House.cindy

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COLLABORATION AGREEMENT: BLUEPRINT

FOR PROJECT TEAM SUCCESS

Cynthia W. House, ASRi

Erika Andrews, ASRi

Organization Development Specialists

Office of Human Capital

Marshall Space Flight Center

Used with permission

What You Will Be Exposed to …

1. Organization Development and why it is important to Project Management

2. The Tuckman Model of Team Development and other learning opportunities at the conference

3. The top five reasons for Project Team Failures

4. The Business Case for a Proactive Approach to navigating Tuckman’s model

5. The Project Team Collaboration Agreement concept

6. The Sections of a Project Team Collaboration Agreement

7. The Importance of each section to avoiding Project Team Failures and increasing the likelihood of team success

8. Potential Collaboration Agreement development and implementation issues

2Office of Human Capital, Organization and Leadership Development Office, Marshall Space Flight Center, February, 2011

What is Organization Development?

Organization Development / Effectiveness is …“a strategically linked development effort designed to guide an

organization from a current state to a desired future state utilizing business, organizational, and individual change expertise”.

The Goal of OD Work …… help organizations make the changes necessary to improve and sustain health relative to its environment and purpose over the long term by informing strategic decisions, optimizing internal capacity, facilitating mission work, and increasing individual,

team, and organizational effectiveness.


Why is Organization Development Important to Project Management?

Organization Development in the form of Change Management is joined at the hip with Project Management to assess and manage the people and culture impacts and associated changes that result from Project Implementation and to facilitate the healthy start-up and development of the Project Team.

Project Management manages the technical side of the project while Change Management manages the people side of the

project.4Office of Human Capital, Organization and Leadership Development Office, Marshall Space Flight Center, February, 2011

Why is Organization Development Important to Project Management?

For the purposes of this presentation, we will focus on the healthy start-up and development of the Project Team.

According to research, Project Teams tend to focus mostly on technical requirements at start-up and do not give adequate attention of teaming requirements which can lead to both technical and people problems as the project progresses.


A Business Case for a Proactive Approach

Much research has been devoted to why project teams fail. A compilation of this research indicates that the main reasons are:

1. Poor Project Planning and Administration2. Inadequate Project Leadership3. Inadequate Knowledge and Skills4. Inadequate Team and Stakeholder Relationships5. Inadequate Project Lifecycle Management


1. Poor Project Planning and Administration

A Few Resulting Problems:– Insufficient team and stakeholder communication– Inadequate resource planning, allocation and management– Unclear administrative procedures – how the project is

managed, role definition, reporting relationships, responsibilities, plans of execution, work agreements with other groups, hiring criteria, etc.

– Unclear or unrealistic expectations and goals– Lack of prioritization of operational activities,

objectives

Business Case for a Proactive Approach


2. Inadequate Project Leadership

A Few Resulting Problems:– Poorly defined leadership structure, project owners, and

decision makers

– Indecisive and untimely decision making

– Insufficient communication with strategic stakeholders

– Poorly set and manage expectations

– Lack of a strategic vision



3. Inadequate Knowledge, Skills, & Experience

A Few Resulting Problems:– Inadequate project planning and management

– Inadequate interpersonal communication

– Inadequate leadership, team and individual performance

– Inability to manage a complex project or cope with changing project realities

– Inability to establish appropriate metrics and track and measure project results



4. Inadequate Team and Stakeholder Relationships

A Few Resulting Problems:

– Interpersonal conflicts, trust issues, and low commitment and morale within the project team and conflicts between project managers and team members

– Inadequate integration and collaboration across organizations and levels and with contractors and other externals

– Conflict between the project and impacted organizations

– Difficulty recruiting and bringing on needed talent

– Difficulty acquiring needed resources during difficult times



5. Inadequate Project Life Cycle Management

A Few Resulting Problems:

– Poorly defined requirements, resulting in wrong or incomplete features

– Inadequate resource planning and management

– Unclear links between the project and the organizations strategic priorities

– Scheduling and budget overruns

– Changing requirements late in the project and continuing to accept change requests which cause the project to drift



The Collaboration Agreement: An Intentional, Proactive Approach

What is a Collaboration Agreement?

The Collaboration Agreement is an innovative tool designed to account for white space not addressed in NASA’s technical project documentation governance. It provides a structured way for project members to think through and make decisions about how members will operate together in several areas critical to project success from start-up.

The Agreement saves the project team time, confusion, conflict, and wasted energy and resources by eliminating trial and error efforts to work together effectively. Many costly, resource intensive work problems and interpersonal conflicts can be avoided by investing time up front when the cost is lowest and the potential for return the greatest.

The Project Team’s Collaboration Agreement defines its “operating white space” in the same way NASA 7120 defines the

technical management of a project and the Charter defines the scope.


Benefits of a Collaboration Agreement

The Agreement • Facilitates the discussion of how the team will work together

before the problems happen rather than after facilitating much smoother technical and people operations

• Gives the team a language for talking about issues or disagreements in the team when they do occur

• Creates a forum for mitigation of team issues that takes personality out of the equation and encourages a much less emotional discussion

• Prevents or diminishes the impact of many of the problems that are associated with common project team failing


Project Team Collaboration Agreement

What is included in a Collaboration Agreement?

WHAT Defined critical issues about the organization and the work

WHO Defines critical issues about the formal and informal roles

HOW Defines how the team will structure itself and accomplish the work

WHEN Defines time frames associated with the work and the agreement

WHERE Defines space, facilities and equipment requirement

BOUNDS OF AUTHORITY Defines team member limits for independent actions

ACCOUNTABILITY Defines how the team and individual members will be held accountable for project performance

AGREEMENT NON-COMPLIANCE

Defines how the team will manage non-compliance with the Collaboration Agreement


What is in the WHAT section?

