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Team Bilding, Collaboraion and Commnicaion

Wh, What, How?
Building a good team is the single most important thing a Project Manager can
do to achieve a successIul project. With the right attitude, a team will
overcome almost any diIIiculty to succeed in its goals. In most projects there
will be times when only the determination oI the team can overcome the
diIIiculties and carry the initiative through to success. Even when there is no
pressure, the team's spirit and enthusiasm will be reIlected in the quality oI the
solution and the extent to which other people buy-in to it.
There is a whole area oI academic study and practical experience about building good teams. Business
psychologists present many theories concerning the way in which people interact. A world-class Project
Manager needs to be an amateur psychologist and a manipulator oI human behaviour. Here are some oI the
Iactors which generally lead to a good team:
shared belieI in the value and achievability oI the team's goals,
awareness oI the value oI the individual's own role and contribution,
recognition oI the value oI other team members (whether they are key specialists or just non-specialist,
junior assistants),
desire to work collaboratively, sharing thoughts, ideas, concerns, etc,
Iriendship - enjoying working together with a common purpose,
supporting each other in recognition that the team's success requires all members to be successIul,
coaching junior members rather than bossing them,
listening to ideas and advice Irom other team members,
making time to communicate with other team members,
celebrating successes,
rewarding good team behaviour in Iinancial and non-Iinancial ways.
To achieve this collaborative team style, the Project Manager usually needs to behave as one oI the team -
collaborative, supportive, Iriendly, etc. The Project Manager should be the best oI Iriends with each team
member to the extent that each participant would go to great lengths to help the project succeed.
It is interesting to compare this project management style with the traditional view oI the Project Manager. OIten
the best recognised Project Managers are those who make a lot oI noise, bang the table, make snap judgements,
are tough with their people, "crack the whip" and generally drive people to perIorm through the exercise oI
power. These behaviours are very visible and it is common to Iind managers with this personal style do get
recognised and promoted.
A regime oI terror can only succeed so Iar and Ior so long. There comes a point where the participants give up
trying and no amount oI pressure can persuade them to increase their contribution. Beyond that point, people will
leave and the project will Iail. Conversely, in a collaborative team the participants Ieel that the team's success is
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hei on peonal miion. The ill epond ee moe deeminedl a he pee ie.
The Pojec Manage ho ha ceaed an ecellen eam ill find he eam pefoming opimall ih e lile
ineenion. Heein lie he dilemma fo a caee-minded Pojec Manage. In good pojec he Pojec
Manage doe no need o (and hold no) ehibi damaic, poefl, peonal chaaceiic, b he
oganiaion' leadehip ma be moe likel o ecognie he alen of a manage ho ceae a lo of noie.
The eali i ha a enible balance achiee he be el:
reward vs punishment
pleasure vs pain
opportunit vs threat
encouragement vs coercion
The claic analog i he donke, moiaed b he pomie of a cao and he hea of a beaing ih he ick.
