Three Principles for project team building

The comments that people often hear about project managers are how they make team members feel overwhelmed. This phenomenon is actually caused by communication failure. Many project managers do not dare to say no to the project deadline. On the contrary, they choose to sacrifice their own team. The result is that the team's working atmosphere is depressing and the team members are dissatisfied. However, the most important part of a project is often completed by the team. In such an atmosphere and mentality, how can they do well?

Generally, team members have worked together before. The project manager should confirm that the old problem has been solved, and now everyone can concentrate on team building. After attending formal training or seminars, many project managers are surprised by the height of team building. Team building is essential to deliver high-quality products within a compact time framework. However, poor project management habits and lack of training impede the completion of team building. This allows the team to secretly develop negative emotions for managers, including project managers.

Do not forget that the project manager is responsible for establishing and protecting teams and ensuring that both team members and customers are satisfied. The loyalty, satisfaction, and ability of team members to complete their work are crucial to the final success of project management. However, many project managers put team building behind them.

Establish effective team relationships

"Projects" often mean a long working time and a severe situation. Most project teams take over a lot of work, a schedule, a strict budget, and a list of tasks to be completed. However, they have no chance to figure out the various factors that affect the project, and no one asks them what they think about the current work plan. This may result in a blow to the enthusiasm of team members and indifference to the success or failure of the project. A successful project manager can not only realize the value of the team, but also communicate with the team members so that they can understand the value that the organization recognizes and respect them.

The first step to establish a team relationship is to immediately listen to the opinions of team members. No matter what information the Project Manager obtained at the beginning, his first action should be to listen to the feedback and suggestions from team members to ensure the feasibility of the project plan. The plan should be developed based on the team members' understanding and ability to complete the work.

After receiving suggestions from the team, the next step is to encourage them to give feedback. 90% of the project manager's responsibilities are related to communication, which means that you should check the Team's work frequently and know where they are going and what work they will accomplish, and provide help when they need it. I often ask questions from team members, and it is critical to seek authentic answers from them. Asking work progress questions helps you understand the latest project progress, discover hidden problems, or define risks. This is generally the case: "How long have you spent on this task? How much time do you need to complete it ?"

These problems help the project manager to find valuable information. With the help of the answer, the Project Manager can not only understand the work progress, but also determine the extent to which the project members have invested in the work. Let's take a look at the opposite example: if the project manager asks the team member how much work has been done and the answer is "50%", he may assume that this is a ten-hour job, the 5-hour schedule has been completed-this is a failed communication. If you ask the other party how much time it takes and how much time it takes, even if the project manager obtains the same information, this information is much more accurate and reliable than the previous method.

At any time, the answer given by the other Party may be a lie. However, it is easy to lie about how many percent of the work has been completed, but it is not that easy to lie about how much effort you have invested in your work. After asking the first question, the Project Manager can ask the following questions based on the answer:

· We are a little behind. What can I do for you?

· Are you unable to finish your work?

· What do we forget when defining tasks?

According to the answer, you can dig deeper and get more information about the problems and risks from the team members. Without exception, it is of building significance to enable team members to invest more in conversations. These issues make them more enthusiastic about updating and improving the project plan. Such questioning skills help the Project Manager establish an environment for mutual cooperation and encouragement of comments. This not only makes team members realize that they are members of the Group, but also helps to establish a relationship of mutual trust. At the same time, this is an opportunity to express gratitude to the team members for their hard work. Similar positive behaviors not only enhance the efficiency of the team, but also enable them to focus more on their own tasks.

The last step in building an efficient team relationship is to properly use the "Lessons Learned summary ". It should be a basic method of project management. However, many organizations refuse to spend time doing so, or do not dare to do so. Their fear of it is that it will become a critical meeting, which will hurt morale and will not benefit in the end. The truth is that such meetings can be a good way to strengthen team relationships and make them work better when they join the project team the next time. The key is to give positive comments at the beginning of the meeting and prepare pragmatic topics. I would like to sincerely thank the team members for their contributions and declare the following basic principles at the beginning:

· We will not blame people for what has happened.

