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BuildingStrongFoundationRecap

Almost everyone attending this session already knew one or more others. And everyone saw people in the group they didn't yet know. As a result, this group perfectly represented the members of a typical new project team: some people knew each other at the outset, some didn't.

To kick things off, we tried out some activities which would help people begin know each other if they hadn't yet met, or would help them learn more about each other if they already knew each other. These activities met some of the keys to building a strong foundation, such as laughing together, learning interesting things about each other, and discovering things we have in common.

The group then divided into 3 teams to address this question: What would be helpful to know or do early in a project to ensure that when the project ends, the team members would like to work together again?

Here are the flip chart notes from the teams:
(1)

-Explore similar project history.
-Share MBTI/work/learning styles.
-Seek shared boundaries, e.g. shared work hours, social act.
-Share communication preferences: email, phone, face-to-face.
-Set up feedback loops, e.g., retrospectives, especially frequently.
-Discover shared values, especially priorities.

(2)

-Location
-Personal space needs
-Work hours - when am I productive?
-Lighting - facilities
-Collaborative vs. independent work style
-Ground rules for trust, teamwork, etc.
- Strategy/process (outside in / inside out)
-MBTI
-Timeline / agreement
-Modes / preferences of communications
-Frequencies for sharing status
-Types of information team/individual
-"Do not disturb" signal
-Wrap-up party / goal
-Post-project assessment
-Expectations: one to another as well as personal expectations (what you would personally like to get from the project)
-Work schedule of individuals
-Outside constraints -> backup plans
-Politeness, with attention to things like on time (or flex), hot buttons, such as laptop, cell phones, language, respect, oversharing.
-Disagreement format
-Decision process for team
-Team lunch periodically
-Be sensitive to how much information other people can take in.

(3)

-We are interested in the project and want to be on this team.
-Who knows each other?/who does not?
-How do we like to work? (team room, alone, analyze)
-What are the project's expectations? (e.g., extra hours)
-What is important to us? (when we work, how we interact)
-What is the project's purpose? Who are our customers?
-How do we want to treat each other / ground rules or safety rules?
-How do we make decisions (consensus; management)?
-We want to have fun and celebrate our success
-Know our personality types
-Skill sets and experiences
-What kind of commitment can we make/do we have other priorities? (vacation/other projects/training)
-Are there other skills/resources not already on our team?
-Do we need training to succeed in delivering this project?
-Team building activities, such as What do people enjoy doing? How often? Where? When (after work/during work)?
-Create a shared language.
-Say thank you :-)

Drawing from these items, we then discussed two specific activities that can help teams build a strong foundation:

-Establishing team norms (very useful at the start of a project with regular check-ins during the project), and
-Conducting temperature readings (a tool described by Virginia Satir for use by people working together under challenging or stressful circumstances).

There was much more to discuss, but alas, we ran out of time . . .