Answer

Project Management: Building Effective Teams

Project managers ensure projects are completed within the stipulated budget, time and specifications. Therefore, professional project managers need to balance their efforts in getting the project executed by exercising excellent leadership skills for effective performance. Motivation is also a significant factor in enhancing employee work performance. Therefore, project managers should develop team development plans to motivate their team members towards enhancing their professional skills while executing their duties within the project effectively. For instance, Wysocki (2007) identifies technological professionals to lack various traits such as social and communication skills. Such skills are, however, important to every profession in the contemporary world. Therefore, while ensuring work is done effectively through effective leadership and motivating team members to ensure the project is completed within its specification, project managers should also offer sensitivity training to project team members in such aspects as diversity training, social skills, listening skills and other interpersonal and professional skills that may be effective in their career and professional development. Above all, project managers should employ feedback on the performance of the project. Through feedback, team members may identify their weaknesses and turn the weaknesses into strengths, towards a better professional in project management.

Working with poor performers is inevitable for any work project. While other members may strive to get the work completed effectively within the stipulated time, their efforts are more likely to be suppressed by poor performers, thus slowing down the project. Nevertheless, project managers can employ problem-solving skills to address the issue of poor performance to enhance overall project performance. For instance, a project manager working with a poor performer needs to identify the reasons for poor performance from the individual team member (Ahmed, 2015). The leader can, therefore, schedule a meeting with the poor performer and address the concerns and how the individual’s performance might affect the whole project. Upon identifying the reasons for poor performance, the manager can implement solutions necessary for improved performance, such as motivation or skill enhancement (Ahmed, 2015).

MEMO

TO: Project Manager

FROM: Chief Executive Officer

DATE: 26 September, 20h1h7

SUBJECT: Considerations in Building a Team

Selecting an effective team is an important aspect in enhancing project effectiveness. The contemporary labor market is composed of diverse individuals across the world. Additionally, conflicts are inevitable in any working organization. Various factors are, therefore, important when building team members, to avoid setbacks that would hinder effective project completion.

Open-Mindedness

Selecting individuals who are open minded is crucial to effective project completion. Open-minded individuals encourage other members’ opinions to ensure effective completion of the given project (Katzenbach & Smith, 2015). Teamwork entails working together for the achievement of mutual goals. Selecting an open-minded individual to a given team is thus important since it encourages sharing ideas to obtain the best solution for effective project completion.

Utilization of Project Management Tools

Project managers should select individuals with adequate knowledge of project management tools. Projects use a variety of tools such as software tools (Wysocki, 2007). Selecting individuals who are familiar with the tools is therefore crucial, of project effectiveness and quality.

Ability to Work across different Organizational Structures and Authorities

Working with team members from different departments is common in the contemporary business environment. During project execution, team members get the opportunity to work with individuals with different values and approaches. Selecting adaptable and flexible individuals is, therefore, important in ensuring healthy working relationship among team members.

Trustworthy

According to Ford, Piccolo & Ford, (2017), trust is an important aspect of any working environment. While team members work towards the achievement of common goals, some members may develop other personal interests, which may hinder the achievement of the desired goal. However, selecting honest individuals will enhance project performance, towards the achievement of common goals.

Professional Skills

Considering an individual’s professional achievement is important when building a team. Project managers should, therefore, select individuals with high professional achievements to reduce training costs and enhance project performance (Ford, Piccolo & Ford, 2017).

Taking the above factors into consideration will ensure quality projects within the required specification.