happens if the project is cancelled or put on hold and you
have a contract with an outside company?).Identifying Who Does What
As mentioned above, individuals come on to your team with the
general expectation that they represent a good “functional fit”
and should be able to do the required work. It’s up to you, how-
ever, to ensure that the duties you give them throughout the
project reasonably match their skills. If you ask team members
to stretch too far beyond their abilities, they may tend to “shut
down” and difficulties will ensue. Conversely, if you grossly
underutilize their talents (as least from their perspective), per-
formance problems may also result, such as loss of interest,
procrastination, and a general lack of effort.
As the project’s overall scope of work becomes better
defined, you can identify more specifically what each team
member will do. Eventually, each person’s task responsibility will
be shown on a Responsibility Assignment Matrix. (We’ll cover
82 Project Management
Screening Candidates for Your Team
There’s no secret recipe that will guarantee a successful
project team. However, asking the following questions may
help you identify those who may represent the best candidates for a
given role:- Does the candidate have the knowledge and skill to do the job?
Technical and functional skills? Problem-solving skills? Interpersonal
skills? - Does the candidate have the desired personal characteristics for
the job? - Does the candidate believe in the goals of the project and seem
likely to enthusiastically support it? - Does the candidate have the time to be able to devote to the proj-
ect? - Is the candidate compatible with other team members, either
already identified or under consideration? - Does the candidate regard participation on your project as an impor-
tant function or rather as an intrusion on his or her “real job”?