The A-team: a successful project demands a quality project team

There’s no doubt that a well-run project relies on a talented project manager but for projects to run efficiently and smoothly, the quality of the team working with that manager is critical.

To understand why team matters so much to the success of your next project, it’s important to understand the core ingredients that effective projects require.

  1. Smart team members build smart teams 
    Strategic thinking and careful planning are essential, of course, but without the right individuals ensuring that planning is in place properly, things can fall apart very quickly. Team members should be chosen for their unique qualities they bring to the team as a whole – but it is just as vital that they share a common vision for the project’s outcomes and eventual success. Ensuring your team is made up of the right people for the best possible job begins with a complete understanding of the brief. When the brief is properly understood, the team can be assembled with the best possible people for the project. Everyone has their own individual strengths and weaknesses and recognising those and how they fit into the jigsaw of building a powerful team can be the difference that turns your next collaborative project from stress to success.
  2. Strong leadership matters 
    When managing any group of talented, creative individuals, strong leadership is vital. With a strong leader, communication is made clearer and inadequacies that may be identified within individual team members can be recognised, addressed and dealt with effectively – before they lead to bigger problems that can erode the good work of the entire team.
  3. Communication is Key 
    Knowing when to recognise greatness and innovative thinking is a positive part of any team project. Just as important, though, is the ability to realise when things aren’t working. The ability to say no – and this comes back to strong leadership skills – is a critical component of any team management and decision-making. By being honest about what is working within the team, as well as what could be done better or differently, projects can be managed more efficiently, without the stress that can come from misunderstandings and an inability to follow prescribed briefs and directions.

Successful projects start with careful planning and when an exacting level of consideration is put into assembling your team, you lay a strong foundation for the growth to come.