Mo pchologi beliee ha he poiie epeience of he cao i mch moe ccefl han he negaie
hea of he ick. The old age ha he ick hold be applied onl on ae occaion ih good cae -
o, mabe, nee a all. The cao hold be offeed a a conan ead fo pefomance.
A imila balance hold be achieed beeen he iml
geneaed b he aailabili of opponiie e he
inincie ial eacion o hea.
The be compomie can omeime be achieed b people
aking on diffeen "good g" and "bad g" ole. Think
abo he "headeache ancion". In a chool cla, childen
hold be epoed fo mo of hei ime o a fiendl, helpfl, collaboaie eache. If he behae badl, i i
nie o damage he eache-den elaionhip o he hea of pain and pnihmen ake he fom of a ip o
he headeache. If o appl hi logic o a hieachical ce, he conclion i ha each peon moe han
one leel fom he boom need o be a fiendl, collaboaie, ppoie meno o hei immediae
bodinae, b a ogh, demanding fige in he ee of hoe belo. Each manage need o be able o pla
boh ole.
Hman behaio i dien b a combinaion of man faco - ome conollable, ome no. The inheen nae
of each indiidal i omehing he Pojec Manage can do lile abo. The a paicipan ae aigned o
ole and b-eam can be conolled. In an eeme cae, he Pojec Manage migh chooe no o e a gien
indiidal if hei chaace old no fi in. Look fo a good balance of peonaliie a ell a kill hen
bilding he b-eam and he oking elaionhip ihin he Pojec Team. Thi i an aea hee conideable
pchological eeach ha been pefomed - man pblicaion and aining pogamme ae aailable.
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Bilding a collaboraie eam
But who said teams need to be hierarchical? Within a team you will Iind a mixture oI diIIerent people with
diIIerent assignments - but that does not necessarily require a hierarchy. The best team cultures develop where
team members recognise that everyone else also has important value to contribute.
For each issue someone needs to be the recognised leader; someone has to believe it is their responsibility to
drive an issue otherwise it may become Iorgotten. For each issue there will be a sub-set oI people most
appropriate to make contributions. "Appropriate", here, means a combination oI capability, resource
scheduling/availability, and the need to build a good team.
The team structure that develops (either
Iormally or inIormally) will be Ilexible
such that the right people work together
Ior any given topic. It also means that a
leader Ior one issue might be only a
contributor Ior another - and vice versa.
A can be B's "boss" in some aspects oI
the teamwork, but B might be A's boss
in others.
In this example, see how the
Applications Development Team Leader
is an important contributor to the
Solutions Architecture Team and also to
the overall project leadership team. In
Iact, all the leaders can be a leader in one context but a contributor in others.
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If e epand hi hinking, i i
poible o geneae a highl
collaboaie eam hee ee
membe ha a lea one ie o
lead pon. In hi able, e ee ho
he Pojec Manage ha aigned
aff o he aio ie. Een he
mo jnio eam membe, Pa
Sapphie, ha a eam leade ole o
pla - Pa i eponible fo
oganiing he eam' ocial een.
Noice ho Jde Jade, he Change
Managemen leade, ok fo Jo
Geen a pa of he Solion
Achiece Team, b Jo defe o
Jde hen dealing ih Change
Managemen ie. B epecing
he peciali kill, ole and
eponibiliie of ohe eam
membe, a ong, collaboaie
eam pii can be ceaed - each peon ecogniing he ale of ohe and he ale of oking a a eam.
I i a good idea o gie eeone eponibili fo ome apec, majo o mino, of he oeall cce of he
pojec.

