148 IEEE T R A N S A C T I O N S ON P R O F E S S I O N A L COMMUNICATION, VOL. PC-2 3, NO. 3, SI ΡΤΕΜΒΕΚ 1980

Organizing a Project Team

M A K ( j A R L I D R O S S I . L

Abstract-When interdisciplinary or inter organization teams are as-signed, temporarily, to solve a nonfamiliar problem, mtragroup com-munication may be difficult but is critical to the outcome of the task. Most of the problem analysis and«tolution or action plan are developed in meetings where all participants must come to terms with the dif-ferent facets of the situation. Among the recommendations of this article for organizing a project team and holding successful meetings of this kind is a meeting agenda that covers (1) recognition of the prob-lem, (2) definition of its scope, (3) identification of related needs and wants, (4) identification of possible solutions, (5) evaluation of solu-tions, (6) determination of the best solution, and (7) planning for further action.

Y O U ' V E just been selected to head up a team that will in-

vestigate why a newly commissioned plant isn't delivering

the expected yields. The team's assignment: Determine the

causes of the proBtem and make recommendations for^olvirrg

i t - i n short, debugji 'e process.

This is your first real chance to display your potential for

moving out of a staff function and into a management slot,

and you want to make the most of the opportunity.

Success is going* to require three kinds of management

skills: (1 ) establishing an effective team, (2) planning and con-

ducting productive meetings, and (3) maintaining team effi-

ciency and commitment until the job is done.

E S T A B L I S H I N G T H E T E A M

Your immediate problem is choosing the members of the team.

The core of the team will of necessity be made up of the

people most concerned with the problem. Included are people

from line operations and' from the planning and engineering

departments. Joining them will be key personnel who have

information to contribute: a representative from production

control, one from quality control, and perhaps sales engineers

from the suppliers.

Make sure beforehand that members of your team wdl be

able to work together. Personality clashes waste costly time

and energy and impede project completion.

A great deal of planning and organizational wjoik wilfbe re-

quired before even the first meeting:

• You must make a formal plan that will define your goajs.

Set a d e a d ^ e for reaching these goals, and then devise a

schedule that vdll guide the team in meeting the deadline.

You must als£ budget for anticipated expenses.

Reprinted with permission from Chemical Engineering, vol. 86 , no . 27, p. 1 0 3 , December 17, 1979; copyright 1979 by McGraw-Hill, Inc., New York, NY 10020.

The author is Bureau Chief of McGraw-Hill World News, 425 Battery St., San Francisco, CA 9 4 1 1 1 , (415) 362-4600.

• You must delegate project responsibilities. Divide the

various components of the production process so that the

investigative work can be distributed among subgroups of

team members. Nominate a leader J o r each of these sub-

groups. Sketch out an organization chart, so that everyone

will know how he or she fits into the team effort. Work with

the subgroup leaders to prepare an assignment worksheet for

each team member. This way, performance goals can be easily

communicated.

• You must set up a control system that keeps the project on

schedule and within budget. Furnish the team with forms for

periodic reports on trpae^items.

• You nwst define ihe avenues for getting any additional re-

sources such as technical data or assistance.

• You must also figure out ways to motivate the group. This

requirement will prove to be an important test of, and exercise

in, leadership ability.

To develop yourself as an effective team leader, you should

realize that it is necessary to operate on two levels: ( 1 ) leading

the group in performing the task itself, in defining and solving

the problem; and (2) acting as a leader in building and main-

taining the cohesiveness of the group as a problem-solving unit.

C O N D U C T I N G TEAM M E E T I N G S

Productive meetings don't just happen. They must be care-

fully planned and executed if you are to achieve your goals.

Careful preplanning can eliminate unnecessary difficulties

during a meeting session. Furthermore, it will reinforce your

confidence and free you to concentrate during the meeting on

the actual discussion. Preplanning not only ensures that the

meeting time is put to the most efficient use, b u t i i also helps

foster a feeling in the group that you, as leader, have taken a

genuine interest in making the meeting a success.

