Integrated Solutions - Building A Team That Gets... -
[Cached Version]
Published on: 2/21/2001
Last Visited: 4/9/2006
"If you have too many people on a team or in duplicate roles," says solutions provider Peter Nirenberg, president of Image Architects (New York), "you are not going to add anything more than additional communication issues.It's just another person who needs to be involved in the decision making provess."Nirenberg's $6 million company resells imaging solutions in the banking, insurance and government markets. Include employees from every facet of the company.
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Eaton, de Senna and Nirenberg all agree this can often do more harm than good.
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A social get-together can be a great way for these teams and the project manager to put faces with names before they start working, says Nirenberg."It's much easier to get help from somebody you've already had a beer with," he laughs.
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Nirenberg says project managers often work behind the scenes.They deal with people up and down the chain of command.
Team leaders function similarly to a non-commissioned officer, responsible for the up-close actions of the soldiers, or regular employees.These people have firsthand knowledge of a specific segment of the project, whether it is providing a storage solution or installing new accounting software.Team leaders are responsible for the actual nuts and bolts, says Nirenberg, but also the little things that make a difference to the team."Team leaders have to make sure that the really great systems programmer wants to work for the company again.This could mean making sure team members have a safe way home if they work late, or having the authority to order pizza."
A project could have a tough time succeeding if the colonel and the sergeant major don't have the proper skills to carry out the plans."Project managers and team leaders both want to make sure the team members are willing to work with the company in the future," Nirenberg adds.
Make Sure Your Leader Is A Leader
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According to Nirenberg, a project manager must have patience and be very detail-oriented."Patience truly is a virtue with project managers, because nothing ever happens quickly," he says.