Project implementation and closure

Individual Assignment

Sec D

Name ID No

Habtamu Desalegn MAPM (1) 267/14

Submitted to DR. Abirham

Submission date Nov 29 2022

Contents
1, what are the stages in team development model. Discuss the process, problems, and level of
productivity of each, due to the passage of time. ........................................................................................ 2
2, what are some common barriers to team effectiveness? Think of a team project on which you have
worked. Discuss any barriers to success. ...................................................................................................... 3
3, Describe three activities that facilitate the process of team building. Must the project manager initiate
all of these? ................................................................................................................................................... 6
4, Discuss some types of conflict that might arise during a project implementation. Describe two
situations in which you have experienced these types of conflict. .............................................................. 6
5. In your opinion, what is the greatest benefit of having good communication between the project team
and project stakeholders? Why? .................................................................................................................. 8
6. How can a project manager help to prevent a project from being terminated early? ............................ 8
References .................................................................................................................................................. 12
1, what are the stages in team development model. Discuss the process,
problems, and level of productivity of each, due to the passage of time.
The 5 stages of team development

The five stages of team development are:

Forming

Storming

Norming

Performing

Adjourning

This team development framework, according to Tuckman, progresses in a natural and fluid manner,
each stage building on the one that preceded it and sometimes—as explained in more detail below—
reverting back to a previous stage before moving forward.

1. Forming

The forming stage of team development is punctuated by excitement and anticipation. Group members
are on high alert, each wanting to put their best foot forward while, at the same time, sizing up each
other’s strengths and weaknesses.

2. Storming

All that polite, deferential behavior that dominated the forming stage starts to fall by the wayside in the
storming stage. Storming is where the metaphorical gloves come off, and some team members clash
personally, professionally, or both. One team member might take offense at another’s communication
style. Work habits might be at odds, and perceptions about who is contributing what—and who might
be left holding the bag—begin to surface. Members might start to question team processes. They also
might form cliques. The result is likely to interfere with team performance and stall the team’s progress.

3. Norming

You will know your team has entered the norming stage when small conflicts occur less frequently and
team members find ways to work together despite differences. Each person begins to recognize how
their fellow team members contribute to the group, and that perspective—combined with a
recommitment to the team’s objectives—helps establish work patterns and accepted performance
markers.

4. Performing
The relationships and interdependencies formed during storming and norming pay off in the performing
stage. By now, team members have honed their conflict-resolution abilities and spend less time focused
on interpersonal dynamics and more on team effectiveness. This is where surges in creative problem-
solving and idea generation occur. The lines between individual performance and team success blur as
the team works to deliver results.

5. Adjourning

Often, the adjourning stage brings up bittersweet feelings, as team members go about the business of
concluding the group’s functions. They start to focus on the details of completing any deliverables,
finalizing documentation, and meeting reporting requirements. They might start looking toward their
next assignments, leaving little energy or enthusiasm for finishing the tasks at hand.

Management can help the team navigate through the adjourning phase by acknowledging the team’s
accomplishments and recognizing the difficulties that come with tackling all the loose ends.

2, what are some common barriers to team effectiveness? Think of a team

project on which you have worked. Discuss any barriers to success.
What are barriers to teamwork?

Barriers to teamwork are obstacles that make it challenging for groups of professionals to collaborate
and achieve their shared objectives. Collaboration typically requires team members to have healthy
professional relationships with one another, agree upon goals, take responsibility for their respective
duties and work together to problem-solve when faced with roadblocks.

There are various barriers that teams may face when working together. Here are 11 of the most
common impediments to teamwork that groups of professionals face, including strategies for
overcoming them:

1. Ineffective leadership

For teams to work together effectively, they need leaders who can guide them, offer their insight and
encourage collaboration on a consistent basis. Therefore, ineffective leadership can result in teams
feeling disconnected and unmotivated, which can greatly impact their ability to work together. Leaders
can take charge of such situations by offering more opportunities for teamwork, helping team members
develop their skills and finding ways to incentivize successful collaboration.

