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Activities for Leading Successful Cross-Functional Teams continued... page 3
Updating Team Members and Sponsors On Status
With the completion of the project plan, the essential functions of the project manager shift to coordinating the efforts of the team in achieving the project objectives. The major portion of this activity will take place during the project core team sessions. The work of the project, the actual test design, sample collection, evaluation etc. will be conducted by the task leaders outside of the meetings but the coordination of efforts, the dissemination of results and the agreement on forward actions will take place in the core team meetings. The keys to running these meetings successfully and effectively are preparation and follow-up. This is accomplished through effective agendas and meeting minutes.
Agendas
Simply put, good meetings are based on good agendas. The purpose of the agenda is to let the participants know exactly why they are coming to the meeting and what will be expected of them during the meeting. A solid agenda requires the following information:
- Listing of time (both starting and finishing) and location
- Objective or purpose of the meeting, what is the intended outcome
- Topics for reports from the task managers on their status and results
- A list of questions for general group discussion
When provided in a timely fashion, (2 or more days prior to the meeting), a complete agenda lets the team participants know what they should have prepared in advance. If any team member is not able to deliver the material requested they should be able to let the project manager know so the project manager can determine if the meeting should be rescheduled.
Listing the start and finish time for the meeting helps all team members in budgeting their time. It is up to the project manager to insure that meetings are concluded at the identified time. This is also a useful tool in keeping the meeting moving and not allowing side issues to take over the conversation. Agendas may include specific time slots for each activity.
Listing the objective helps each team member understand what the specific purpose of the meeting is. This helps focus the conversation. If a side issue is raised that is not specifically related to the purpose of the meeting it should be tabled and included in the objective or purpose statement for the next meeting.
The list of topics for the task leader reports initially comes from the task list. As the project progresses the topics should be a direct follow-up from the forward actions developed at the last team meeting. In fact, if the forward actions are properly formatted in a table it is possible to lift the entire section from the minutes of one meeting and insert it as the topics guide for the next. Topics should list the subject or result being presented, the name of the individual(s) responsible and the date the work was due. Topics should represent specific information or results, not the work done to achieve them. For instance, a correct topic would present the latest sales data for green widgets in Ohio. Review the sales data for green widgets in Ohio would not be a correct topic since it identifies an action, not a result. Remember, the results from one task are usually the precursors for another one.
Example:
| Item |
Responsible |
Due |
| Topic 1 |
Task Leader 1 |
2/11/00 |
| Topic 2 |
Task Leader 2 |
2/22/00 |
| Topic 3 |
Task Leader 3 |
2/24/00 |
Questions for general discussion gives each team member the opportunity and (the responsibility) to come prepared with their group's viewpoint on issues that will impact the project. These questions may solicit additional options to try in overcoming an obstacle. There may be a request from a task leader for more information on a specific issue. It is important that all team members know that they can submit questions to the project manager for inclusion into the team meeting agenda for discussion. It is the responsibility of the project manager to insure that all questions are focused and that the conversation does not wander off.
Minutes
Together minutes and agendas form the "paper trail" for a project. If the meeting has a well-defined agenda it becomes very easy to record the activities at the meeting and to assemble them into an easy to read package. Minutes will normally contain the following sections:
- List of attendees
- The objectives from the agenda
- Reported information on the topics
- A summary of the group discussions
- A list of forward action items
The list of attendees should include all members in attendance and any substitutes, remember to indicate whom they are representing. In some cases a member may have to make their report prior to the meeting due to conflicting schedules, this report should be referenced.
The list of objectives can be lifted directly from the agenda.
Each item on the topic list and the group discussion questions should have a section in the minutes. One method is for the project manager or a selected team member to capture the important points of discussion on a flip chart that everyone at the meeting can see. These points should be recapped often to be sure that all members of the team are in agreement or that the specific points of difference are captured.
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