a) Why is teamwork important in projects?
b) Outline the steps for building a new project team.
c ) Refer to the case study below:
i. How would you describe Wendy's leadership style and what were the main factors that motivated her team?
ii. What aspects of Wendy's style do you think are typical of good project managers?
iii. What did Wendy do that helped the team manage the stress created by the project's time and cost constraints?
Wendy Smith had worked for over 20 years as a successful project manager, but even with that background she found the Newview Project frustrating and overwhelming. Soon after being assigned to the project she met with John Wax, vice president of communications. "Wendy," he said, "the long and short of it is that the Newview Project must be completed and operational within 6 months." She had already estimated the project would take about a year and protested. Wax became annoyed and told her "Just do it!" Wendy scoured the company for the best people she could find, settling on four young technical analysts from different departments. None of them was people oriented or very good at communicating; technically, however, they were the best. Upon reviewing the project requirements, they all agreed: it would take a year-at least. When Wendy reported back to Wax, he said, simply, "If you don't finish this in 6 months, you're fired. That's a promise!"
So Wendy set the team to work. Everyone knew Wax's deadline. At one point he dropped by to say that if they didn't succeed they would all be fired. This unnerved the analysts, but Wendy promised them that if anyone were to be fired, it would be her, not them. She also promised that she would handle all dealings with Wax, buffer them from his abuse, and take responsibility for any delays or problems. The team warmed to Wendy and set out to work-on average 6 days a week, 15-20 hours a day. Wendy never left them; if they were working, so was she. She started bringing cakes-lots of cakes-acting like a "den mother," and treating the team like they were family. Indeed, given the long hours, the team seldom saw their real families and Wendy's maternal care seemed to fill a void.
Several months into the project, Wax stormed in and asked Wendy why she had requested help from two outside consultants. She said despite the unbearably long work hours, the team was still behind and needed additional resources to meet the deadline. Wax fumed that he was not about to hire any consultants. Wendy looked him straight in the eyes. "You don't, and I quit!" Wax knew she was serious. "Alright," he said, "but that's all you'll get." The team was amazed: Wendy had stood up to the vice president. This bonded them even more and united them against the common "enemy."
The intense pressure, long hours, strong competency of the team, and Wendy's nurturing worked: the team finished the project 2 weeks early and under budget--even with the expense of the two consultants. But ultimately the project was a failure because the Newview system that Wax had demanded did not provide any new benefits to its users. Wax had never talked to the users; Newview was his own "pet" project. A year later, he was gone from the company.