Establishing Team Performance Plan - Term Paper Example

ENSURE TEAM EFFECTIVENESS By Course Professor University Date ENSURE TEAM EFFECTIVENESS Establish Team Performance Plan 1.1 Consultation with Team Members The members of the team have to arrive at a conclusion on the purpose of the team. These consultations with the team members also help in allocation of roles to each member of the team by taking into account the organizational goals. Dependence and guidance of the team leaders on the IT project is essential at this stage of the group because some team members are unclear about the team’s purpose and external relationships. The purpose of the team is to deliver an IT project to the company. The specific goals include delivering the IT project within one year, enhancing the performance of the team while at the same time delivering the project. Through the delivery of the project, it is expected that the developing company will realize its organizational goals. According to Nelson and Quick (2012), it is important for the team members to understand the purpose of the group so that they can work towards achieving this purpose. It is the role of the team members to make members feel part of the team so that the purpose of the team to deliver the IT project is realized. 1.2 Performance Plan The performance plan for the team includes competencies, expected outcomes as well as performance indicators. Members of the team will be expected to demonstrate flexibility as well as independent thinking which will result to working and acting independently but on behalf of the team to ensure that team goals are realized. Moreover, the members are expected to take responsibility and perform their roles an continually improve their performance. The members are also expected to demonstrate ethics while performing all activities that are aimed at achieving the goals of the group. Furthermore, the team leader is also expected to help the team members establish working relationships among themselves. The expected outcome of the team is that the overall purpose of the group. The other expected outcome is that each member will show commitment towards the achievement of the goal of the team. Pride, Hughes and Kapoor (2012) it is necessary to establish expected outcomes of a group to ensure that all the team members are aware and do not deviate from the outcomes. The performance indicators for this team include sticking to the timelines for the delivery of the IT project and team cohesiveness. The team leader should emphasize the outcomes as well as performance indicators often as this will result to improved team and individual performance. Develop and Facilitate Team Cohesion 2.1 Strategies to ensure input of Members Team cohesiveness is relative to the effectiveness of the team as this will lead to the realization of the purpose of the team. The first strategy that will be used to enhance the cohesiveness of the team is open communication. The members will be encouraged to air their views on all aspects that affect the group and this will also be taken into account by the team leader. Moreover, the team leader will also promote team cohesiveness by promoting trust among the group members. Additionally, the input of the members in the project will also be required when solving conflicts to ensure that conflicts do not escalate. Conflicts affect the achievement of the overall purpose of the group to deliver the IT project within the required timeline. The leader must demonstrate effective leadership and resolve the conflict in a manner that suits all parties conflicting in the team. Additionally, before any decision that affects the activities of the group is taken, the team leader will consult the members to ensure that the conclusive decision reflects the views of the members. The team should be structured in a manner that maximizes participative decision making so as to enhance the input of all members in the team. According to Kozlowski (2006), involving the entire team in decision-making allows the team to ‘own’ the decision and to take charge of the outcomes that result from the decision. 2.2 Policies and Procedures to ensure that Team Members take Responsibility The effective relationship of team members is the foundation for the realization for the goal of delivering the IT project. However, the supportive relationship of team members is not easy to create for the team leader but with the creation proper policies as well as procedures each team member can take responsibility. The first policy and procedure that will be used in the case of this group is to ensure that each team member is qualified to perform the role they are allocated. If any of the team members does not meet the qualifications for a certain role, then training will be accorded to them. This way, it is expected that each team member will take full responsibility for their roles and ensure that they work towards achieving the goals of the team. The other policy and procedure that will be used to ensure that members take responsibility is to encourage the members to communicate the issues that affect them directly to the leader; this way the leader can come up with ways of solving the issue or identifying the team members that can help. 2.3 Provide Feedback Morgeson, DeRue and Karam (2010, p.18) recognize that the provision of feedback to the team members is essential for the realization of the purpose of the team. Moreover, feedback is essential for the functioning of the team and the team leader should seek to constantly provide feedback to the team so that the members can assess the past activities of the team and where they currently stand. In the case of the delivering an IT project for a developing company, the team leader will use various methods to provide feedback to the team. For example, the members that will perform their roles exceptionally will be rewarded and encouraged towards enhancing their performance for the betterment of the team. Moreover, feedback will also be provided to members that are not performing their roles well so that the leader can identify ways to help them. The leader will also provide feedback to the team by reminding them of the purpose of the group and the how the group is faring in terms of key performance indicators. 