Project Planning in Teams

Project Planning in Teams

Elizabeth Sanchez

Introduction

Project planning in teams is an integral constituent of team dynamics. When a team has been already formed it is time for it to start working on a project in order to reach the goals of the team or company in a whole. It is necessary to keep in mind two peculiarities about team projects. The first peculiarity is that all projects no matter what their goals are need to be carefully planned and structured before the implementation. And the second peculiarity is that the given projects will be performed not by an individual but a group of individuals, which may result in a certain conflict of interests or other problems, which may be encountered while working with a group of people.

People have been working in teams for centuries accomplishing various tasks very successfully. However, only recently scientific researches have been conducted on the matter of teams, teams’ performance and effectiveness and the accomplishment of new projects by so-called high performance teams. Results of scientific researches have proved that a team is clearly distinguished from a simple group of people by means of certain characteristic features. Also, it has been found that working in teams allows people to fulfill certain projects faster and more effectively, however, it is only possible when the new projects have been carefully planned and structured in advance.

The main goal of designing current study is to examine the process of project planning in teams as one of important aspects of team dynamics. The paper will focus on the elements of project planning, such as setting the goals, distributing responsibilities, surmounting obstacles and others. Advantages and disadvantages of working in teams will be analyzed further in the study, as well as evaluation of performance of teams as compared to groups of people and individuals.

Project Planning in Teams

Before analyzing the process of project planning in teams it is necessary to identify the differences between such terms as a group of people and a team. A group is a number of people (members) that are treated as one unit, while a team is a group of people who work together with a common goal and perform certain functions for the benefit of every member. There are special types of a team, known as high-performance teams, which are “groups of people that achieve a quantum leap in performance in less than a year” [1]. In order to build up a team, it is necessary to set the goals for the team and define the boundaries within which a team will be working. The key elements that are necessary for the creation of any team include several individuals willing to participate in team’s activities, common purposes, time, financial resources and efforts from the side of every member. Also, all members of a team should posses a common vision and to be focused on the same objectives.