Learn the best approach for a project manager to build a united, successful team when members have varied backgrounds, skills, and work styles. Get expert tips based on PMI’s PMP certification exam.
Table of Contents
Question
A project manager is building a team to work on a service integration project that will transition technology management services from company A to company B. The project team will consist of members from both companies. Prospective team members for the project are located all over the world, have different types of technology backgrounds, and use different approaches for work.
How should the project manager build a cohesive, high-performing team?
A. Ask the human resources (HR) department to arrange interview meetings to select the team.
B. Organize the team members into several kick-off sessions based on technology type.
C. Ask prospective team members to write a short biography explaining how they can contribute to the team’s success.
D. Review the list of team members’ skills and understand how they will work together to deliver the project outcomes.
Answer
The best way for the project manager to build a cohesive, high-performing team in this scenario is to review the list of team members’ skills and understand how they will work together to deliver the project outcomes (Option D).
D. Review the list of team members’ skills and understand how they will work together to deliver the project outcomes.
Explanation
When building a project team consisting of members from different companies, locations, technology backgrounds, and work approaches, it’s crucial for the project manager to strategically assess and leverage the diverse skills and perspectives each member brings to the table. By thoroughly reviewing the skills inventory of the prospective team members, the project manager can:
- Identify complementary skill sets and assign roles and responsibilities accordingly to maximize productivity.
- Understand potential gaps in required skills or knowledge and plan for additional training or resources.
- Evaluate work style differences and plan team building activities to help members appreciate their diversity and collaborate effectively.
- Determine optimal ways to structure sub-teams or workstreams based on members’ expertise to efficiently deliver project outcomes.
- Tailor their leadership and communication approach to unify the team and keep everyone aligned on shared goals.
Simply delegating team selection to HR (Option A) or grouping members by technology type (Option B) fails to proactively shape a cohesive team. Having members write bios (Option C) provides background but doesn’t replace the need for the PM to strategically assess and deploy the right mix of skills.
In summary, purposefully evaluating and understanding how team members’ unique skills and work styles can be synergized is the key to building a united, high-performing team that can navigate a complex, cross-company project. This is the approach PMP-certified project managers should follow.
PMI PMP certification exam assessment practice question and answer (Q&A) dump including multiple choice questions (MCQ) and objective type questions, with detail explanation and reference available free, helpful to pass the PMI PMP exam and earn PMI PMP certification.