The objectives you wish to achieve should be outlined clear-

ly in your own mind. By thinking through what you expect of

the group, you will arrive at a firm grasp of how you can use

the knowledge, experience, and abilities of its members to

meet these objectives.

A problem-solving -meeting should be reasonably freewheel-

ing but you should have a clear plan in mind for addressing the

problem. IdeaHy, the meeting should proceed according to the

following agenda:

1. Recognition of the problem.

2 . Definition of its.scope.

3 . Identification of related needs arid wants.

4 . Identification of possible solutions.

5. Evaluation of solutions.

6. Determination of the best solution.

7. Planning for further action.

D R O S S E L : O R G A N I Z I N G A TEAM P R O J E C T 149

In scheduling your first meeting, write a memo to team members that describes the problem, states the agenda, sets time and place, and tells them why they ve been chosen.

The1>est time to schedule a meeting is early in the morning, and the best length is an hour or less. Two hours is the out-side limit for a productive meeting, an4 if it must run that long, plan for a break midway through in order to let people move around.

When arranging for space, request a room that has a large conference table. In general, the more equal the seating, the more forthright the discussion-.

At the meeting provide handouts that furnish the partici-pants with the necessary working data, worksheets and forms for schedule and budget control, paper and pencils for note-taking, and a chalk board or flip chart.

In the actual conducting of the meeting, the most impor-tant elements are leadership and control.

Leadership

Several things must be understood about leadership of a meeting. It is as much a job responsibility as any other tech-nical activity associated with your duties and as such it should be approached with the same technical preparation.

If the group is to accomplish its objectives, the jeader must work to build understanding and support of those objectives.

The leader should be a good listener who helps ideas to develop and encourages participants to do most of the talking. A rule of thumb: the leader, 15 percent; the group, 85 per-cent.

The leader must make every effort to keep the group's ener-gy level high.

Your own interest, alertness, and intensity are contagious, so when you take over leadership, give it your best. Moving around, moving close to the member who's talking, gesturing with your hands-anything that 's comfortable for you and conveys energy will help keep the group active.

Keep the meeting moving at a fast pace. Watch the team members. You can quickly spot the onset of boredom and you must take steps to counteract it.

Be demanding. Ask difficult questions. Be generous in your appreciation for useful contributions.

Some of the functions, of meeting leadership are

• Initiating-suggesting new approaches to a problem if dis-cussion flags. • Orienting^making sure the group knows exactly where the discussion is going and why.

• Clarifying-making sure that everything that is said and done is understood by all members of the group. Statements and actions may have to be repeated or restated before they become clear to everyone.

• Supplying mformation-providing the facts that the group needs to work with.

• Integrating-synthesizing all the facts and al l the thinking of the group to come up with answers that make sense to everyone. The idea is to find the answer that combines the best points made by the entire group. • Summarizing-pullinff together all the ideas that the group

has been talking about while showing their relationship to each

otfeer and to the whole problem.

Cwtrol

The leader should keep the meeting on track. The chances of the meeting moving along smoothly are greater when the leader exercises polite but firm control over the agenda, the discussion time, and the participants. At the same time he or she should be flexible enough to modify the agenda when this becomes necessary or to extend the discussion time when the discussion proves especially productive.

In almost every meeting there will be members whose be-havior patterns block progress. Here are the more common patterns and some suggestions for handling them:

Negativists and positivists. These categories embrace those who either object to suggestions on nonspecific bases or sup-port all proposals uncritically. Although both types can re-duce the productivity .of a meeting, they can generally be controlled by requir ing-not demanding-specific reasons for their positions.

Oververbalizers and underverbalizers. Try to seat a big talk-er next to you at the meeting, so that you can unobtrusively slow him or her down. t If jthis doesn't work, a little gentle counseling outside the meeting is called for. Make a special effort to draw out the quiet member with encouragement and support, not with a challenge or demand.

You must also protect the meeting against the Napoleon who wants to take over, the Supercritic, the Comedian, and the Politician. If all else fails, discusstheir behavior with them outside the meeting. The Interloper, or noncontributing visitor, can usually be excluded from future meetings if you use the minutes as a mailing piece to inform only those who share an interest in the project.

