Building Effective Teams

T E A M

M A N A G E M E N T

Building and Managing an Effective Project Team

Steven R. Meier

“When we’re faced with what looks at first like an unsolvable problem, a team with what I call ‘spikes’ of different talents will come up with a better solution than a team whose members have similar strengths.”

Hans-Paul Bürkner, president and chief executive officer, The Boston Consulting Group

n today’s constantly changing, fast-paced environment, the government and private industry must quickly respond to new opportunities. A team approach is often the best solution for capturing new opportunities or addressing complex issues on short timescales. At a fundamental level, a team approach reduces a large, complex issue or opportunity into multiple smaller segments that can be solved in parallel. Once broken down into individual tasks, assignments are made, tracking systems are put in place, and benchmarks are established. This efficient approach enables the team lead to focus on the big picture and ensure that all tasks are being properly integrated. A team problem-solving approach can result

Meier is currently a group deputy director in the Advanced Systems and Technology Directorate at the National Reconnaissance Office. He received his doctoral degree from Johns Hopkins University in electrical engineering. He is a certified project management professional and a certified contracting officer’s technical representative level III.

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in greater productivity, more effective use of resources, higher-quality decisions, and a more open environment for creativity and innovation. What follow are some examples of best practices on how to effectively build and manage a team to meet the challenges faced in today’s world. I’ve obtained these examples from my review of relevant publications and sources, as well as anecdotal experiential observations. In an effort to capitalize on the benefits that can be gained by implementing a team approach, a team lead should rely not only on...