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Successful collaboration can allow teams to produce innovative solutions to complex problems and work
efficiently toward shared goals. While collaboration is often highly valued in workplaces across industry
lines, creating a cohesive team environment in which professionals can effectively work together is
sometimes challenging. If you're a professional seeking to improve your team's attempts at
collaboration, it may be helpful to consider what barriers to teamwork might be affecting your workflow.

Barriers to teamwork are obstacles that make it challenging for groups of professionals to collaborate
and achieve their shared objectives. Collaboration typically requires team members to have healthy
professional relationships with one another, agree upon goals, take responsibility for their respective
duties and work together to problem-solve when faced with roadblocks.

Without these essential elements, teams often experience barriers that make their attempts at
collaboration unsuccessful. Fortunately, through acknowledging these barriers and understanding how
to overcome them, teams can work together more effectively to produce high-quality work.

There are various barriers that teams may face when working together. Here are 11 of the most
common impediments to teamwork that groups of professionals face, including strategies for
overcoming them:

1. Ineffective leadership

For teams to work together effectively, they need leaders who can guide them, offer their insight and
encourage collaboration on a consistent basis. Therefore, ineffective leadership can result in teams
feeling disconnected and unmotivated, which can greatly impact their ability to work together. Leaders
can take charge of such situations by offering more opportunities for teamwork, helping team members
develop their skills and finding ways to incentivize successful collaboration.

2. Goal confusion

Successful collaboration often begins with the establishment of shared goals that team members can
work toward together. With this, teams may experience challenges if they don't fully understand the
objectives of their work or agree upon them. To overcome goal confusion, teams can establish a
standardized protocol for setting goals, analyzing them and outlining workflow to achieve them
efficiently.

3. Communication gaps

Working alongside other team members requires professionals to have strong communication skills that
allow them to connect with colleagues, explain their perspectives, listen to others and relay
expectations. Communication gaps can result in team members lacking clarity about expectations and
their responsibilities. Teams can work deliberately toward honing their communication skills to fill these
gaps and collaborate more effectively.

4. Lack of trust
To work together toward a set of shared goals, professionals on a team often need to trust one another
and develop respectful relationships through which they have confidence in each other's abilities.
Without trust, team members may not feel comfortable offering feedback or sharing their perspectives
throughout collaborative activities. Even more, a lack of trust can result in miscommunication and
conflict that may further impede teamwork. Professionals can more effectively foster trustful
relationships through team-building exercises and regular opportunities for collaboration.

5. Inequitable decision-making

In a team environment, it's common for a single team member to assume more responsibility than
others and dominate decision-making duties. This inequitable environment is often a result of certain
team members being more extroverted, having more advanced abilities or tending toward an
independent work style. With this, though, team members who are more introverted and tend toward a
collaborative work style may start to contribute less if they believe that their ideas aren't worthwhile.
Teams can overcome inequitable decision-making processes by democratizing workflow and ensuring all
team members can offer input equally.

6. Team size

Small teams—those that consist of three to six professionals—often collaborate more efficiently than
larger teams. This is because smaller groups usually have more opportunities to interact with one
another, develop healthy relationships and share responsibilities equally. With this, when a team is too
large, members may experience challenges with sharing duties and understanding what role to play. To
avoid barriers from group size, leaders can set a limit on the number of professionals assigned to each
team and ensure all members understand their respective purposes.

7. Accountability issues

Some teams face challenges with accountability, especially in cases where certain team members
regularly underperform and refuse to take responsibility for how their actions affect a team's progress.

8. Poor conflict resolution skills

While teams may face conflict as they work collaboratively toward shared goals, it's important that
professionals know how to find resolutions and move forward together.

