PMI Project Management - Lesson 4: Lead the Project Team Study Notes
Lesson 4: Lead the Project Team
This lesson focuses on the core interpersonal and leadership skills required to effectively guide and manage a project team through various phases of the project lifecycle.
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Copyright: Project Management Institute, Inc.
Learning Objectives
Discuss guidelines for developing leadership competencies and skills.
Address leadership styles and components for leading successful teams in-person or virtually.
Describe artifacts and strategies for their use.
Identify characteristics and core functions of empowered teams.
Explain communication strategies for collaborating in a project team environment.
Understand the value of training, coaching, and mentoring.
Explain the importance of conflict management.
Discuss cause, levels, and outcomes of conflict.
Topic A: Craft Your Leadership Skills
Power Skills for Project Professionals
Project professionals utilize interpersonal "power skills" to maintain influence and facilitate change with stakeholders.
Key Power Skills include:
Collaborative leadership.
Communication.
Innovative mindset.
For-purpose orientation.
Empathy.
Guidelines for Developing Inclusive Leadership Competencies
Tailor approach: Adapt leadership style to the needs of the team and project.
Lead with empathy: Understand and share the feelings of team members.
Varying motivations: Recognize that working styles and motivations differ between individuals.
Transparency: Maintain openness to build and sustain trust.
Inclusion: Ensure external resources are integrated into the team environment.
Leadership Skills and Competencies Checklist
Communication.
Conflict management.
Critical thinking.
Cultural awareness.
Decision-making.
Emotional Intelligence Technique ( or ).
Ethical approach (adherence to the PMI Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct).
Expert judgment.
Facilitation.
Meeting management.
Negotiation.
Networking.
Team-building.
Interpersonal and Team Skills
Active listening.
Communications styles assessment.
Emotional intelligence.
Influencing.
Motivation.
Nominal group technique.
Political awareness.
Transparency.
Leadership Styles and Tailoring Considerations
Factors affecting style choice:
Experience with the specific project type.
Maturity levels of team members.
Organizational governance structures.
Distribution of project teams (local vs. global).
Style Characteristics:
Direct: Hierarchical; the project manager makes all decisions.
Consultative: Leader considers opinions but makes the final decisions.
Servant Leadership: Leader focuses on growth and well-being, modeling desired behaviors.
Consensus/Collaborative: The team operates autonomously to reach decisions.
Situational: Style fluctuates based on the context and the maturity/experience of the team.
Leadership vs. Management
Leadership: Guiding the team through discussion and an exchange of ideas.
Management: Directing actions through a prescribed set of behaviors.
Project managers must adapt styles to stakeholders, use political awareness, and maintain emotional intelligence.
Principles of Servant Leadership
Facilitate rather than manage.
Provide coaching and training.
Remove work impediments.
Focus on accomplishments.
Encourage every team member to adopt a servant leader mindset.
Adopting a Growth Mindset
Let past experiences provide guidance but not dictate future actions.
Commit to continuous improvement and innovation.
Discovery of the best approach occurs through discussion and introspection.
Avoid complacency and blind acceptance of the status quo.
Team-Building and Development
Cohesion and solidarity are primary drivers of team performance.
Team-Building Activities: Used to build unity, trust, and empathy. Characteristics include:
Formal or informal.
Brief or extended duration.
Facilitated by the manager or a professional.
Tuckman Stages of Team Development
Developed by Dr. Bruce Tuckman, this model outlines five stages:
Forming: Team members meet and begin to build trust.
Storming: Team members assert themselves and take control of emerging issues.
Norming: Team begins working productively without worrying about personal acceptance or control.
Performing: Optimum productivity; the team collaborates easily, communicates freely, and solves its own conflicts.
Adjourning: Work is completed, and members shift to the next project or task.
Balancing Tone and Urgency
Tone: Fluid communication, positive interactions, and emphasis on project vision/value.
Urgency: Commitment to deliver value, accountability, and viewing the team as part of the strategic vision.
Virtual Team Best Practices
Management Focus: Focus on dynamics, transparency, and accountability.
Communication: Adapt videoconferencing tools; check for participation; assess body language and tone.
Visibility: Use tools like Kanban-style boards to make work status visible.
Risk Mitigation: Actively manage the risk of members "feeling isolated."
Collective Identity: Focus on shared commitments and team goals over individual accomplishments.
Topic B: Create a Collaborative Project Team Environment
Team Workspace and Information Management
Colocation: Physical proximity is considered best for team performance.
Environment: Factor in location and environment to support autonomy and meaningful interaction.
Ground Rules: Respect agreed-upon working hours and practices.
