SPRING 2020 | PM magazine
Taiwo Adenuga, MSPM, PMP, ITIL, PSM I, CSM
TEAMWORK MAKES THE DREAM WORK: THE PERKS OF LEADING AND ADVANCING A MULTIFARIOUS TEAM
Buehring (2020) stated that “recognizing individual differences, embracing these differences, and acknowledging the need to have Maryland Department a different range of perspectives which translates to better decision of Transportation making, is what leading a diverse and inclusive project team should be.” Senior IT Project Manager
This is true because having worked with several project teams, most project managers would agree that the importance of diversity and inclusion in the workplace cannot be overemphasized. Apart from believing that it is the “right thing to do” because there are several laws prohibiting any discrimination against individuals, projects need a team of people with diverse talents to help organizations survive and grow to accomplish project objectives and goals. Managing a team of diverse individuals on a project offers a number of advantages such as better adaptability and higher innovation potential. This does not translate magically into better performance, when people from different cultural backgrounds are employed to work together. However, knowing how to manage disputes helps make a difference in achieving the desired goals and objectives (Koehl, 2016).
“Leading a diverse and inclusive project team benefits everyone and helps create a stronger team overall.”
As project managers, we are typically responsible for achieving the expected project benefits and the desired outcomes on a project, while the project teams carry out the work to achieve those outcomes. This conforms to the definition of project management, “as the application of knowledge, skills, tools and techniques to project activities to meet the project requirements” (PMI, 2017). It is, therefore, imperative for project managers or leaders to be equipped with excellent human resource management, interpersonal, and communication skills in order to understand the project team’s needs. The need to create the right context from the start for diverse talent to thrive is essential. Leading a diverse project team is about adhering to the PMI Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct which involves valuing and appreciating responsibility, respect, fairness and honesty of each individual’s contribution to the team (PMI, 2017). However, merely acknowledging individuals’ differences is not enough. Management and leadership must also promote an inclusive environment, accommodate and celebrate individual differences and not just tolerate them. The successful management of any project within an organization is increasingly dependent on how collaborative, involved, and enabled the members are on the project team. For example, I am working on two agile projects using the Scrum framework of agile methodology. For me, this experience managing agile projects is also another indication on how teamwork makes the dream work. In scrum, we manage projects through a series of iterations called sprints. According to Schwaber and Sutherland (2017), a sprint is a timeboxed event of one month or less (typically, two weeks) during which specific tasks from the product backlog will be completed and made ready for the stakeholder’s review. The scrum team decides the length of time for a sprint, and we base all future sprints on the criteria from the first sprint (Schwaber & Sutherland, 2017). Managing these projects has helped me appreciate two of my favorite processes from all of the values of Agile which are 1. Individuals and interactions over processes and tools, and; 2. Customer collaboration over contract negotiation. It is no doubt that one of the benefits of executing and managing projects using the scrum framework of agile is the
11
fact that it encourages a lot of active collaboration between the scrum team members which includes the scrum master, product owner, and the development team. Being the scrum master on these projects, I am responsible for ensuring that the scrum methodology is understood and used effectively. I play the role of a servant leader to the development team by removing any impediments to their progress by facilitating the scrum events (meetings), and coaching team members. Executing my role would have been challenging for me without having the support and commitment of the product owner and a dedicated development team. Our sprints started with a sprint planning meeting where the scrum team gathered to determine what was going to be delivered in the upcoming sprint and how we could accomplish the work. The outcome of this meeting was sprint goals. We had the daily scrum meeting, which was held at the same time everyday using Microsoft Teams as our virtual collaboration tool. The daily scrum helped the development team to synchronize their work and report any issues or impediments they were facing. As the scrum master, I was responsible for resolving these issues and removing the impediments. Each sprint ended with a sprint review meeting which brought the scrum team and potentially other stakeholders together. At this meeting, the development team demonstrated the product increment or evolving products they built to the product owner and other stakeholders in attendance. The product owner inspected the work and determined if it is acceptable, and if it met the definition of done. Kicking off the project, I remember having a meeting with my product owner one day after explaining how we intend to manage the project using the Scrum framework. He said, “this is a lot of commitment, there are too many meetings involved that will take time from me working on something else.” After a couple of meetings, he told me that, “I am beginning to see the benefit of having these meetings and doing this project using Agile.” Without a dedicated and committed scrum team devoted to getting involved in the agile process and the demanding scrum events/ceremonies, it will be challenging playing the role of a scrum master and managing and leading a diverse project team. According to Buehring (2020), Roianne Nedd, a diversity and inclusion expert, suggests that becoming an inclusive project manager can help put the team on the right track. She provided three (3) things that an inclusive project manager must do: 1. Define success for the team - project managers or leaders should explicitly articulate what excellent performance looks like for everyone. This will help every team member understand what success looks like and not just from their manager’s viewpoint. 2. Be an active listener - project managers or leaders should learn how to listen to the quietest person in the room. To lead an innovative team, project managers must listen to everyone and not just the loudest. 3. Advocate for underrepresented groups - project managers or leaders should become a proactive advocate for underrepresented groups rather than a passive ally to ensure that everyone is treated fairly and equally. As a project manager, who has worked on several projects with varying project size estimates across different industries, one thing remains certain, leading a diverse team of talents is excellent. However, it is imperative to create an inclusive environment where team members can share their thoughts and perspectives and feel comfortable about it. Leading a diverse and inclusive project team benefits everyone and helps create a stronger team overall. Looking back at my experience, I remember managing a medium-sized diverse project team, on a deployment project. On this project, I was responsible for planning, directing, coordinating, and managing the deployment of Voice Over Internet Protocol (VOIP) telephones that directly impacted over 3000 stakeholders. This being one of my very first projects, I had to ensure that the project goals and objectives were accomplished within the allotted schedule
and funding constraints. My approach to the project was that we would either do this my way or no way. During the planning phase of the project, my team suggested another more efficient approach towards getting this project done. Still, I was overconfident and very adamant that my plan was better, and I developed the project schedule based off my planned approach. During project execution, the project had started to fall behind schedule, and the team members were not motivated to work which was a contributing factor that impacted the schedule. That was when I started to realize that the approach suggested by my project team was not as bad as I thought and given the situation we were faced with, I had to reevaluate the process of getting things done on the project. In the end the project was successful and looking back, I am glad I realized that being the project manager does not mean I always have to be right and more importantly to seek the opinion of my project team members to ensure that the project is being coordinated. This approach has helped me succeed on later projects that I have managed.
“It is, therefore, imperative for project managers or leaders to be equipped with excellent human resource management, interpersonal, and communication skills in order to understand the project team’s needs.” In conclusion, having the right leadership skills and utilizing the proper project management practices such as escalation and issue management, creating an effective risk response team, and effective communication will help serve as a great mechanism to drive a diverse and inclusive team’s collaboration and productivity. References: Buehring, S. (2020). Diversity and Inclusion in Project Teams. Retrieved from https://www.knowledgetrain.co.uk/project-management/diversity-inclusion-projectKoehl, C. (2016). Managing Diversity: 10 Steps to Multicultural Team Success. Retrieved from: https://trainingmag.com/managing-diversity-10-steps-multicultural-team-success/ Project Management Institute (PMI). (2017). A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK Guide). 6th ed. Newtown Square, Pa: Project Management Institute, Inc. Schwaber, K. & Sutherland, J. (2017). The Definitive Guide to Scrum: The Rules of The Game. Retrieved from https://www.scrumguides.org/docs/scrumguide/ v2017/2017-Scrum-Guide-US.pdf
