A Fresh Look at Your Project Team

The project has been completed and delivered on schedule. Now it’s time to debrief its success and evaluate the effectiveness of your project team. Did you fire on all cylinders?

The word from on high has been complimentary. From the executives’ point of view, the initiative was successful because you achieved project goals near budget and on time. But you, who were closer to the ground, were not always pleased with the way your team performed. Perhaps you need to take a fresh look at how your team members work together.

Here are some project post mortem questions to consider:

• Is there a real team identity or are you a collection of individuals? Is there a sense of pulling together toward a common goal? Are you mutually accountable to one another and respectful of the roles each must play?
• Do all members understand the team mission? Is there clarity of purpose? Are expectations understood and values practiced?

If you are unsure about the answer to any of the above questions, take a fresh look at how you manage the project team. It just might be that your leadership needs some tweaking before your group really performs as a team unit.