Agile Spaces: Hybrid teams should have private spaces for solitude and collaborative spaces for visibility and communication.
Project Data and Artifact Systems
Work Information Management Systems: Gather, integrate, and share data consistently (e.g., Microsoft Project).
Artifact Management Systems: Store and maintain project documents (e.g., SharePoint, Microsoft Teams, Google Drive).
Importance and Management of Artifacts
Artifacts allow for the reconstruction of project history and provide benefits to future projects.
Standardization:
Simple document production and control.
Standard formats and templates.
Structured review and approval processes.
Version control and security.
Timely distribution.
Tailoring Artifacts
Agile Artifacts: Project management plan, product roadmap, task boards, experiments, product backlog, sprint backlog.
Traditional Project Artifacts: Project charter, change requests, scope baseline, schedule baseline, cost baseline, subsidiary plans.
Configuration and Version Control
Configuration Management Plan: A component of the project management plan stating how project information is recorded and updated to ensure consistency.
Configuration Management System: The tool used to track artifacts and monitor changes.
Version Control: A subset of configuration management for documents. Requires:
New version number.
Date/time stamp.
Name of the user performing changes.
Topic C: Empower the Team
Emotional Intelligence and Communication Effectiveness
Google Researchers () found drivers of performance to be the group's average and high degrees of communication.
Empowerment leads to a sense of ownership, collaborative decision-making, and shared responsibility.
Goal: For teams to recognize their power and influence, solving problems to deliver value quickly.
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DE&I)
Respect individuals while empowering them as a cohesive unit.
Build trust by following organizational DE&I standards and supporting morale-building initiatives.
Psychological Safety
A critical psychosocial condition for high-performing teams.
Team members must feel comfortable being themselves.
Environment built on trust, mutual respect, and ethical decision-making.
Motivational Theories
Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs: Progression from Physiological -> Safety -> Belonging -> Esteem -> Self-Actualization.
Herzberg’s Motivation-Hygiene Theory: Also known as the Two-Factor Theory (Motivators vs. Hygiene Factors).
McGregor’s Theory X and Theory Y:
Theory X (Authoritarian): Workers avoid work, avoid responsibility, and need direction.
Theory Y (Participative): Workers want to be active, seek job satisfaction, and do not require direction.
McClelland’s Achievement Motivation Theory: Three dominant needs shaped by life experience: Achievement, Affiliation, and Power.
Uphold Team Charter and Ground Rules
Rules must be visible and updated as circumstances change.
Response to violations:
Remind members of mutual agreement.
Use coaching and servant leadership.
Reserve harsh disciplinary actions for severe violations.
Note: Any change to the team triggers a return to the "forming" stage.
Rewards and Recognition
Rewards: Tangible/consumable items for specific outcomes. Never reward without recognition.
Recognition: Intangible behaviors; acknowledge the person rather than just the outcome. Increases feelings of appreciation.
Caution: Monitor for negative effects like animosity or misplaced competitiveness.
Decision-Making Methods
Voting:
Unanimity: Everyone agrees (e.g., Delphi technique).
Majority: Support from > 50\% of the group (use uneven numbers to avoid ties).
Plurality: The largest block decides, even without a majority.
Consensus techniques: Fist of Five, Planning poker, Dot voting, Roman voting (thumbs), Polling.
Multicriteria Decision Analysis: Data-driven; uses a decision matrix (risk, valuation, uncertainty) to rank ideas systematically.
Autocratic: One team member decides for the group.
Task Accountability
Visibility: WBS dictionaries and work package descriptions assign tasks.
RACI Charts: Explicitly display roles and responsibilities.
Kanban Boards: Mockup columns include To Do, Doing (Buffer/Working), Review, and Done.
Topic D: Support Team Member Performance
Management by Objectives (MBO)
Uses clear, collaboratively set objectives.
Objectives should be challenging yet attainable.
Established at project start or at the beginning of an iteration.
Servant Leadership in Performance
Three steps: Define Vision -> Align People -> Motivate People.
Performance Assessment Tasks
Compare performance against goals.
Reclarify roles.
Deliver balanced feedback (positive and negative).
Establish future goals and training plans.
In Agile, self-organized teams regulate their own performance in safe environments.
Personality Indicators
Tools: Big Five (OCEAN), Myers-Briggs (MBTI), DISC.
Guidelines: Use as ice-breakers; always seek permission. Do not share personal information or make fixed judgments.
Psychological Team Roles: Results-oriented, Relationship-focused, Innovative/Disruptive, Process/Rule-followers, Pragmatic.
Five Components of Emotional Intelligence ()
Emotional self-awareness.
Self-regulation.
Motivation.
Empathy.
Social skills.
