xiv) Establishing a Team

Some key elements in establishing a team are

. Select members for balance and effectiveness

- decide the number of members needed

- decide criteria for membership

- check availability of proposed members

- ensure people selected can work together

- check that attitude and skills represented are appropriate to the project

. Ensure all the team members understand what they are being asked to do

- use the issue (describes the situation or issue) and target (informs the team what is expected of them) statements to clarify what the team is being asked to do

- ask the team to discuss the statements and check for common understanding

- ensure that constraints, boundaries and limits are understood - in particular, time limits and authority to act

- check the availability of resources that the team will need to do the work

- identify and involve stakeholders who have an interest

- reach agreement on the first steps

. Secure and get resources for the team

- define the resources needed (budget, training, time, access to expertise, etc)

- sell the work of the team to key stakeholders

- ensure that the resources are made available

. Support the team

- management to monitor and evaluate the performance of the team

- continue providing the necessary resources so that the team is effective

- show appropriate appreciation of their achievements, ie celebrate

Most other variables that will impact on team performance fall into 2 broad groups: formation issues and support. Formation issues include unclear or ambiguous problem statements, inappropriate membership and lack of team progress. Support is needed as teams can be fragile.

(source: Harry Onsman, 2004d)