Planning fo a fi-cla eam
Yo migh be able o bild a good, effecie eam baed on o on ininc and peonali. If, hoee, o
appl o idom o ill ealie o need o plan o appoach in adance of bilding he eam. Team-
bilding conideaion ill impac o deciion on ch hing a:
bdge,
eam ce,
ead mechanim (bone, pamen, ohe incenie)
aignmen and age of pecific indiidal,
mobiliaion of eoce,
commnicaion aeg,
planned aciiie - een and egla meeing.
The pojec' pono hold alo ndeand he impoance of bilding a good eam. Make e he ppo
he meae and appoache o plan. Fo eample, if o feel i old help o allo he eam o ea jean,
ok fom home and hae fee dink ee Fida - o cold ge in a lo of oble nle he enio leadehip
ndeand and agee.
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Routine activities and special events should be included in the overall high-level planning Ior the project and in the
detailed plan Ior each phase.

Mobiliing he eam
You should begin to build an eIIective team culture as (or even beIore) the individuals join the project. This is a
combination oI attitude and speciIic actions. All people in leadership roles should make each individual Ieel a
valued part oI a team with a clear and important mission.
Key message to convey to all team members are:
the objective oI the project
what the end result should look like
why it is oI value to the organisation
what approach the project will take (Iocus areas, workstreams, timing, technology, techniques, etc)
the style and culture the project team is expected to adopt
why each individual's co-operation is vital and oI great value.
There will also be a large number oI speciIic things the team members need to understand, eg:
where they work, eat, get coIIee, go to the toilet, park the car, run to when there is a Iire, etc
who they report to and how,
what they have to do,
where they Iind inIormation, documentation, advice etc
how they Iill in timesheets,
how they report issues, problems, bugs etc,
what behavioural norms are expected (eg clothes, language, timekeeping, personal use oI telephone,
internet and other equipment or technology, etc)
how to use speciIic soItware, hardware and other equipment.
Some oI this can be conveyed to individuals personally as they arrive. To handle the bulk oI the inIormation you
should prepare:
welcome packs containing inIormation about the project and its modus operandi,
team brieIing sessions Ior batches oI team members as they arrive,
training sessions Ior any speciIic technologies being used - both Ior the project work or Ior the
administration and control oI the project.
Remember that the emphasis is to build a good team. The right attitude can be promoted throughout all these
activities. In addition, you should plan appropriate Iormal and inIormal activities that build the desired attitudes
and behaviours. In most cases, some Iorm oI team social event should be held early in the project. InIormal
social activities can also be planned - even where they are intended to look unplanned.

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Team-bilding and ocial een
Mo Pojec Manage ie aciiie inoling alcohol a he eaie a o in oe he hea of he eam
membe. Remembe o be geneo! Thee ae man ohe opion. Yo need o gie caefl hogh o he
deied eam cle, he nom of he oganiaion, and he backgond of all eam membe. Pleae emembe
ha j becae o hink a good fn nigh o inole a lage amon of bee and lod dance mic, i doe
no follo ha all o eam membe old enjo i. Aoid aciiie ha onl appeal o a b-e of he eam,
eg go-ka acing, pain-ball bale, golf, opea, ine aing, ec. If o oganie ch aciiie, make e he
ne een appeal o a holl diffeen gop. Be paiclal caefl o aoid deeloping a eam cle hee
o ocialie ih a gop of fiend ho eglal enjo all o ocial aciiie b o find hee ae ohe
people ho nee an o join in. Wha o ae doing i diiding he eam ino o fiend e he people
ho do no hae o inee.
Hee ae ome idea:
Poide food and efehmen
fo eam meeing
Paiclal efl if o an o encoage
people o aend inconenien o nelcome
meeing.
Lnchime dink and meal Ued o be e common - b he damage o
do o he poge of he pojec can be e
iible. In geneal, i i be o eee hi fo
pecial celebaion.
Eening dink, meal, ec A majoi of pojec eam membe ma enjo
he ocialiing - een if he ae no ineeed
in dinking o aing lae.
Clb, dancing, heae, ec Tpicall an ch een appeal o a minoi
of he eam. T o chooe omehing hich
ill be ineeing o mo and oleable o
eeone
Da ip Ofen mo effecie if achieing a eio
bine goal a ell a being fn. Fo
eample, ake he eam o an "aa-da" a a
pleaan locaion o hold an een ch a a
biefing, aining, mpoim, hink-ank, ec.
"Macho" pi - eg go-ka,
pain ball, abeiling, climbing,
acing ca, diing off-oad
ehicle, paaching, bng
jmping, ec
Thee aciiie ae ofen he mo popla, b
hee i a majo ik ha a ignifican pa of he
eam ill no enjo ch aciiie and feel
annoed ha hei inee ae no being
conideed. Make e hee i appopiae
inance coe.
"Off he all" fn - ie ange
hing o nee hogh o
old do a an adl, eg mde
Thee ok ell poided he le change
ih each een. People ill enjo mo noel
aciiie once (and once onl). Look fo
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mystery, quiz competitions,
karaoke, trivial pursuits, ten pin
bowling, badminton, sports day,
pony trekking, etc
activities that anyone could enjoy - previous
experience not required.
Community charity - eg clean
up a canal, paint the Boy Scout
hut, coach at the local school,
etc
Usually excellent team-building activities that
do good as well. Somehow, the messier you
get the better they seem to work.
Charity events Again, good team builders provided a large
number oI people participate.
Training courses Training can be Iun as well as serving a more
serious purpose. Investment in training also
emphasises the importance and value you place
on the team members. It works particularly
well iI several team members attend the training
together.
Training days Gather together the team or sub-teams as
appropriate Ior regular training or brieIing
sessions - say once a month. These are
opportunities to convey general inIormation and
speciIic knowledge. They also provide an
excellent opportunity Ior team building.

