with a unique and successful solution. The one important thing that I believe any team should be is respectful and they should be able to get along without fighting. An environment where there is low stress and individuals are not afraid to share their opinions is an environment that will provide out of the box thinking and unique solutions to difficult problems. If team members are not able to create environments like this, the team may be missing out on ideas that are great, but are not presented because certain members are afraid to share their ideas.
It should be a given that in forming a project team, each member should contribute something valuable to the project. I also think that the team having a good relationship is a plus but it is important that everyone is not the same and have the same way of thinking because I feel like that presents limits to the overall project. From teams that I have been on, I enjoy when there are different levels of experience because it brought new ways of thinking to the project and allowed everyone to learn something. I also feel like people can contribute to the project in meaningful ways without having the best relationship with the group. The main thing would be to make sure that everyone buys into the goal and is comfortable and confident in completing their designated parts.
