A team’s ability to execute flawlessly is not just on the team members that are delivering the final project; the support of the must-haves and the constraints is on everyone driven by each team members role within the team.
Designers, Developers, Testers
For everyone who is putting ‘pen to paper’ to get a project delivered, the buck does really stop with you. It is incredibly important that you:
- Understand what you are solving for
- Ensure there is always a balance between design, develop, and deploy.
On top of that, it is critical that you communicate when your understanding has changed, whether because of you or others, in order to make sure that everyone else understands what it will take to deliver and be informed to make the most educated decisions. These team members own doing what they are are going to do.
Work Managers
In all honesty, work managers have the hardest job out of all the roles in ensuring flawless execution. Being in between the delivery team and the stakeholders, they are responsible for looking out for everyone’s best interests throughout the lifecycle of a project. It is important they:
- Have in-depth understanding of what each role needs and what it takes the get the project to the next major milestone is critical.
- Keep the team agreements to what the must-haves and constraints are in order to make educated decisions and recommendations.
Constantly bringing all of this together making sure the entire team’s best interests are the top priority. These team members own balancing the team against the must-haves and constraints at all times.
Stakeholders & Clients
You may be surprised to see these roles represented, but without stakeholders and/or clients there are no projects. In some cases, stakeholders and clients are synonmyous; in other cases, like in many vendor relationships, they are different. Either way, they are a part of the team and it is critical clients understand what they are buying. The ability for the team to produce based on the must-haves and constraints is just as much about the path to get there then getting there itself. When buying a product and/or service, clients don’t need to understand or so much care about how its made, but do need to appreciate the craftmenship. Just like waiting an hour for a time-sensitive meal to be made or the year for a luxury automobile, when you believe you have something has value, then whatever it takes to get it is worth it.
These team members own the trust and patience in the rest of the team you are working with when you know the outcome is worth it.
Everyone is flawless execution and it isn’t just about getting the job done. It is about the entire team and the relationships they have with one another. Knowing what your role is and what you are accountable for within the team is critical for complete success. Anything less then is frankly trying to get something for nothing, which at the end of the will create a less-than-optimal environment and therefore less-than-optimal productivity at some point along the journey.