IMPORTANT ARNINGS
Any activity that costs money or detracts Irom normal working time must be agreed by
the project's sponsor and senior leadership. Observe any legal or cultural restrictions.
What some nations, industries and organisations see as normal, desirable business
behaviour can be seen by others as immoral, illegal or devious.
Any activity outside normal working practices and/or locations may require special
insurance.

Case Stud
A senior public sector IT manager was given a Iree place on a training course that was
relevant to his work. He was dismissed Ior accepting the supplier's hospitality.

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Team bilding, meeing and commnicaion ding he pojec
Een
Team-building should continue throughout the project. As with the events during mobilisation, these would
normally be a mixture oI directly work-related activities, and other social, team building.
Building good team spirit is not just a matter oI organising entertainment Ior the team. As well as the special
events, the routine work oI a project typically gives rise to many opportunities Ior human interaction - meetings,
inIormal discussions, chance encounters, written messages, etc. Each oI these is an opportunity to enhance the
eIIectiveness oI the team by displaying the right attitude and saying the right things.

MBWA
MBWA is a Iamous management theory - it means "Management By Walking About". What it means is that a
good manager operates, at least in part, by getting out to see what the team is doing whether or not there is a
speciIic reason to do so.
It is very easy Ior a busy Project Manager to shut the door and concentrate on consolidating the plan or
reviewing the deliverables. You must reserve enough time Ior direct interaction with the team. It should be a two-
way, collaborative process. Here are some oI the things you should be aiming to achieve:
motivate individuals and sub-teams
promote the right attitudes and behaviours: team spirit, collaboration, sharing knowledge, Iocus, etc
gain an improved understanding oI the project: requirements, designs, quality, issues, progress, etc
provide better guidance: steer thinking, suggest ways Iorward, intercept potential problems, coach
individuals, etc.

Bonie poin
It may be possible to promote good team behaviour using recognition and reward mechanisms. In most
organisations there will be some Iorm oI Iormal perIormance assessment and reward process. This would
normally address the major objectives oI the individual. The current project might, or might not, be one a
signiIicant Iactor in those objectives and/or the perIormance assessment. It may also be possible to introduce
additional incentives directly relating to the project, Ior example, bonuses paid Ior beating deadlines.
Formal reward processes usually Iocus on the individual's prime objectives. They are rarely able to promote
good behaviour across all aspects oI the work - to do so would require complex analysis oI all desirable
behaviours and a careIully constructed perIormance measurement system to balance the competing goals. The
Project Manager may be able to Iind other ways to recognise, promote and reward good behaviour, particularly
where it lies outside the individuals' main reward system.
Recognition itselI is very valuable in promoting good behaviour. Remembering to say "thank you" is the cheapest
and easiest way to improve team perIormance. Make sure it sounds (and preIerably is) genuine: "thank you, that
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was really useIul".
In the right situations, secondary recognition mechanisms can be administered by the Project Team. Where there
are signiIicant Iinancial rewards involved, this must be done properly with the agreement oI the project's sponsor
and the overall organisation. It will normally be subject to tax and legal requirements. It is also important to
ensure that it is acceptable in the overall organisation and environment; Ior example, do people not working on
the Project Team consider it unIair?
One potential solution is to use rewards and recognition
with no direct Iinancial value. There does need to be
some belieI that the reward or recognition has value - but
value can be established in many ways.
For example:
the Project Manager guarantees to communicate
positive Ieedback to the individual's line
management
Iun Iantasy league table oI sub-team or individual
Brownie Point perIormance
token giIts or treats (subject to whatever Iinancial
limits are appropriate in the environment) eg bottle
oI Champagne, shopping voucher, airline ticket
bonus payments
Definitions
Bronie a junior Girl Scout
Bronie
Point
English colloquial expression:
A recognition oI merit which could
seemingly be added to the individual's
overall merit score, but which, in Iact,
has no real value so collecting them is
equally pointless.

