CHAPTER

2
WORKING WITH PROJECT TEAMS
PROJECT TEAM

Project teams must be organized to carry out the work necessary to complete

engineering and construction projects. Team members are crucial to the success of the

project. The project manager depends on the team because he or she does not usually

have the expertise to do all the work needed to complete the project. For any group, there

must be a leader to guide the overall effort. The project manager also acts as a facilitator

for conflict resolution and team performance project communications.

Project teams are made up of all project participants, including house staff and

outside consultants. Teamwork must be well-coordinated with strong coordination to

achieve the shared goal of completing the scope, budget, and time constraints. The

management of project teams is a fundamental skill in the field of human resources

management.

The project manager must build and lead an effective project team for a successful

project. Team building is a process of influencing a group of diverse individuals, each with

its own goals, needs, and perspectives, to work together effectively for the benefit of the

project. Team efforts should be more than just the sum of individual endeavor. Every team

needs to be motivated. Team motivation is the process by which project managers

influence their team members to do what they need to do to get the job done.
TEAMWORK

Teamwork is not a new concept; it is only being re-examined after two decades of

workers' isolation due to a great deal of emphasis on technical expertise. Reorganization

and downsizing of businesses have also given renewed emphasis to teamwork, as the

in-house capabilities of many businesses have been reduced, leading to outsourcing of

work to the completion of projects. Everyone agrees that it is significant; the real challenge

is to assemble a cohesive team for a successful project.

Teamwork begins with the project sponsor who determines goals, objectives,

needs, and expectations. For successful ventures,

"teamwork" begins; at the beginning of the project

with the team's creation and; continues throughout

the project's life. Although everyone is a key player

on a successful team, every team must have a

leader. The Project Manager is the team leader.

TEAMS FOR SMALL PROJECTS

A team consists of two or more individuals working together to achieve a shared

goal. When handling several small tasks, the project manager is typically asked to share

team members with other project managers. The length of the project is usually limited,

with little interaction between the project manager and the team members. Often team

members are professionals who are recruited from outside sources to perform a particular

role or function.

Since the project manager is usually responsible for overseeing several projects,

it is often difficult for him or her to give the required attention to each project, which
complicates scheduling and management of resources. Only limited workers can be

provided on small projects. In this form of the work environment, the willingness of the

project manager to work with the different divisions within his or her company to get

people to work on the project is critical in completing the tasks on schedule and within the

budget.

In engineering practice, it is challenging to have a core discipline team assigned

to each project. As a result, time's lost when team members are waiting for details. Since

small projects have limited durations, there is often a lack of time for thorough preparation

and in-process problem correction. The learning curve for the workers begins to climb

until the project is over.

While managing several small projects does not have the formality of managing a

single large project, the concepts of working with

people in a spirit of cooperation and teamwork still

apply. Usually, the project manager

depends on regular phone calls or e-

mails instead of formal face-to-face team

meetings.

WORKING WITH MULTIPLE TEAMS

Once the project moves from design into the building, the owners, designers, and

contractors' teams' work must be combined into a collaborative effort. Each of these

teams has its own goals, the diverse skills that each group possesses must converge into

an overlapping setting, as illustrated in Figure 2-1. Each triangle in Figure 2-1 is a team.

While each team performs a different role, each team must cultivate an attitude of mutual
ownership of the project. The construction of the team and the collaboration that began

at the beginning of the project must be continued.

Regardless of the size and number of teams, there must be a single project

manager to make final decisions and maintain a focus on the project. The project manager

of the owner has ultimate responsibility and final authority for the overall project. Project

managers are responsible for overseeing the lower level of the teams responsible for the

technical design and development of the project serve on the owner's project
management team. As shown in Figure 2-1, there is a project manager for in-house

design, a project manager for each design contractor, and a project manager for each

construction contractor. Below these managers are the lower levels of the teams headed

by the job manager.

DESIGN TEAMS

The members of the design team are chosen based on their expertise required for

a specific project. The group consists of individuals with diverse backgrounds, including

architecture disciplines (architectural, civil, mechanical, electrical, structural, computer-

aided design and design (CADD), project management individuals (cost control,

calculation, quality control, protection, etc.), non-technical people (purchasing, legal,

financial, licensing, regulatory, etc.) and sponsor members.

Each design team shall have a representative of the sponsor, who may be the

project manager of the owner or appointed by the project manager of the owner. This

person must convey the organizational policies and funding limitations of the sponsoring
company to the project team. He or she must have the duty and the power to operate on

behalf of the sponsoring organization. The sponsor's representative plays a crucial role

in discussing concerns related to project conditions and expenses that will affect the

sponsor's company after the project is finished when the sponsor uses it. It reviews and

approves the changing scope, budget and schedule.

