Abstract
Team development is a very important aspect in every project. A strong team is a guarantee that the project will succeed, no matter what challenge that may prop up in the process. There already is a designed model on team development which has been proven to give good results, if well played. However, it takes a well skilled team leader to put together the principles of the model and let everything and everyone work right, to the successful completion of the project at hand. This paper gives an insight into phases of team development.
Introduction
This was a student project, on how to create a website, carried out by a group of IT students. The team was comprised of students majoring in various fields in the IT discipline: a system analyst, a programmer, a web designer, and a graphic designer[ CITATION Kat09 \l 2057 ]. The members of the team put in a lot of their individual skill and expertise just to see to the success of the project, just as the team leader put in a lot time in trying to put together a strong team.
Development of a team in terms of the four phase model
Development of a team involves four steps which are: forming, storming, norming, and the final step is performing[ CITATION Jac08 \l 2057 ]. Forming is the stage where the team members get to socialize and know each other, making it easier for them to work together. Storming is the second stage and it is where the people begin questioning why they are part of the team, what the goals and objectives are and why they are there. The team leader has to be persuasive to convince and make each of the members feel valued and important[ CITATION Jam04 \l 2057 ]. This is where the members start seeking to know the hierarchy of the group and the team leader should make sure to be in good control. The stage is likely to keep occurring as the project progresses[ CITATION Jac08 \l 2057 ]. In the third stage, which is norming, the team members are settled and they begin focusing all of their efforts on their work. By the time it gets to the final stage, performing, the group members are well settled into their roles. It is at this stage that everybody works towards the completion of the project[ CITATION Jac08 \l 2057 ].
The project was an idea of one student, and so it was natural that he took role of team leader. After talking to the right people, the team leader organized for a session, forming stage, where the interested parties got to bond and know each other. This marked the beginning of the development of a team as the members got to know and appreciate each other. It was easier for the team leader to assume his position as the leader of the team[ CITATION Jam02 \l 2057 ].
As the group began settling into their roles, a slight problem arose. Some members felt that the roles they played were more important and wanted to take control of the project[ CITATION Jac08 \l 2057 ]. However, the team leader was prepared for this and was able to bring this under control. The team leader easily helped the members to settle down into their roles, with all efforts being tapped towards the successful completion of the project[ CITATION Jam04 \l 2057 ].
The four phase model fully describes the development of the team. All phases of the model were experienced and the most challenging of the phases was the second stage, where some of the team members felt that they deserved to be the team leaders and in charge of the project[ CITATION Jam04 \l 2057 ]. However, this was sorted out and the project progressed on well.
Conclusion
A good teal leader should be able to steer his team through the phases of team of development. How the team is developed and managed determines the success or failure of the whole project in general.
References
Jack Gido, J. P. (2008). Successful Project Management. London: Cengage Learning.
Lewis, J. P. (2004). Team-Based Project Management. Maryland: Beard Books.
Schwalbe, K. (2009). Information Technology Project Management. London: Cengage Learning.
Williams, J. (2002). Team development for high-tech project managers. London: Artech House.