9. Workflow mismanagement

Some teams find it challenging to progress past the point of defining goals and understanding the tasks
they need to complete to reach such goals. To work together effectively, teams need knowledge of how
their workflow is to operate and what role each team member can play in acc

10. Physical separation

With advances in technology over the past few decades, many teams work remotely. This type of
physical separation can make teamwork a complex venture as professionals aren't in proximity to one
another and often must be more purposeful with their communication than otherwise. omplishing a
shared goal.

11. Lack of incentives

Some professionals find it easier to work on their tasks independently than in a full-group environment.
Despite this, there are major benefits that organizations can enjoy through collaborative work.

3, Describe three activities that facilitate the process of team building.

Must the project manager initiate all of these?
Communication: Most team-building activities require thoughtful communication to win the game or
solve the problem. Your employees will transfer the communication skills they develop during the team-
building activity to their professional relationships.

Motivation: Participation in team-building activities allows your employees an opportunity to try

something new and refresh their motivation for work.

Creativity: Some team-building activities require creative thinking to solve problems. The more
frequently your employees engage in creative thinking, the more easily they can apply creative solutions
to company challenges.

4, Discuss some types of conflict that might arise during a project

implementation. Describe two situations in which you have experienced
these types of conflict.

Task Conflict

The first of the three types of conflict in the workplace, task conflict, often involves concrete issues
related to employees’ work assignments and can include disputes about how to divide up resources,
differences of opinion on procedures and policies, managing expectations at work, and judgments and
interpretation of facts.

Of the three types of conflict discussed here, task conflict may appear to be the simplest to resolve. But
task conflict often turns out to have deeper roots and more complexity that it appears to have at first
glance. For example, coworkers who are arguing about which one of them should go to an out-of-town
conference may have a deeper conflict based on a sense of rivalry.

Task conflict often benefits from the intervention of an organization’s leaders. Serving as de facto
mediators, managers can focus on identifying the deeper interests underlying parties’ positions. This can
be done through active listening, which involves asking questions, repeating back what you hear to
confirm your understanding, and asking even deeper questions aimed at probing for deeper concerns.
Try to engage the parties in a collaborative problem-solving process in which they brainstorm possible
solutions. When parties develop solutions together, rather than having an outcome imposed on them,
they are more likely to abide by the agreement and get along better in the future.

Relationship Conflict

The second of our three types of conflict, relationship conflict, arises from differences in personality,
style, matters of taste, and even conflict styles. In organizations, people who would not ordinarily meet
in real life are often thrown together and must try to get along. It’s no surprise, then, that relationship
conflict can be common in organizations.

Suppose you’ve felt a long-simmering tension with a colleague, whether over work assignments,
personality differences, or some other issue. Before turning to a manager, you might invite the
colleague out to lunch and try to get to know him or her better. Discovering things you have in
common—whether a tie to the same city, children the same age, or shared concerns about problems in
your organization—may help bring you together.

If you feel comfortable, bring up the source of the tension and focus on listening to the other person’s
point of view. Resist the urge to argue or defend your position. When you demonstrate empathy and
interest, he or she is likely to reciprocate. If the conflict persists or worsens, enlist the help of a manager
in resolving your differences.

Value Conflict

The last of our three types of conflict, value conflict, can arise from fundamental differences in identities
and values, which can include differences in politics, religion, ethics, norms, and other deeply held
beliefs. Although discussion of politics and religion is often taboo in organizations, disputes about values
can arise in the context of work decisions and policies, such as whether to implement an affirmative
action program or whether to take on a client with ties to a corrupt government.

According to MIT professor Lawrence Susskind, disputes involving values tend to heighten defensiveness,
distrust, and alienation. Parties can feel so strongly about standing by their values that they reject trades
that would satisfy other interests they might have.