As a member of the team, the sponsor's representative approves any changes in

scope, budget, and schedule before the commitments are made. Unfortunately, the

sponsoring organization's representative is sometimes not interested until the project is

in trouble. The early involvement of the sponsor's representative can avoid future

problems. The project manager must make this person feel like he or she is part of the

project team.

The selection of team members

varies depending on the policies of the

design project manager's company

and the persuasiveness of the project

manager to get the people interested

in the project he or she needs. The

project manager and his or her supervisor will evaluate the project's need to determine

the discipline skills required and the staff required. The meeting would then be scheduled

with the manager of the relevant discipline managers to request the members of the team.

The project manager always wants the best and most qualified workers assigned

to his or her project. However, the assignment of team members is often based on who

is available at the time assignments are made. If the project manager feels a person
assigned to the team lacks the required skills, the project manager must act as a coach

to assist the team member and make arrangements for additional training to ensure the

work can be completed.

CONSTRUCTION TEAMS

A typical construction project consists of groups of individuals, usually from

different organizations are recruited and assigned to the construction project. Organizing

their efforts is complicated, even though they all work for the same organization. The

project manager of the construction team must remind the team that establishing long-

term relationships is more important in terms of career development than attempting to

achieve short-term tasks.

With all the diversity involved in the building project, people need to be handled so

that they can work together successfully to achieve the goal. These require professional

individuals willing to sacrifice short-term pleasure for the long-term fulfillment of

accomplishing a significant objective. Common sense and versatility are essential for

working with construction teams. The secret to a good construction project is well-trained

construction managers.
TEAM MANAGEMENT

A team must have a well-defined goal with shared goals, objectives, and

strategies. The project manager must learn about the needs of the team members and

promote team involvement. Most employees want to do what must be required of them

and do their job if there are clear instructions. Open and truthful relations are significant

to promote honesty and support for one another. The project manager must ensure that

individuals must have primary responsibility for discreet work. The team needs to have a

shared objective of building a team with a clear idea of what they're going to do and when

they're going to do it.

TEAMS AND THE PROJECT MANAGER'S RESPONSIBILITIES

When collaborating with team members, the project manager must cross a wide

variety of organizational frameworks to grow the project team into a coherent community.

These must be achieved quickly, considering the limitations imposed by others. People's

skills are vital to the successful management of team members. The project manager

must create a friendly atmosphere that encourages the team to work together and; must

motivate the team to perform well. In addition to planning, scheduling, and overseeing the

project, the project manager is responsible for resolving team members' disputes.

The project manager must set up a management system to complete the project

with the planned specifications. The project manager is required to oversee the activities

of the project within a given framework, budget, and schedule. A variety of decisions must

be taken during team meetings and the process used will have a direct effect on team

results. The project manager must cultivate a style of leadership that is valued and

embraced by the decision-making team of the project. The decision may resolve the best
way to build or generate sketches, while the other may involve producing ideas and

solving a problem with one correct answer.

KEY FACTORS IN TEAM LEADERSHIP

Developing a culture where every team member feels that they are part of the team

and wanted by the members is necessary to a successful team. The conduct and

leadership style of the project manager has a direct effect on the team. The project

manager must have a high degree of integrity and a sense of justice and honesty in

working with team members and those who are not part of the team. The project manager

is a role model for the team in many respects. It is difficult for people to be highly motivated

and efficient when they have a minimal appreciation for their leader.

Team communication is vital to a successful team because highly motivated and

dedicated workers want, and need, to be informed. Daily meetings of the group are
necessary. There can be different meetings between key team members to exchange

comprehensive information, but a daily weekly team meeting must have to share status,

make decisions, and record data. Since team members are often located in various

physical locations, frequent face-to-face meetings are required to maintain a sense of

team unity. A well-defined scope for the team directs the progress of work; and sets out

specific priorities that can be used as guidance for decision-making.

TEAM BUILDING

Effective teamwork is a core element of any successful project. Teamwork must

be initiated early in the process and must be constant throughout the life of the project.

Experienced engineers and project managers all agree that teamwork is required, but the

real question is, "How does one organize a successful team?" Effective communication

is essential for team building. The project team cannot work when there are

communication breakdowns. Misinformation or missing information is a significant

disincentive to team building. Effective communication means that everyone understands

what is expected and when it is expected.

project. Team building begins with the sponsoring company, with the project charter and

mission statement. The project sponsor must be aware of the goals that have been set,

and he or she must be explicit about their commitments. The project sponsor must have

an acceptable pre-qualification process for the selection of designers, contractors, and

other third-party participants. Everyone on the project must know that the project sponsor

pays for all and is thus the shared client to all parties.