· The purpose of discussing things is to improve them or prevent the problem from happening again.

· This meeting will not go over old accounts, but will only discuss how to improve it.

· Our goal is to better execute various projects.

These basic principles are very important. Once the meeting gets off track, the Project Manager can immediately intervene and focus on how to improve it. The sum of experience and lessons should be the basic method for building a team.

Create team satisfaction

Team satisfaction is so important that it should be one of the criteria for successful projects. When the organization ignores this benchmark, unpleasant things often happen. Let's take a look at the example below: A project manager has to complete a difficult project, and all his team members have been exhausted and left one after another. The reason why team members are exhausted is that the project must be completed on a specified day. By this day, the project was completed, but more than 70% of the team members were lost, causing a major problem in the company's knowledge management. It seems that the company ignores team satisfaction because it is too focused on the results to be achieved.

For the project manager, the internal satisfaction of the team is the top priority. At the beginning of a project, there should be an overall strategy to build a team and ensure team satisfaction. This strategy is divided into five layers:

1. physiological needs: air, food, home, and sleep.

2. Security Needs: protection, security, order, law, and stability.

Implement the/rule

This rule has been controversial, but it is essential for project management to succeed. It refers to "as a project manager, I am responsible for project failure in, but if the project succeeds, my role only accounts for 10% ".

Few Project Managers really believe this rule. However, once understood and implemented, it will become an effective tool for team building and career success. This theory is related to an idea in the project manager's mind, that is, whether he wants to lead the team to a low point or lead it to the peak. If the project manager always wants to step on the team, he will eventually fail with the team. On the other hand, if the project manager actively leads the team to the peak, he will eventually embark on the job peak with the team.

The/rule requires that the project manager not be responsible for anyone else, as long as the project fails, it is your responsibility.

When the project succeeds, the Project Manager can celebrate with the team and receive praise. However, we can only take 10 percent of the credit. The following is an example:

Company executives: "Tom, as a project manager, you have a very good job !"

Tom: "Thank you! However, if you have such a team, it is difficult for you to succeed. I have nothing to boast about ."

This is true. The team did most of the work, and the project manager's responsibility was to ensure that the work was completed and the team felt that their work was recognized by the Organization. On the contrary, if this principle is violated, it will breed hatred and dissatisfaction with the project manager in the team.

Happy teams produce excellent furniture products. Excellent products ensure customer satisfaction and customer satisfaction ensure the long-term business. Therefore, project managers should not sacrifice their teams in any case, because the loss will be immeasurable.

3. Social Needs: family, work, relationship, and love.

4. Self-esteem needs: Achievement, control, independence, status, dominance, privilege, management responsibility, etc.

5. self-fulfillment: achieve personal potential, self-fulfillment, self-fulfillment, and peak experience.

Unless the basic physiological and security needs of employees are met, they will not start to pursue social needs. Because most project managers work in a matrix work environment, such a work environment means that the team members assigned to them should describe to their line managers. Therefore, from the perspective of the project manager, it is difficult for the first and second layers to do something. Although they can exert their influence to define which areas need improvement, it is difficult to exert direct influence.

The third level, social needs, is the first issue for project managers to consider.

Team building and team satisfaction start at the social needs layer. By encouraging team members to interact with them, the Project Manager can influence this layer. If a project manager can establish a cohesive team that meets social needs, the team will work together and move towards the self-esteem and self-fulfillment layers.

It is very difficult to help team members reach the last two levels. However, through hard work, it is not impossible. By helping the line managers of team members determine what needs to be done on the first and second levels, and ensuring that the work needs to be done on the third level is completed, the project manager has created an environment like this: in such an environment, a team member can grade their team members at the five levels of self-requirement. When every Member is aware of their potential, the team can deliver surprising results and achieve the project goals.