A "Brownie Point" system, iI it is to be taken seriously, needs to be administered by the Project OIIice. Members
oI the team at any level can nominate a colleague as deserving a number oI Brownie Points Ior doing something
special which contributed towards the success oI the project. It could relate to the quality oI the work, getting
things done on time, the social liIe oI the team, relationships with external parties, etc. You might also set up
tariIIs Ior speciIic actions you wish to encourage, Ior example, the submission oI issues or completing timesheets
on time. The nomination or submissions would be scrutinised by the Project OIIice to make sure it is genuine and
appropriate. Individual scores Ieed into whichever Ior oI reward mechanism is in operation.

Meetings
Two common complaints Irom project teams are: "too many meetings" and "not enough communication". Senior
management oIten react to the latter oI these by organising more meetings.
Let's distinguish between Iormal meetings and the gatherings oI work groups. Some rules about Iormal meetings
can be Iound in the Control and Reporting section.
The gathering together oI people Ior the practicalities oI working together is bound to involve a large number and
wide range oI meetings over the liIe oI a project. In some cases, regular scheduling makes sense in order to
overcome natural reluctance to communicate, to share knowledge, and, in particular, to admit to Iailings. Some
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people inevitably Ieel that any disturbance Irom their main task is unwelcome and/or unhelpIul. Group members
Irequently dislike interaction with others outside that group.
Here is a typical pattern oI recurring Project Team meetings...
Attendance Purpose Frequenc
Full Project Team BrieIing, plenary session,
and team-building social
event
Approximately once a month,
preIerably coinciding with major
milestones
Project leadership
(PM plus team
leaders)
Progress, issues, actions Weekly
Team leader plus
sub-team
SpeciIic tasks, progress,
problems, estimates, help
wanted
Daily
In other cases, meetings will be arranged around speciIic activities or issues and will involve only the people
concerned. II you take another look at the picture oI the collaborative project team, you will see that there will
be many diIIerent workgroup relationships and consequent needs to gather together the right people. Here is the
ideal (but unachievable) mental picture oI how the collaborative team works:
At any instant I can share my thinking with precisely the right group oI people - those
who can help and those who beneIit Irom understanding.
The Iundamental rule should be to get optimum value Irom people's time. Do not have meetings where the
presence oI certain attendees adds no value Ior a majority oI the time - maybe separate meetings or approaches
would work better. Do not waste time on routine matters that could eIIectively be conveyed in a more eIIicient
way. Avoid the tendency to involve every possible person in every discussion - you will make more progress
with a small number oI the right people.
It is not just a waste oI time, resources and money. Wasting time at meetings oIten leads to cynicism,
demotivation and a lack oI conIidence in the leaders.

Videoconferencing
Much productive time can be lost travelling to meetings. Face-to-Iace meetings usually provide the best channel
Ior discussion, inIormation exchange and relationship building. These beneIits should be balanced against the lost
productive time. In general a mixture oI physical and virtual meetings provides the best compromise.
Arranging telephone conIerences should be simple. Most major organisations already have Iacilities available.
Alternatively, the telephone service provider should be able to make the arrangements.
There are two main styles oI VideoconIerencing: using specialist videoconIerence Iacilities or using desktop
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ofae fom o PC. The ideal cenaio i o be able o hook p ih ohe paicipan hogh he neok
a an ime iho leaing o dek. Alhogh hi i echnicall feaible, elaiel fe oganiaion hae he
bandidh and conol o opeae i efficienl.
The alenaie i fo aendee o gahe a hei neae ideo confeence ie (inenall o eenall - eg
confeence cene, pe agencie). To-a link ae j dialled diecl. Mliple link p can be achieed
hogh "bidge" - eeone connec o he bidge hich combine and conol he mliple ideo and adio
link.
Hee i a pojec meeing ih paicipan a fie
locaion in fo diffeen conie.
Videoconfeence link ae combined hogh a
"bidge" poided b he eenal elecomm
poide.
Fhe paicipan ae conneced o he bidge
hogh adio channel (ie nomal elephone dial
in).
A ell a he ideoconfeencing, he paicipan
ae conneced hogh he oganiaion' global
neok. The ae able o:
ie peenaion
hae applicaion
hae e meage, diagam ec