Susskind recommends that instead of seeking to resolve a values-based dispute, we aim to move
beyond demonization toward mutual understanding and respect through dialogue. Aim for a cognitive
understanding in which you and your coworker reach an accurate conceptualization of one another’s
point of view. This type of understanding doesn’t require sympathy or emotional connection, only a
“values-neutral” ability to describe accurately what someone else believes about the situation, write
Robert Mnookin, Scott R. Peppet, and Andrew S. Tulumello in Beyond Winning: Negotiating to Create
Value in Deals and Disputes (Harvard University Press, 2004).

In addition, you may be able to reframe a values-based dispute “by appealing to other values that you
and your counterpart share,” writes Susskind in an article in the Negotiation Briefings newsletter,
“including universal beliefs such as equal rights or nonviolence, rather than focusing on the differences
in beliefs that precipitated the dispute.”

5. In your opinion, what is the greatest benefit of having good

communication between the project team and project stakeholders? Why?
The greatest benefit, in my opinion, of having good communication between project team and project
stakeholders is the improved mutual understanding of overall project status at any point and having
effective measures in place to improve success chances as well. In order to successfully communicate
the right project information to the right stakeholders, in the right format, at the right time, several
things must happen. First, all of the information required to develop the project communications
management plan should be obtained and assessed. Additionally, when the project is under way, the
project manager and team needs to determine any additional information that is not already uncovered,
establish an information retrieval and distribution system, collect information on executed work and
work in progress, and then report progress to all stakeholders.

Since the stakeholders are the ones influencing the project flow, it is imperative to specifically
understand the point of their concern and circle of influence. When there is a good communication
strategy between project team and project stakeholders, the overall lead time between transfer of
information is drastically reduced and there is much more clarity to pain points, which are hindering the
project success chances. A good communication also ensures that counter opinions are voiced and
heard, this helps in the growth of project team and provides stakeholders with alternative point of view.
This creates an opportunity to act in agile fashion, if needed, to alleviate any concerns and brings the
team together to work cohesively for better solutions. A good communication strategy also ensures that
only required information is shared with appropriate stakeholders, thereby avoiding any conflicts that
may arise due to oversharing. It helps in maintaining overall balance between stakeholders and project
team, promotes collaborative culture, brings in new ideas in a clearer voice and therefore maintains a
collectively held clean mirror of the project status at any given points.

6. How can a project manager help to prevent a project from being

terminated early?
Top Project Management Techniques to Avoid Project Failure

This article describes some project management techniques to avoid project failure. If there are no
proper techniques of project management then surely it will result in the project failure. Project
managers should know how to overcome project failure and need to adopt efficient and effective
methods for the same. So, here we have listed some ways of reducing project failure.

1. Adopt the Proactive Approach

Project managers get the skills and knowledge for the ongoing project from their past experience after
working for many years. An experienced and highly skilled project manager has all the capabilities to
handle the customers and knows how to avoid project failure.

If you have just started project management then there should be an experienced mentor with you so
that you can discuss your problems and you can get proper suggestions from his experience. If you are
experienced in project management, you should use your skills and knowledge into the project and you
will be aware of the common reasons for the project failure.

Here are some best opportunities that you can adapt to do your project planning with the proactive
approach:

Inappropriate skills and insufficient manpower can result in huge loss and delay in deliverables

Poor communication, inappropriate work planning, and improper risk management can lead to the
project failure

Never be rushed to start the project on the assumption that you can deliver it earlier. Even it can result
in errors, rework and omissions.

Emphasize the importance of properly initiating the project which is the most critical to the project’s
success.

You must recognize the point of time when your project is unrecoverable

Use a proper development methodology for your project development.

2. Plan Project’s Strategy and Project’s Implementation

Planning is the most important stage of all the projects. Most of the time, proper attention is not given
during the planning stage. Planning is something how you are going to work on the project and how will
you implement the project. What will be the strategy; how you are going to start your project. This is all
you need to plan to avoid project failure. If you will do a proper planning then it will increase the
project’s success probability. Once you have completed your project’s planning, then start the execution
of the project using Project Management Life Cycle.

