Clear Sense of Mission

Project teams perform well when there is a clear sense of purpose or objectives for their project. Working towards a clear vision would allow the team to focus on delivering the best results possible. As such, the more widely shared and understood those goals, the better the project performance.

One of the best examples of a clear sense of mission is the Huo Shen Shan Hospital project which was established to tackle the Wuhan coronavirus. This hospital was completed in 10 days by high performing teams as everyone was clear with the project’s objectives and mission. 

Cohesiveness (Closeness)

Cohesiveness simply refers to the degree of mutual attraction that team members hold for one another and their task. It is the strength of desire all members have to remain a team. It is safe to assume that most members of the project team need a reason or reasons to contribute their skills and time to the successful completion of a project.

Trust (Confidence / Belief)

Trust means different things to different people. For a project team, trust can best be understood as the team’s comfort level with each individual member. Trust is manifested in the team’s ability and willingness to squarely address differences of opinion, values, and attitudes and deal with them accordingly.

Enthusiasm (Excitement & Willingness)

Enthusiasm is the key to creating the energy and spirit that drive effective project efforts. One method for generating team enthusiasm is to promote the idea of efficacy (successfulness), the belief that if we work toward certain goals, they are attainable.

Results Orientated (Focused on Result)

Results orientated suggests that each member of the project team is committed (devoted) to achieving the project’s goals. The project manager can influence team performance in many ways, but it is through constantly emphasizing the importance of task performance and project outcomes that all team members are united toward the same orientation.

Consider the Ferrari video above, and notice what can be achieved in 2.5 seconds: Stabilization of the vehicle, tire changes, part replacements, and finally release of the vehicle. 

The team is exhibiting the exact characteristics that have been discussed earlier. For example, all team members know their role, what is within their control, and what others depend on them for. No one is standing around wondering what’s going on or how they can contribute. This is the characteristic of “a clear sense of mission”.

In order to achieve an effective team, one key area project managers need to establish is effective team communication. The video below highlights 7 tips on how you as a project manager can create an effective team communication.

Team ground rules refers to certain policies that are established by the group to help individual members decide on how to act. In order to be effective, project ground rules need to be clear, consistent, agreed and followed by everyone. The team ground rules help to address how a team should treat each other, communicate, participate, corporate and support each other. When establishing the team ground rules there are a few factors to be considered. 

Team Location: 

Location of the team is essential when defining the team ground rules. For instance, in a team setting where there is a combination of stationary and virtual teams, additional ground rules may be established to ensure effective communication between both teams.

Team Ethnicity: 

In a team, there would likely consist of various team members from different ethnicity, culture and background. When establishing the ground rules, it is important to consider the ethnicity of the team members and add a few ground rules for effective team work.

Project Duration: 

Ground rules are important for any project irrespective of  the length of the project. As such it is essential to consider the length of the project for defining urgency of implementation. By understanding the urgency of the project, the team can establish the team ground rules to ensure that tasks stay on track. 

Team Skills & Expertise: 

In a cross functional team, each team member would have their own set of skills and knowledge and role to play in the project. Therefore when establishing the ground rules, the team would need to consider the different roles within the team. For instance an example of a ground rule that the team could set would be that everyone’s opinions are taken into consideration before a decision is made.