2.4 Procedure to Identify and Address Issues The first strategy that will be used to identify and address issues in the group is implementing team building activities and mentoring strategies for less skilled members. This will help the team leader identify the weak team members and come up with strategies to address the issue. The other procedure to be used is the identification of values that drive team members so that these values can be used to address issues that arise within the group. The other procedure to be used is addressing issues that emerge both within the group and also with individuals (Nelson and Quick, 2012). It is expected that this procedures will help the group leader identify and address the issues that come up within the group. Facilitate Teamwork 3.1 Encouraging Team Members In facilitating teamwork, the participation of every team member is required; this will ensure the achievement of the team objectives. It is true that not everyone was born a leader but leaders can be made, thus a leader should be one that seeks to enlighten his team members on various leadership skills. Consequently this will encourage members to be confident. A leader should aim at integrating members in to the group and ensure sharing of every role however small it may seem, in return this will lead to the reduction of curiosity among team members   as they will be free to interact with each other. Clear and defined goals are key to any team; this ensures focus in every team member and ac6ts as a driving force behind their hard work. Correspondingly, a team should have an able leader whom they should look up to as well as emulate; therefore any leader should lead by example. In the long run, all these aspects ultimately enhance the communication process among, for they will discuss openly 3.2 Resolving Work Related Problems Team work can also be facilitated by identifying as well as resolving problems that are related to the work performance of the problems. Resolving work related problems is aimed at improving the productivity of the members for overall benefit of the team. The methods that will be used to solve work related issues in the IT project include team meeting and quality circles. Team meetings will focus on the will be used to focus or work operations of the team; the meetings will be used to remind the employees of their roles in the group and how they are working within the performance indicators of the group. Quality circles to put employees who focus on a particular task in the IT project together so that they can devise resolutions to issues that affect the and this will facilitate team work. 3.3 Contribution of Team towards Enhancing Organizational Image If the IT project team delivers the project to the developing organization within the timeline this will not only enhance the organization’ s image but also strengthen the relationship with stakeholders. The team will be able to build a customer-relationship with the client and this will enhance the employee stay at the organization. A culture of team work will develop around the organization due to the IT project and this will attract potential customers. Attitudes towards the firm will also be affected and this will secure the company more projects (West, Tjosvold and Smith, 2008). Liaise with Stakeholders 4.1 Communication with Stakeholders Kliem (2007), notes that it is important to maintain open and effective with stakeholders of a project because they will also determine the success of the project. The stakeholders of the IT project in this case include the developing company, the team members delivering the project as well as the IT organization facilitating the entire process. These stakeholders will be involved in all the stages of the project. For example, the developing company will be constantly informed about the progress of the project. Moreover, the team members will also be informed on how they are faring relative to the performance indicators of the projects. The IT organization facilitating the entire process will also be involved in communication activities since in case of any additional resources required, the IT organization will be required to provide them. 4.2 Communication Information from Line Manager The role of the line manager in a project is to work with the team leader to ensure that the resources required to deliver the project are available. The line manager is often an individual with expertise on the project being delivered. The line manager has the right to raise any issues he or she may have about the project and work with the team leader to address the issues (Kerzner, 2009). The team leader in this project has to communicate the information from the line manager to other members of the team to ensure that they are aware of the line managers concerns or applause of the project. 4.3 Communication of Unresolved Issues As a team progresses from one stage to another, team members will often identify issues and some of these issues may remain unresolved. However, it is important that at advanced stages of the team, the leader has to find mechanisms to address the issues and if these issues require the participation of the management, then the leader should follow-up with the management through the line manager. For example, some team members may find it hard to deliver within the timeline because of the lack of resources; this issue has to be communicated to the management for corrective measures to be taken. 