How to put together an outstanding project team - Tips & Tricks

The composition of the project team is of crucial importance when implementing a project. 

Every experienced project manager knows how important the project team is in the execution of a project. This applies to small tasks as well as to complex projects. In each individual case, the correct composition of the project team is of particular importance.

What makes a project team?

The project team is a group of people who work together on a task - a project.

The project team example below shows how a project team is usually made up:

• a project manager,
• further management responsible persons, such as the sub-project managers and
• the other team members who perform the necessary work.
  
  
  

The structure of the respective project team varies greatly from project to project and depends mainly on the project goals to be achieved and the tasks to be performed.

The most important basis for the project team composition  

Teamwork is more than the sum of individual work performances. Teamwork determines how well, how quickly - and even if at all - you achieve your project goals and thus solve the tasks in project management in an optimal way.

You should therefore pay attention to the following points when putting together a project team:

The personality type

Working in a team is not easy for everyone.

For introverted personalities it can be difficult to establish or maintain informal communication with other members. If the project is dependent on such employees from a professional point of view - for example in the area of programming - it is important for you to give them personal space in your work. You can do this by creating a quiet corner in the shared office or by using the extended home office option.

In this way, you can avoid conflicts that could put a heavy strain on the entire team.

The team spirit

If there are several similarly qualified people available, it is your task to select the ones that fit best into the team.

However, the work is not done with the selection of suitable members. During the course of the project you should also emphasize team spirit. This includes, for example, working at the management level to make decisions that are best for the team. It also means involving the team as a whole in the decision-making process wherever possible.

If a sense of unity develops in the project team that includes every single team member, you will have created a stable basis for successful cooperation.

The responsibility structure

Too much responsibility can be problematic for teamwork because members who perform key tasks quickly become demotivated. Therefore, it is advisable for you to clearly divide the areas of responsibility.

Once the responsibility structures are in place, you can immediately recognize and appreciate good performance.

If you give due recognition to the work of individuals in a team, you will increase your personal commitment. This increases the productivity of the entire team.

 When considering these points, you should also be aware that it takes time to put together a project team. Therefore it is important for you to provide enough time in your project planning to be able to fulfill this task optimally.

Putting the project team together - Why sympathy can be a trap

It often happens that the project manager selects his team according to personal preferences.

This can be very problematic, because sympathy is the unconscious search for similarity. If the team is selected for these reasons, the result is a homogeneous group of people who have similar opinions and related character traits. If you confront such a group with a task that is not only about mere work capacity but also about diversity of experience, you overtax the people.

Therefore, it is highly recommended to pay attention to diversity when forming a team, even if a heterogeneous team is more conflictual and more difficult to lead. People with different character traits, attitudes and life paths bring valuable approaches and thus - in difficult situations - contribute to solutions of project management tasks that you might otherwise not be able to achieve.

Conclusion

The project team plays a key role in the implementation of projects. The right composition of the team is therefore crucial for your overall project success.

Can Do is the right partner at your side when it comes to finding the perfect software solution for your project, regardless of whether you decide on classic, agile project management, hybrid project management or multi-project management.