Selecting a Team Building Facilitator Project

1.Somebody allowing something to happen: someone who helps or assists in the process, particularly by encouraging people to find their own solutions to problems or tasks

2.Meeting organizer, someone who organizes and provides services for a meeting, seminar or other event

This is what an online dictionary says a "facilitator" is or does.

An excerpt from a training manual says PM:

"There are stages for the development team and you should be able to determine the current status and how to reach the highest stage. If you are able to perform the measurement, you should call in a facilitator. A facilitator for the assessment of group dynamics. or stage of development team, they should also be able to make suggestions on how to switch to the next level (s) The stages of team development are forming (very little if any work was done). storming (very little if any work has been performed), Norming (part-time work is done first significant), and the show (the highest stage and the work is done efficiently). "

Apparently, the normal perception of the profession of a facilitator is like a firefighter called to extinguish a fire that got out of control. Unfortunately, not a formal title of "Professional Facilitation Project - PFP" (yet) to help narrow the field to find the best facilitator for our project.

However, one thing a PM can do in their search for an effective facilitator is essential to use a behavioral study to address the problem differently: "You can not do things as you have always done and expect different results." If we want to find a facilitator who can be more than just a "fireman" when the development team struggles, we will review many things:


The way we see the facilitation process as a whole
The way we look for a facilitator
Review what we expect from him or her
Reconsider how to structure their relationship to the project.
The way we see the facilitation process as a whole as soon as the PMBOK recognizes that a project is a microcosm of the organization focused on people doing the work instead of working people first become evident that a specialist in organizational development (the PFP future) must be a member of the team from the beginning, not only on call in case of fire. If we take enough time during the project starts to look people in the first place and set the foundation for effective interaction between them, the work will almost take care of themselves, because these are technical professionals. (If they were, because they were hired?)

But if our attention is the work, while people who play are an afterthought, it's no wonder that we have a development called "assault"! The very fact that the name is the admission that the work, not people who play are uppermost in our minds.

Would not it be much easier to do things right from the start that fire prevention, instead of having to be a fireman because it is assumed that, sooner or later, we need him?

The way we look for a Facilitator We are able to quickly narrow the field of candidates if we approach the dilemma of facilitator from another perspective. We see the big picture first look at the project facilitator portion of it.

Take a moment and write your definition of a successful project. Not for a specific type of project, but more of a general model. PM Many write something like, "the success of the project: final results and all results, as promised. All expectations were met and the customer pays us." (You can add comments boilerplate about "world class", "state-of-the-art", and "industry envious," later as you wish.)

Now suppose that this sentence is added at the end of it: "all parties agree that we would work together as a team again soon!" I would like to make any difference in the criteria for the selection of a facilitator, what you would expect from them, and if it would be a semi-permanent part of the project or just a drop-in when the fires out of control?

Can I add this line because I have seen projects in the past, which, according to the definition of all deliverables, promises, and expectations are met and the customer has paid us, have been successful but the participants could not wait to get away from the site , and never promised to work together again!

If this were a project of 24 months, members of the team would have lost two years of their life that they want to forget as quickly as possible. As an experience like that could be considered "successful" by anything other than meet the contractual specifications and to be paid?

But if we extend our definition of success to go beyond the contract of the project and we look forward to working with the team once again, in the last two years could become good memories that we want to relive.

How could "warm and fuzzy" feelings of this kind by a former customer, supplier or other major project to improve your career as a Project Manager? (If you are unsure, just consider the opposite position: that impact career he wanted for you, if the principles of project ex thought it was an absolute disaster in terms of relationship and never wanted to see you again?)

If you agree to revise your definition of a successful project should include that phrase in more, now you have a question very focused and perceptive facilitator to ask the candidates: "How, in particular, designing a process of team building the duration of our project team members would want to work together on another project as soon as possible? "

Some of the topics that should be able to discuss (and provide details for the implementation if you want to know more) are:


How could you help us prevent (or reduce the impact of) these disadvantages associated with a typical project matrix organization?


The members of the project team with little or no attention

Team members with decreased motivation and innovation

Double reporting

Performance monitoring and control

In the absence of alignment with the target management


How to help us develop a value system within the project team that guides how we work with each other?
How to help us to reduce (if not eliminate) the development cycle typical of a team through the stages of formation, storming, Norming, and quickly get to run?


How could you help us to avoid or overcome these barriers to communication on a typical project:


Levels of education

Perceived social status

Attitudes

Different values

Pressure of work

Conflicting priorities

Interdepartmental friction and struggle

What products will rescue you from a project meeting "kick-off"? What would be the agenda contain? Who would you suggest to participate? How long you should run it?
Review what we expect from him or her just as likely to have a project available technical experts, if necessary, the facilitator is the project "organizational development" expert and their contribution should be valued as much as other technical experts.

May be the design of the development team, interaction, monitoring and measurement of components during the startup phase of the project and other technical experts are working on their programming, estimating, procurement, etc. components.

Recently, I was looking at an RFP for a facilitator in a construction project that said, in part, "Let us know what you should do in a kick-off meeting of no more than a day and a half and we expect one or two more than the additional meetings during the project. "

Essentially, this is what I'm talking about rethinking how you, as PM, see a facilitator. Instead of defining the scope of project requirements for facilitation services and asking, "How to meet our needs?" facilitator and allowing candidates to respond, saying the PM was the facilitator for how long he or she could take to do their job!

I suggest that if PM does not say engineers, architects, accountants, professionals or any other project on how to do their job, not the facilitator should say how to do his or her, either. "Define the scope and give an estimate" is the way a society sort of a project. And 'as the PM should negotiate with a facilitator.

Rethink how we structure their relationship with the Project should be obvious at this point, the facilitator must be a member of the team project from the beginning instead of being on call in case there are problems. This does not mean that the facilitator should be there full time, but let them set up a schedule (time and money) that you can live with that will give you the desired results. After all, your success means their success, all you have to do is tell them what you want and let them do .......