Closure and Followup

There are several steps that a team leader can take to avoid confusion or disagreement over the outcome of a meeting, and to give participants a greater sense of having spent their time well.

1. Summary of accomplishments. Restate the areas where progress has been reported so that everyone is clear on just what has been achieved.

2 . Planning. Since there will be a series of these problem-solving meetings, the group should agree on a time and agenda for the next meeting and determine what follow-up activities are required. Planning will be more effective if the group is involved in it.

3 . Assignments. At the close of a meeting, make specific assignments for gathering further information, preparing re-ports, looking into alternative solutions, etc.

4 . Followup. Human memories being as fallible as they are, it is important to have a record of what action took place at the meeting. The achievement summaries serve both as a follow-up device for those who have attended the meeting and as a reference that should be kept on file for future ques-tions.

5. Self-evaluation. For your own information and bene-fit, privately review and evaluate what happened at the session.

ISO IEEE T R A N S A C T I O N S ON P R O F E S S I O N A L COMMUNICATION, VOL PC 2 3. NO. 3, SEPTEMBER 1980

As preparation for handling the next meeting, critique your

performance as the leader.

And prior to the next meeting, check with those team mem-

bers who have assignments, to be sure they'll be delivering.

MAINTAINING T E A M E I HCIENCY

In guiding a problem-solving team along a productive path

there are ten commandments to keep in mind:

I. Provide continuing feedback. Share your feelings as

well as your thoughts about the problems at issue and the pro-

fosed solutions. For instance. "I 'm pleased/scared stiff about

the implications of taking this route because. . . ."

II. Take personal risks; don't play it safe. Don't hesitate

to say "You're not going to agree with me on this but . . ." or

"I 'd like to suggest consideration of a completely different ap-

proach to this problem. . . ."

III. Be honest with others. Start with the positive as-

sumption that you can trust them. Show them further that

they'll have to earn your distrust. In effect, say "Okay, let's

start by putting our cards on the table . . . ."

IV. Engage in problem-solving, not* a win-lose debate.

Candidly place all relevant facts before the group and keep

clarifying the problems and the goals until the alternative*that

offers the best solution is found. "Now that we have identi-

fied the differences of opinion between the opposing factions,

what constructive steps can we take to pull together a solu-

t ion?"

V. Meet conflict directly. You should view conflict as a

natural occurrence between people and work groups and use it

constructively to identify facts, problems, and goals. Try this

approach: "There are some differences in ideas between us so

let's keep digging until we can find some common ground.

Let's start identifying and clarifying these differences."

VI. Be supportive of group members and their ideas. Show that you care about the ideas and appreciate the infor-mation presented, whether or not you agree v > "So far I can't go along with your thinking but I would like to hear more about your idea."

VII. Take personal responsibility for your actions and

those o*f the group: don't pass the buck. If the meeting seems

to be going nowhere, it may be because you and the group

haven't done your homework or haven't been completely can-

did about the ramifications of the problem.

VIII. Be open, don't practice gamesmanship. Listen to the

information being presented with an open mind so that you

can receive and be influenced by others ' data and ideas. By

not-making up your mind before all the evidence is in, avoid

the danger of shutting out others' valuable suggestions. If you

don't completely grasp someone else's position, ask him or her

to explain it agair^in different words.

IX. Respect individuality. Expect others to act, think,

and feel differently than you. Be willing to say "We should be

able to solve this problem without converting each other

Your points have added some new dimensions to our planning

and understanding of the problem."

X. Focus on here and now. Concentrate on what the

group has going for it right now and the solution possibilities

that have been identified and show promise. Let old skeletons

(in the form of previous differences of opinion) stay in the

closet.

A C K N O W L E D G M E N T

This article was adapted from a course on supervisory man-

agement prepared for Bechtel Corporation personnel by the

firm's training and development department. The course is

designed to reach some 6,000 supervisory employees on

projects around the world.