With the advancement of tools, technologies, platforms, policies, interdisciplinary work, and more, many projects organizations take on today are too complex for one person and often require teams of people with different skills to work together for success. Assembling a team that works well is as much an art as a science. Whether you are assembling or joining a team, there are many things you can do to increase the probability of success—and have an enjoyable experience along the way.
Expertise. If the team members have not worked together previously, it’s worth getting to know each other and learning about each individual’s background and experiences. Knowing what expertise each person brings, and the types of things they enjoy doing, will ensure that tasks are assigned to the person who is most likely to complete them successfully. It also ensures that everyone knows who can serve as backup for what, so redundancies can be incorporated.
Attitude. In addition to learning what people are good at, learn what they are interested in and want to do. Did someone request to be assigned to this team because they wanted to learn a particular skill? Did they ask not to be put on this team because they don’t believe in the project, but were overruled? Do they have multiple competing priorities or other projects with simultaneous deadlines that they will have to balance? Knowing what is motivating (or de-motivating) your teammates can help you understand and support them better.
Communication. It is very difficult (though not impossible) to overcommunicate. Create processes that ensure that everyone who needs to know is kept informed of progress, decisions, and potential problems. Just because you sent a message, that does not mean the other person received it (or that they understood). Asking for confirmation of understanding, or even a simple “Got it,” can go a long way toward ensuring that no one is left out, and that technical glitches don’t lead to misunderstandings or other issues.
Deadlines. It is crucial that the entire team knows the schedule and which deadlines are real and which are flexible. Is your piece of the project on the critical path, so that others cannot start until you finish? Or are you working in parallel, so what you do does not affect others? If timelines on your part of the project change, does that impact other timelines, and how can you work together to reduce that impact? The earlier people are notified of potential problems, the better they can plan around possible disruptions—and even better if those backup plans end up not being needed.
Decisions. The team needs to decide how decisions will be made. Everyone on the team should have input on major decisions, but how will that input be solicited, and when will it stop? How will decision-makers get the information they need, and determine who should be involved? Will the final decision be made by consensus, voting, an individual leader, or some other method? How much autonomy will members (or small groups, if it’s a large team) have to make small decisions on their own? How will decisions be communicated once they are made?
Working as part of a well-functioning team can be one of the most rewarding parts of your career. But getting to that point can take an investment of effort up front.
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