Managing Project Team Issues?

Without a doubt, people will fight. Fortunately, in most offices, people are mature enough to bite their tongues, try to work peacefully, and, as a whole, strive to finish the project happily and effectively together.

Dealing with Team Disagreements

In most projects there will be instances when the project team, management, and other stakeholders disagree on the progress, decisions, and proposed solutions within the project. It’s essential for the project manager to keep calm, to lead, and to direct the parties to a sensible solution that’s best for the project. Here are seven reasons for conflict in order of most common to least common:

• Schedules
• Priorities
• Resources
• Technical beliefs
• Administrative policies and procedures
• Project costs
• Personalities

So what’s a project manager to do with all the potential for strife in a project? There are five different approaches to conflict resolution:

• Problem solving
• Forcing
• Compromising.
• Smoothing
• Withdrawal
• Forming.
• Storming
• Norming
• Performing

Phases of Team Development

Ultimately, you are in charge. If your team members cannot, or will not, work out a solution among themselves, you’ll be forced to make a decision. When you find yourself in this situation, there is an approach to working through the problem. Here are recommended steps to conflict resolution:

1. Attention.
2. Listen.
3. Resolve
4. Wait
5. Act

Dealing with Personalities

Use Experience

Disciplining Team Members

Following an Internal Process

Removal from a Project

Without a doubt, people will fight. Fortunately, in most offices, people are mature enough to bite their tongues, try to work peacefully, and, as a whole, strive to finish the project happily and effectively together.

Dealing with Team Disagreements

In most projects there will be instances when the project team, management, and other stakeholders disagree on the progress, decisions, and proposed solutions within the project. It’s essential for the project manager to keep calm, to lead, and to direct the parties to a sensible solution that’s best for the project. Here are seven reasons for conflict in order of most common to least common:

• Schedules
• Priorities
• Resources
• Technical beliefs
• Administrative policies and procedures
• Project costs
• Personalities

So what’s a project manager to do with all the potential for strife in a project? There are five different approaches to conflict resolution:

• Problem solving
• Forcing
• Compromising.
• Smoothing
• Withdrawal
• Forming.
• Storming
• Norming
• Performing

Phases of Team Development

Ultimately, you are in charge. If your team members cannot, or will not, work out a solution among themselves, you’ll be forced to make a decision. When you find yourself in this situation, there is an approach to working through the problem. Here are recommended steps to conflict resolution:

1. Attention.
2. Listen.
3. Resolve
4. Wait
5. Act

Dealing with Personalities

Use Experience

Disciplining Team Members

Following an Internal Process

Removal from a Project

U might already covered, identify the problem, resolve them if possible. If not tell them why it is not possible. Esaclate if you can do, in order to get managemnet attention

When we say project team issues.  , Primarily the key focus areas would be  Stress, Conflict  which results in  Burnouts, Resource Dependency issues, Resource  Attrition and reduced productivity.  Low Productivity causes schedule delays and cost increases.

Hence it is important to identify the root

causes of these mentioned issues  and eleminate them.

 Root Causes 

 1.  A lack of Necessary Work habits would be common source of stress.

2 . Unclear  Roles and Responsibilities / Boundaries would be the common source of Conflict and competition.

 

DO's  to Eliminate the root causes

1. Assign Tasks based on Strengths - Every one in the team dont have the same skills , capabilities and inclinations. Assigning Tasks without considering team members abilities will jeopardize the situation. If you are able to match  tasks and skills , you will find commitment, ownership and energy increase while stress reduces.

2. Set clear Goals and Objectives  - Without properly directed from the leader, the team will not be motivated and they dont know what the expectations are. If you expect your team to arrive at  a certain destination, proper guidance should be provided to  indicate them "WHERE THEY ARE GOING" and "HOW THEY SHOULD GET THERE"

3. Provide vision of the End result - To properly convey the team's goals and objectives provide a vision of the end results.Project details such as How Project helps End user,  How it is beneficial to  Your Organization, Project  Team & Customer , What are the expected changes in the project, how the changes  will improve efficiency. Explain all benefits of the project and be sure to answer questions and adress their concerns.

4. Define Roles and Responsibilties - After explaining team goals, Individual Roles and Responsibilities are to be defined, It is critical to ensure that all team members Know  WHAT TO DO ?  WHAT IS EXPECTED FROM THEM ?  HOW THEY ARE EXPECTED TO DO THE WORK ? - These expectations and clearly defined , goals, roles and responsibilities could help improve productivity.