4.4 Evaluation of Unresolved Issues When a group is cohesive, members have the potential to experience maximum growth because they are committed to themselves as well as the team. However, this commitment can be hindered by unresolved issues within the team. The unresolved issues within the group may include clique within the group, unacknowledged conflict and irregular meeting. If these unresolved issues are not addressed, the group may not realize the goals of delivering the IT project within the timeline. The process of addressing these issues within the group involves clarification of the issues with the relevant stakeholders; the stakeholders will help the team leader come up with strategies to address the unresolved issues. Clients Check list Requirements Identification of the website Is the developing company identified? Are the contact details of the company included? Is the copyright statement included? Are feedback links provided for the client? Are the relevant legal disclaimers included? Are the channels for complaints identified? Does the design of the website represent the identity of the developing company? Do the screen size, shape as well as resolution meet the client requirements? Are the search facilities required by the clients provided? Do the images that appear in the website meet the web requirement for 216 colors? Does the website meet the navigation requirements for the company? Does the design of the website provide clear pathways for each page? How appropriate are the file formats in the website? How fast is the access speed for the files? Are the guidelines for web access such as the W3C met? Do search engines such as Google find the documentations in the website? How is the ease of navigation in the website? Does the screen display meet the client requirements? Sign Off Document Name Position Signature Date IT Team Leader Project Manager Line Manager Company Representative 1 Company Representative 2 Client Company Name Website Questionnaire Thank for your interest on the enquiry about your website design. We would like to fill out the questionnaire below to the best of your knowledge so that we can facilitate the process in the require manner. Please note that your answers need to be precise but they should capture the relevant information. 1. What would you be providing to your website visitors? 2. Who do you target as your web audience? 3. What would you like to be the headline of your website? 4. Who are your main competitors and what do you like or dislike about their websites? 5. What phrases or keywords are likely to be captured by your web audience? 6. How would you like us to name your website? 7. Do you intend to purchase a domain name or you already have one for your website? 8. What is your business number because we will need this to register your website? 9. Please provide use with your permanent company address 10. How would you like the menu of your website to be arranged? 11. For each item of the menu, provide at least a paragraph of the description? 12. What are the contacts that your web audience can use to reach you? 13. Do you require your web audience to fill out contact forms? 14. Please share with us how you would like you website to look? Please feel free to share and recommend other websites that you like. 15. Which color do you prefer most? Please note that this color will be dominant in your website? 16. What color would you like us to us for purposes of you company logo? 17. What are the usability requirements for your website? 18. Are there any special navigability and usability requirements that you would like us to take into account in your website? 19. What would you like as the timeline of your website? 20. What would be the header of your website? 21. What links will be included in the header of your website? 22. What information would you like to include in the footer of your website? 23. Will you include any subscription information you would like to include in your website? 24. Would you like to use online payments for your website? 25. Will you make sales through your website? 26. How many of your company products do you expect to sale through your website? 27. How do you expect to ship the products that are purchased through your website? 28. Would you like to include an order tracking system in your website? 29. Do you expect to offer any discounts on products purchased through your website? 30. What are the functional requirements for your website? What links will you like use to include for you social media accounts? 31. Will you require any image galleries in your website? 32. What do see as the future website requirements for your website? 33. Please share with use information about the staff that will administer the website once it is complete? Bibliography DeRue, D., Barnes, C., and Morgeson, F. (2010). Understanding the Motivational Contingencies of Team Leadership. Small Group Research, 41(5), 621-651. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/1046496410373808 Kerzner, H. (2009). Project management. Hoboken, N.J.: John Wiley and Sons. Kliem, R. (2008). Effective communications for project management. Boca Raton: Auerbach Publications. Kozlowski, S., and Ilgen, D. (2006). Enhancing the Effectiveness of Work Groups and Teams. Psych Science Public Interest, 7(3), 77-124. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1529-1006.2006.00030.x Nelson, D., and Quick, J. (2013). Organizational behavior. Mason, Ohio: South-Western. Pride, W., Hughes, R., and Kapoor, J. (2014). Business. Mason, Ohio: South-Western Cengage Learning. Tjosvold, D., West, M. and Smith, K. (2008). Teamwork and Cooperation: Fundamentals of Organizational Effectiveness. International Handbook of Organizational Teamwork and Cooperative Working, pp.3-8. West, M., Tjosvold, D., and Smith, K. (2008). International handbook of organizational teamwork and cooperative working (2nd ed.). Chichester, West Sussex: Wiley. Read More