HOW TO OVERCOME THE BARIEERS IN PROJECT TEAM BUILDING

TECHNIQUES FOR MAKING TEAM EFFECTIVE

The project team building process is not so easy as we think. It is one of the project management tactics. It is application of knowledge, skill and positive attitude of project manager towards their team members.

The project manager has to overcome various barriers to develop the project team.

However, the guidelines techniques to be kept in the mind for all the project team developers, in order to make the team effective are as follows:

• First, Setting of proper set of rules and guidelines 

• Then, Focusing your team to perform 

• Then, Reviewing of the Work designed 

• Finally, Managing the conflict within the team 

The above points are explained as follows:

1. Setting of proper set of rules and guidelines:

Rules and guidelines are the basis to work in predetermined way. So, the project manager must set the prescribed rule and guidelines .This will make their team members to understand the boundaries of their limits, in which the predetermined activities will be carried out.

It is the one of the most basic thing that any project managers should follow. Therefore, the teams should have proper set guidelines to be kept on in terms of :

• Projects predetermined goals 

• Authority, Responsibility and Accountability of work 

• Leader, who will leads the team, 

• Allocation of the work of team members and, 

• Identification of what derives the team 

2. Focusing your team to perform :

• If we are able to focus upon the team members to perform then, this will help project resources to get properly utilized. This will ensure Total Quality Management (TQM). 

• The skills of the team members are to be made appropriate. This could be done through providing proper education, training and support by the project managers. 

• Interpersonal relations should be developed. This will act as psychological boost of their team members. 

• Motivation of members should be made high. 

• Commitment among team members should be made high. 

• Top management should create favorable climate of commitment and trust among the team members. 

• Evaluation of the performances of the team members are to be made on periodic basis. 

• Communication should be open and flow in all direction. Cris-cross model of communication system should be followed. 

3. Reviewing of the Work designed :

• Team development is a continuous process. Team building encourages the team for smooth operation of the projects. 

• As we know, there is no point of making rules without reviewing it. So, in order to increase the effectiveness of the team, the work design are to be continuously reviewed. The components of the work design are:  Autonomy ( responsibilities for what one does), Skills variety ( varieties in use of abilities and skills), Task identity (doing whole piece of work) and Task significance ( feeling that, the work has importance to the people inside and outside the organization). 

• The team members should be able to work with the planning of the project .

4. Managing the conflict within the team :

• Teams are built with different members coming out from different environments. So, the conflicts are bound to incur within the views of team members. 

• Functional conflict is essential for team building process. Conflict should be managed so that it could be advantageous to the team. 

• If the conflicts are not managed within right time in right manner than this will result stress .

Therefore, conflicts should be managed in creative way by:

• Creating mutual trust among the members. 
• Effective leadership 
• Unified commitments 
• Open communication system and 
• removing all the barriers of effective communication. 

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