Emotional Intelligence Matrix
Recognition: Self-Awareness (Emotional awareness, Confidence) and Social Awareness (Empathy, Service Orientation).
Regulation: Self-Management (Self-control, Adaptability, Drive) and Relationship Management (Influence, Change Catalyst, Teamwork).
Empathy and Social Skills
Inward Empathy: Understanding others, service orientation.
Outward Empathy: Developing others, leveraging diversity, political awareness.
Social Skills: High-performing members excel at building bonds, catalyzing change, and managing conflict.
Motivation Elements
Achievement/Drive: Setting tough goals; upskilling.
Initiative: Seizing opportunities; inspiring through extraordinary feats.
Optimism: Hope to succeed; perceiving reversals as under one's own control.
Commitment: Sacrificing for company goals; acting based on core principles.
Topic E: Communicate and Collaborate with Stakeholders
Stakeholder Monitoring
Use Power/Interest or Power/Influence grids (e.g., Keep Satisfied, Manage Closely, Monitor, Keep Informed).
Rule: Never use names on power/influence grids.
Tailor management strategies to individuals.
Communications Management Plan Details
Contains processes for escalation and updating the plan.
Defines methods/technologies (emails, PMIS, websites).
Includes a glossary, workflows, and constraints.
Lists requirements: information type, reason, language, format, detail level, and frequency.
Effective Communication
Active Listening: Requires restating, paraphrasing, and non-verbal cues (nodding) to confirm understanding.
Feedback: Must be clear, specific, timely, and objective.
Failures: Communication failures are threats; discuss them in retrospectives.
Collaboration and Information Radiators
Information Radiators: Kanban boards, wikis, and fishbowl windows provide accountability and promote responsibility.
Activities: Daily stand-ups, face-to-face working, milestone reviews, pairing, and negotiations.
Negotiation: View as conversations aimed at consensus; keep them positive.
Topic F: Training, Coaching, and Mentoring
Knowledge-Sharing Culture
Knowledge is treated as an asset.
Essential for product delivery and transition planning.
Roles like Agile Coaches or Scrum Masters are dedicated to this effort.
Definitions
Training: Learning skills for the present (upskilling). Can be instructor-led, virtual, or on-the-job.
Coaching: Learning how to apply or improve skills; puts learning into practice.
Mentoring: Long-term relationship for personal/professional growth between novice and expert.
Implementation Strategies
Gap Analysis: Identify required vs. current skill sets.
Planning: Schedule training close to implementation; consider certifications.
Cost-Benefit Analysis: Use to determine value, such as savings from replacing outsourced labor.
Agile Coaching Levels:
Iteration Beginning: Whole-team coaching during planning.
Iteration Midpoint: Pauses for individual or whole-team coaching.
Iteration End: Whole-team coaching during retrospectives.
Measuring Outcomes
Use post-training assessments and observation of skill improvement.
Document certifications/badges.
If outcomes are not achieved, record in lessons learned to investigate causes.
Topic G: Manage Conflict
Importance of Conflict Management
Ineffective: Leads to destructive behavior, animosity, and poor performance.
Effective: Leads to improved understanding, higher productivity, and better performance.
Causes and Context
Competition and differences in objectives/values.
Role disagreements and communication breakdowns.
Unique project nature (teams that haven't worked together before).
Speed B. Leas Levels of Conflict ()
Level 1: A Problem to Solve: Task-oriented; resolution is possible.
Level 2: Disagreement: Issues begin to intensify.
Level 3: Contest: Focus on winning the argument.
Level 4: Fight/Flight: Move away from issues toward personal attacks.
Level 5: Intractable Situation: Loss of focus on the original issue; relationship-oriented orientation.
Conflict Management Approaches
Smooth/Accommodate: Emphasize agreement; concede to maintain harmony.
Withdraw/Avoid: Retreat from situation; postpone issue.
Compromise/Reconcile: Incorporate multiple viewpoints; reach consensus.
Force/Direct: Pursue your viewpoint at others' expense; win/lose solutions.
Collaborate/Problem Solve: Search for consensus through open dialogue. Uses Root Cause Analysis (e.g., 5 Whys Method).
Questions & Discussion
Team-Building: Can you share an example of a positive team-building experience?
Theory X/Y: Theory X managers are often called ‘old-fashioned,’ but can you think of a modern context in which this management style is helpful?
Team Decision-Making: Can you think of other challenges that can be addressed by team decision-making?
Formal Communication: Can you think of examples of formal reporting at milestones?
Training/Mentoring Experience: Have you ever had a valuable trainer, coach, or mentor? Why were they effective? Would people think you are a valuable trainer, coach, or mentor? Why?