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Creating Teams With Improper Skills - Project Management Mistake # 3
August 13, 2008 | Author: PM Hut | Filed under: Team Building
Creating Teams With Improper Skills - Project Management Mistake # 3 (#3 in the series 15 Deadly Project Management Mistakes Government Agencies Make Which Cost Them Revenue, Time & Efficiency)
By Keith Mathis - PM Expert Live
Have you ever been on a project team which was ineffective or did not possess the proper skills for running the project in a timely fashion? This can be very frustrating to the project team as well as the customer and can damage the progress and confidence in project planning. How does something like this happen? What do we do when we have project teams with improper skills? All of these questions are very important and must be examined in order to make the project advance in an effective manner.
Reasons for teams with improper skills
There can be several reasons why a project team does not have the skills needed to complete a project. In most cases, a project team will possess 80% of the skills and will need to bridge the gap for the remaining 20%. This gap can be bridged with the usage of other experienced team members, outside contractors, or internal training to provide skills to the project team.
The first reason why teams have improper skills is the project requirements have changed but the team has stayed the same. Some projects evolve and change objectives while being completed. This requires changes of skills and core competencies within the project team in order to handle this type of evolution.
The second reason why teams have improper skills is due to a lack of project management training. Many project teams have basic skills for running a project, but over time they become lazy and allow those skills to become cold or dormant. This means that they must be reminded in team meetings and with updated training.
The third reason why teams have improper skills is because the team has never possessed the skill in the first place. They try to use knowledge others possess. Some project teams are doing the best they can with a calendar and excel sheets. They have never been taught a proper way of running a project so they revert back to the skills that they know. This makes it very difficult for a project team to monitor one another because there are numerous systems being used to track and calculate project success.
It is very important for project teams to keep their skill levels strong and effective. This can be done very easily through the usage of training in short intervals at the end of project meetings. In many cases, the training will need to only be 15 to 30 minutes in length to keep the skills fresh and to build new techniques into your project. Our clients have enjoyed our free monthly e-zine which reinforces these skills. Each month a different skill is the focus.
Dr. Keith Mathis, founder and CEO of The Mathis Group, specializes in Project Management, Management Leadership, and Marketing training for private businesses and government agencies of all kinds. He offers 33 Project Management courses, is a Project Management Professional, is certified by the Project Management Institute and will customize every training session to your individual company’s needs. The Mathis Group also sponsors www.pmexpertlive.com, which is a powerful project management resource with free reports, podcasts, videos, and a monthly newsletter. He also offers customized management training and coaching on any subject with prolific communication and professionalism.
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