Non-erbal commnicaion
Thee ill be a ange of channel aailable fo commnicaion ihin he pojec eam and ih eenal
paicipan. The objecie i o hae infomaion, knoledge, hogh, concen, feeling, ec in he mo
efficien a. Remembe ha people ofen feel he hae infficien ime o ead all he ien maeial ha i
en o hem - a lea ih face-o-face commnicaion o can ee ha he can hea o (b no neceail
hehe he ae liening).
Some of he e and channel of commnicaion old nomall hae been conideed and ageed a pa of a
Commnicaion Plan and, geneall, a pa of he Change Managemen poce. Thi i paiclal he cae
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where communications are made to people outside the Project Team.
Here are some tips...
Channel Commentar
EMail Undoubtedly the conveyor oI most ad-hoc written messages. Not
everyone reads all their mail, so make sure its content and importance
is clear in the title. For those people who like to scan message
previews, make sure the most important Iacts appear in the Iirst Iew
words (don't waste the Iirst two lines with "Dear Fred" and a blank
line). For important communications, track that recipients have read
and/or responded as required.
PC / web chat
services
Real-time brieI text messages exchanged between two or more
participants. Can be very useIul Ior brieI exchanges. Provides instant
check that the other person has read the message and responded.
This works best iI team members have access to a directory oI chat
addresses Ior all project participants. II something important or
relevant to others comes up, copy and paste the text into an EMail or
document.
Circulars There will be Irequent needs to communicate messages to sub-sets oI
the Project Team - whether by paper, by EMail or by other methods.
The Project OIIice would normally maintain circulation lists and other
contact inIormation. Make sure you communicate valuable
inIormation to people who need to know, otherwise your messages
become resource-wasting junk mail.
Team
newsletter
Can be motivating, Iun, inIormative, etc. The two main uses are to
build team spirit and to communicate general inIormation about the
project. There is a danger that they achieve neither oI these goals and
become a waste oI resources. Encourage people to read them with
useIul, valuable content - eg social calendar, bonus dates,
competitions.
Project
newsletter
This is primarily aimed at participants outside the team. The objective
will be to raise awareness and support Ior the project. In the latter
stages oI the project, more speciIic inIormation, instructions and
schedules will be conveyed. The use oI external communications
should be agreed as part oI the Change Management planning.
Project
Website
Many projects create a web site to hold a wide range oI inIormation
that participants may wish to access. On the Iront page will be
headline messages. ReIerence inIormation would be accessible
through indexes. Communication through this channel will be
particularly eIIective iI participants have to visit it - Ior example, iI the
(compulsory) timesheets are entered through the same portal.
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Docmenaion All projects generate great volumes of documentation, hopefully in a
sharable electronic format. Easy, controlled access to the project
documentation is the best way to enable communication of detailed
information. Where there is something new or amended that particular
team members need to be aware of, a process should be in place to
draw their attention to it.
Fomalied
commnicaion
Certain forms of communication are controlled through specific
processes and media, for example timesheets, progress reports,
change requests, issues, etc. See the specific guidance for these.

Phae-end and pojec-end aciiie
Celebrating the completion of major phases of work or the overall project is an important element of team
building. In some cases it might be argued that it is too late to affect outcome, but there are still good reasons to
celebrate.
A key element of building an effective team is to focus the group on their goal. The importance of the goal is
reinforced by the idea that it is a cause for celebration and a time to applaud the team's achievements. This
understanding will help to motivate and focus the group. It is an implicit promise that completion will be
celebrated and a wise manager will not break a promise even if there is no reason to believe the same people will
work together again in the future.
Project celebrations are also a valuable tool in spreading the message of the project's success. To achieve a
successful business solution, the organisation, senior leadership, end users, management and interested third
parties all need to believe in its achievements, importance and relevance.
As with any other team-building event, ensure that the plans and expenditure are appropriate and agreed.


Copyright Simon Wallace, 1999-2007