Designers want an educated sponsor who is knowledgeable about the project's

development, but sometimes that's not the case. Often the project manager must enable

the project sponsor to recognize the value of sequencing work and the effect of decisions

that need to be taken in the design and construction of the project. There must be

cohesion in the project team from the first day of the project. The high turnover of team

members causes a lack of time in training new people and a loss of awareness of previous

innovations in the project. Construction contractors have an outstanding knowledge of the

costs and construction techniques that are extremely beneficial during the design

process.

Many private-sector ventures are funded by credit institutions. Too often, for these

types of projects, the lender is

not an active participant in the

team, and everyone suffers from

it. Unfortunately, the lender

remains too far away from the

project and does not get involved

beginning of the project. For example, the purchasing agent is a significant participant in

a project that must purchase large quantities of material or main equipment. Early

involvement of the person who will be involved in issuing purchase orders, tracking the

shipping dates and delivery dates of the vendors, and receipt of the purchased material

and equipment has a significant impact on meeting the project installation deadlines.

The keywords for team building are pressure, responsibility, honesty, kindness,

respect, and communication. Engineering and construction projects usually require a tight

schedule that puts pressure on the project team to complete their work as soon as

possible. These require cooperation between the team member who must assume

responsibility and carry out their work in the most expeditious manner. The ground rule

should be, "Everyone is a contributor and winner on a successful team." The team must

stop worrying about the 1% that is wrong and focus on the 99% that is right. The project

team must have open communications and avoid hiding errors and pointing the blame. A

successful team can do a successful project and have fun doing it.

Some companies have initiated the team-building process by organizing a

weekend retreat for team members, including their family members. The retreat is usually

held in a resort environment to encourage team members to engage with their interests.

These make it possible for all to understand that team members have similar goals and

shared interests. For example, recognizing that others on the team have children with

exceptional talents or need to take care of elderly parents will provide a sense of bonding

and mutual respect, which is the first step towards successful team building.
MOTIVATING TEAMS

In the early 1950s, A. H. Maslow developed a theory of motivation called the

hierarchy of needs. It is the quest to satisfy people's needs that drives or motivates

people. The needs include basic physical and psychological needs, which are perceived

in the human mind and complacent by material things. The theory has been used by

managers, as well as educators, to try to understand why people behave the way they

do, how to motivate them, and how to enlist their commitment. Figure 2-2 is a graphical

representation of the five levels in Maslow's hierarchy of human needs.

The project manager must use his or her skills to determine the specific needs of

the team member. It is not easy to identify people's needs in the day-to-day work

environment. Sometimes it may be necessary to spend time in an informal setting to build

a relationship that provides an understanding of what is valuable to a team member. A

team member may be concerned about having adequate time to attend school for a child

or to take care of a sick family member.

example, personal finances or family problems can quickly change a person's needs.

Each project manager must devise a way to identify the needs of the members of his

team. Once the needs have been

identified, an appropriate

motivational method can be

determined. Attempting to motivate

without sincerity or integrity may

cause teams to fragment or

disintegrate. The project manager

must therefore use good people's skills to encourage team members.

CONFLICT MANAGEMENT

Due to the complex nature of the project environment, disagreements between

team members are unavoidable. Conflicts can occur concerning the allocation of

resources, access to information, an argument on decisions, or an individual's feeling that

they did not value or a full member of the team.

Conflict can have a negative effect by promoting interpersonal animosity,

decreased results, and team dissension. Conflicts may occur, therefore, different

agendas among team members, since some team members may work for a variety of

companies. For example, members of one or more design firms, as well as one or more

construction companies, maybe part of the owner's project management team. Similarly,

the project manager of the design team may have team members who are in-house, as

well as design contractors who are hired to conduct special parts of the design. The
construction contractor's project manager typically has a wide variety of staff from both

in-house and subcontractors.

They must understand that disagreements are often the result of changes, such

as alteration of drawings, reassignment of a member of the team, or changes to the dates

of meetings that are not communicated to other team members. The project manager and

team should review each dispute resolution process to capture lessons learned, both

positive and negative, for the benefit of potential project work. To manage the conflict, the

project manager must use techniques to deal with the disagreements, both technical and

personal, that inevitably arise between the team member. Project managers and team

members may feel that arguments are pessimistic, that they should not occur, that they

are caused by troublemakers, or that they should be prevented. However, all project

participants should understand that disputes are inevitable and may actually be helpful if

they are resolved in an acceptable manner. Conflict resolution will lead to creativity and

ideas about how to improve work performance.