3. Manage the Project Goals

First of all, you should manage your project scope and you should not try to control it. Never rely on
understanding, verbal agreements and on memory for any of the decisions you have taken for your
project implementation. You should document the decisions, actions and the results of the project
before you have started the project, during the project and after you have implemented your project. It
is always necessary to ensure the project deliverables and work properly with the customer
requirements to avoid project failure.

4. Avoid Unrealistic Expectations

Never set unrealistic expectations and the time frames with the stakeholders, team members, and the
customers to meet your project’s deadline. It is related to the proper project beginning but goes deeper
until the project’s implementation. Realistic expectations must be set for the team members as per their
capabilities to avoid project failure. Also, you should encourage them to work with enthusiasm and get
beyond their comfort zone to reach the project goal.

5. Track Project’s Progress

You can track your project’s progress by considering two things, first is where your project should be
and secondly, where actually it is at a certain point in time. So, to control your project, the first thing is
to have a plan. The planning of a project will help you to determine where your project should be at this
moment. The second thing is to find out where your project should be at any given time. For this, you
should know how much of the work has been completed, whether your work is on schedule, whether it
is going as per the planning, etc. So, to find accurately about the progress of your project, you should
consider all the three factors. These are schedule, scope, and the cost incurred. These are the three
parameters that control any project and play an important role to overcome project failure.

6. Identify Risk Factors

The risk is something that cannot be avoided and will certainly happen. So, the best thing you can do to
avoid risk is to identify, analyze and respond to the risk factors. So, if you find out the risks and the
potential issues at the starting stages of the project, your project team can avoid these risks with
appropriate actions. Identifying and resolving risk factors will help the project manager to reduce the
chances of project failure. Thus, in this way you can do proper risk management and can avoid project
failure.

7. Propose the Solutions

Even though you are the project manager but still you will not be having all the skills and knowledge of
the world. You also need professionals around you to avoid project failure. So, you should discuss the
problems and also present your proposed solutions to the team members. Also, show your team
members and stakeholders that how your proposed solutions can result in fulfilling their needs. You
should also think about your team member’s inputs and consider them. Listen to their solutions and
consider the suggestions they share with you. So, you should agree with the best solution after
discussing all the possible solutions with the team.

8. Use Correct Methodology

Selection of Project Management methodology is one of the important decisions that you must take if
you are a project manager. What you choose will impose an intense impact on the teamwork. But, these
methodologies have their own advantages and disadvantages depending on project type and project
scope. Here are some examples of top project management methodologies.

Waterfall method

Agile/Scrum

Hybrid approach

Critical Chain Project Management

Integrated Project Management Technique

Critical Path Method (CPM)

All the project management methodologies can’t be considered best for a project. So, understand the
project requirements and choose the one that is best suitable for your project. The selection of correct
methodology will help you reach the project goal within the given time period avoiding project failure.

9. Continuous Improvement and Analysis

Continuous improvement is a technique for analyzing contingencies to have a concentration on goal and
waste reduction. Now, this technique is used by a number of organizations across the whole world to
analyze saving contingencies. This method is highly valuable for the project management process as it
reduces project cost and makes a balance. With the running project, you need to analyze present work
status, identify and solve issues. And after that search for any contingency that can improve the chances
of project success by reducing the possibilities of project failure.

10. Focus on Stakeholder’s Requirements

As we all know that a project will succeed only when it achieves its goal and meets the stakeholder’s
expectations. In order to succeed in project management, all of the team members need to be actively
involved with the project and be strongly devoted to the success. Devoting means that the following
phases need to be inscribed:
The proficient initiative, which helps the team in the implementation of different tasks over the project
life–cycle.

Adequate financing, which ensures the cost- generating department of the organization for sufficient
funding for the projects.

As the requirement of the stakeholders goes on changing over time, there should be need of proper and
continuous communication with them to make sure that the project won’t lose strength. Being a project
manager, try to focus their requirement as they are the only persons who can make or break the project.

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