|
Tips for Team Members
 In Selecting Team Members,
Do Not Assume
The most important success factor for any team is the selection of the right team members. There are various ways to do this:
- Functional managers select team members
- The project manager requests certain people for the team
- Volunteers from the organization are recruited to be on the team
- Through a competitive process, external to the organization, team members are hired
Each approach has its pros and cons, but one factor should always be paramount. Selection of the right team member should be based on the specific skills and knowledge required to do the tasks necessary for successful completion of the project.
Do not assume that a person is a good fit simply because s/he has filled a position for a period of time. When choosing team members, look beyond the functional structure and grouping of people. Using criteria such as numbers of years of experience can provide a false sense of security and expectation of knowledge.
Do not assume that the people who have the necessary skills and knowledge in a specific discipline are only located in the functional group, whether the field be IT, finance, engineering, marketing or something else.
A simple point to remember is that less than 50 percent of people in an organization are utilizing their skills to the maximum. Look beyond the position that people are presently filling and keep an updated record of employees that lists all of their skills, knowledge and proven experience.
Do not assume that members referred to you by a functional manager – someone in charge of IT, finance, etc. – have the same priorities or motivation as you do. Unfortunately, some managers will deposit their less productive people on project teams. This occurs unless priority is established for all projects and people are held accountable.
Bottom line: as a project manager, your most critical foundational task is selecting the right people for your team. Be selfish, be assertive and be clear about who you need and why you need them.
 Brian King, P. Eng., PMP, is president of Millennium 3 Inc. Training and Consulting , which is driven to help businesses, government and associations improve productivity in leadership and organizational development. In January 2008 he was appointed CEO and president of LEI – Lafleche Environmental Inc . He is a PMI Global Registered Education Provider and was a PMI SeminarsWorld® 2007 instructor. He welcomes your questions or comments on this tip.
|