5. Rewarding Productivity - It requires showing honest appreciation for the team efforts. Nothing is more demotivating for team members for getting their hardwork unnoticed.  It is important to make sure that this does not happen. There are various to show appreciations examples - Team Lunch, Sending the team to Seminars/Conventions, Concerts, Sports events, cash rewards, shirts, bags etc. In case of budgetary constraints, Shake Hands, Simple word of Thanks in a Public Meeting, Email  etc. Showing respect to Team Efforts will help the team repeat good work habits and actions that earned them appreciation and notice.

6. Encouraging Suggestions -  Unfortunately every Project Managers hear  "THERE IS A PROBLEM", None hears  "THERE IS A SOLUTION". Encouraging team suggestions will make them motivated and empowered which in turn increase productivity.

 

BURN OUTS

 Multi tasking causes Burn outs.  Multi Tasking has three negative effects on Team Members. They are

1. Burn out - People cant work more than 100 % capacity for very long  before  getting Burned out.

2. Un Availability - People's time has zero flexibility , If an emergency or urgent task arises , they are not available to help.

3 Slow Recovery  - Resources stretched too thin cant effectively help a project recover from set back.

Conflict Management 

Conflict is a figt or disagreement about interests or ideas , Values , Opinions  roles and objectives. Depending upon intensity it may Positive or Negative effect.

Conflict can have a Positive effect when it challenges perceptions and lead to creative thinking and innovative ideas. Conflict lets u know where you stand with the team and with whom you need to earn cooperation and assistance.It is always better to have some degree of conflict than to have people in your team outwardly agree but inwardly disagree.

Severe Conflict can have a Negative Effect -  When team members focus on conflict, dont focus on project work and goals  and their productivity decreases.

Ignoring Conflict is not a solution. - A Mistake many project Managers make is assuming that a conflict will get automatically resolved and they ignore.  Conflicts Left alone will get only worse and jeopardize project.

It is very essential to manage conflict as soon as possible.

Guidelines for Managing Conflict 

1. Deal with issues -  The intent of any conflict is to have open and honest conversation about different ideas, opinions , values, benefits, attitudes or methods that cause the problem. The intended outcomes of the discussion is to  change  behaviours and actions not personalities. NEVER ALLOW PERSONAL ATTACKS - One person pin pointing other or vice versa would result focus  being lost. It is the managers responsiblity to make sure the conversation focus solely on the objective and reasons for conflict.

2. Recognize Goals -  In the discussion, Be Open about WHAT IS EXPECTED TO HAPPEN ? WHAT BEHAVIOUR IS REQUIRED TO BE CHANGED. Clearly express your intent to  work on  a solution until every one is satisfied. In addition ask all the parties to define their goals  to help ensure every one is working towards the objectives.

3. Discuss Tangibles - Sometimes conflicts may be due to differing ethics and principles . In such cases, you should nt aim at attempting to changing the specific beliefs that cause the conflict rather determine if the team invlevd could make bahavioural modifications to eleminate the problem.

4. Make Requests / Not Demands - Making people feel pressured to comply will intensify the conflict  Hence ensure making requests and not demands - Also understand their concerns working with them and provide necessary support.

5. Dont Assume - To avoid antagonizing/irritating - Never presume to know what they think and feel. Speak Only of what you know. Ask Team to share their thoughts , feeling and objectives. NEED NOT GUESS WHAT IS GOING INSIDE THEM.

6. Be Cooperative - This involves approaching the conflict discussions with a Positive attitude, listening respectfully to " WHAT ALL TEAM MEMBERS HAVE TO SAY " and committing to  a solution. Dont Allow the discussions derail by hurtful words or harmful behaviour by the team. Listening actively and repharsing the key points  will make the team aware that you are listening to an understanding.

7. Get the Team to Buy into the solution - You must get the team to Buy in the solution or the solution may not be workable for every one. Before assuming an issue is resolved ask all the team members involved if they are honestly satisfied with a solution if there are any reasons that would prevent from honoring the agreement.

8 Work on one issue - Start with the issue that seems easiest and quickest to resolve and work you way up to more difficult challenges. Take your time to work on each hirrying up doesnt help. You should also get the authority  , senior management buy in before committing to any requests.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Evaluate each risk and determine as best you can how much time line impact each risk might have and whether any of those timeline impacts would be concurrent. then adjust your expected completion date accordingly.