Withdrawal or giving up is a terrible way to handle disputes. It's a stopgap effort

to fix a disagreement, and it doesn't solve the problem. Withdrawal is a passive solution
to solving a problem, which only momentarily delays the imminent recurrence of the

conflict in the future. Another method, smoothing, is a more successful conflict

management technique. However, adopting this method for a moment prevents the

dispute by easing one or more of the parties involved in the conflict. The smoothing

method doesn't have long-term solutions; commitment is another path to dispute

resolution. This strategy includes discussions between the parties to achieve an effective

agreement. The parties to the conflict make trade-offs that sometimes fall short of ideal

solutions. Too often, compromise does not result in an outcome and gives rise to the

likelihood of a recurrence of conflicts. However, an agreement may be the only way to

settle disputes, depending on the circumstances.

Confrontation and problem-solving is a form of dispute resolution that involves the

involvement of all parties involved. In certain cases, it might be appropriate for the project

manager to exercise the

authority to compel dispute

resolution. The project

manager must recognize that

imposing a solution can

cause frustration or other

adverse reactions that may

impact the potential success

of the team.
DEVELOPING A CONSENSUS

There are often several solutions to the problem, each of which can produce the

same result. The members of the team could not agree on any specific solution. Some

participants may be indifferent to a certain solution, while others may have deep feelings

regarding a solution. The project manager must collaborate with the team to build a

consensus on the option of the best solution. In these cases, the project manager must

encourage the team members to focus on finding a solution to the problem.

Voting, trading, or averaging will help to achieve a consensus. To avoid dilemmas

and indecisions, the project manager must lead the team. Conflict must be acknowledged

as constructive during conversations, and every attempt should be made to prevent

attacks, hostile remarks, or defensive acts. Team members should circumvent personal

preferences and actions that

exclude the views and roles

of other team members.

Instead, they should

demonstrate shared respect

for each other with a special

effort to concentrate on what

is best ultimately for the

project.

TEAM CONDUCT

The team is most clearly described as two or more people who, through working

together, do more than work separately. Projects usually consist of several design and
development packages, each with unique roles and responsibilities. Specific rules are

required for an effective team.

The goals of a particular team accurately set out the project criteria of each specific

group. For example, the safety team should be aware of the need to keep health and

injury accidents at a quantified level; or the scheduling team should be well-informed of

the number of days allowed to

develop the CPM schedule.

Teams need to know the time

they need to do their job and

the desired outcome of their

work.

In addition to understanding the targets, the team must also know how it is

supposed to function. The design and development teams should be aware from the

outset of the scope of their powers and the ability to act. For example, some groups may

only be able to solve problems, while others are only needed for regular evaluations, and

others exist to make decisions. Each project requires a set of rules to be followed.

Disorder and agitation are likely to occur without guidelines. Laws should not be

considered restrictive. Instead, a good set of rules allows the team members the ability to

carry out their work because they know what is required of them. Generally, when the

rules are vague or incomplete, the teams are limited.

Working partnerships need to be clearly defined and understood. To be successful,

each team should know where it fits into the overall scheme of the other operating teams.

The leader of each project team must answer questions about the relationship of the
internal team. Team members must demonstrate confidence and respect for other team

members, but close personal friendship is not always required. Teams also work based

on professional relationships in engineering and construction projects. Interrelationships

between members are the responsibility of the senior management. The personal values

of individual team members also have a vital role to play in the project team. Each team

member brings his or her collection of beliefs and morals to the team. Team members

should not expect to compromise their principles and ideals. The team leader must

commit to respecting the team members, fostering transparency and versatility.

LEARNING ASSESSMENT

1. The project manager must ensure that the primary responsibility for discreet work

is assigned to each team member. By acknowledging that there are numerous

work items in the project, describe the methods to ensure that there will be no

overlaps in the work of the project team.

2. You are the project manager of a newly formed team. Suppose you feel that one

of the team members lacks the skills needed to perform the work. Discuss the

methods you would use to help the team member ensure that their work meets

your expectations.

3. The conflict between team members is often the result of changes. List changes

during a project that could potentially lead to disagreement. How would you try to

sort out the conflict?

Reference Material:
Project Management for Engineering and Construction 2nd Ed., Garold D. Oberlender