Topics IncludedThis section is

worked by Project Core

Management at project start-up

prior to on-boarding the

team.

Decision made here are

foundational for other sections

of the Agreement.

• Vision, goal, and purpose of the Project Team

• Strategy or broad actions used to achieve the vision

• Mission / Broad Deliverables

• Goals / Objectives for Project Team accountability

• Core Values – What is most important to the team

• Plans & Products the team must produce

• Work Functions and Processes needed to accomplish the work

• Roles & Responsibilities needed to accomplish the work

• Team Culture needed to be successful

• Credentials / Skills Required for team membership

• Staffing Level (FTE/WYE) required to accomplish the work


Some Benefits of the WHAT section

Proactive Benefits of the What Section

• Clearly defined vision and direction for the project and team

• Clearly identified products, functions and processes needed

• Clear and realistic project team expectations and goals set

• Leadership structure, project owners, and decision makers well-defined

• Prioritization of operational activities, objectives, etc.

• Improved leadership, team and individual performance

• Improved internal and external integration and collaboration

• Improved recruiting and project team talent acquisition

• Clearly defined team culture needed to guide team development


What is in the Who section?

Topics Included

This section is typically worked by Project Core

Management at project start-up

prior to complete on-

boarding of the team, but can be worked in collaboration

with key project team members.

• Project Team Name

• Project Team Type

• Project Leadership Names and Roles

• Names of those assigned to each Project Role

• Process / Functional Owners or Leaders

• Product Owners or Leaders

• Deliverables Owners or Leaders

• Process / Function and Product Experts (SMEs)

• Coordination Activity owners


Some Benefits of the WHO section

Proactive Benefits of the Who Section

• Increased project team identity

• Increased stakeholder communication

• Improved understanding of Team leadership, members, project owners, decision makers, and stakeholders roles and responsibilities

• Clearly defined and established roles in place for (internal and external) collaboration and coordination

• Improved leadership, team and individual performance because of roles and responsibilities definition

• Realistic expectations are set regarding roles and responsibilities for all team members

• Understanding of the integration across processes, functions, organizations, and division boundaries


What is in the How section?

Topics IncludedThe How

Section is best completed using a collaborative

process that engages the

energies of the entire Team.

Project Leadership may retain the right

of final approval of decisions

made.

• Organization Architecture / Design (Formal and Operational)

• Interaction and Conflict Management Norms

• Prioritization Norms (Managing conflicts priorities)

• Coordination, Integration, Collaboration Norms (Internal & External to Project)

• Decision Making Norms

• Performance Standards

• Reporting Requirements & Process

• Work Streams and Work /Process Flows

• Organizational Learning and Change

• Policy and Regulatory Compliance

• Internal Communication & Info Sharing Norms & Bounds

• External Communication & Info Sharing Norms & Bounds


Benefits of the How section

Proactive Benefits of the How Section

• Clear Administrative procedures

• Prioritization of operational activities

• Improved team and stakeholder communication

• Clear expectations and performance requirements

• More functional organization design

• Improved decision making

• Improved understanding of project requirements

• Fewer and better managed interpersonal and team conflicts

• Improved integration/collaboration across organizations, levels , contractors

• Improved recruiting and retention


What is in the WHEN section?

Topics Included This Section is best completed

using a collaborative process that engages the


The team may want to make TIME a metric.



made.

• Timeframe for agreement

• Timeframe for projects related to this Agreement

• Timeframe for project team membership

• Timeframe for matrixed team membership

• Timeframe for maintenance of the Agreement


Benefits of the WHEN section

Proactive Benefits of the When Section

• Increased formal / informal project communication

• Timely and decisive decisions making

• Improved Project Management

• Improve management of changing project realities

• Ability to track and measure project milestones and progress

• Improved leadership, team and individual performance


What is in the WHERE section?

Topics Included This section is best worked

using a collaborative team process

because acceptance of

results is important to

team success.



made.

• Space Requirements

• Space Location

• Placement of team members based on work

• On-Site Requirements

• Tele-work Allowances

• Tools and Equipment Requirements

• IT Requirements (hardware and software)

• Timeframe associated with space and equipment requirements


Benefits of the WHERE section?

Proactive Benefits of the Where Section

• Appropriate physical arrangement to facilitate team coordination and integration and improved team performance

• Adequate hardware and software availability for team members

• Sufficient storage space

• Decreased team conflicts

• Improved integration and collaboration

• Improved Project Management

• Improved communication


What is in the Bounds of Authority section?

Degree of Empowerment the team and individual members have to act independently regarding:

The Project Team should

use a collaborative process that

engages them in frank

discussions about needed authority to further the mission.

Project Leadership

retains the right to final

approval of decisions made.

• Direction, Strategy, Plans, and Requirements changes

• Responsibilities related to Role performance

• Workforce Concerns & Practices (FTE & WYE)

• Organization Structure and Infrastructure changes

• Work and Business Processes changes

• IT and other tools and equipment selection and changes

• Internal and External Integration and Collaboration

• Policy and Regulatory Compliance

• Innovation and Change

• Leadership & Management Functions

• Cost and Schedule Tracking and changes

• Reporting and Interaction with Boards


Benefits of the Bounds of Authority Section

Proactive Benefits of the Bounds of Authority Section


• Clearer expectations

• Improved management of technical and team changes

• Clearer expectations and performance requirements

• Improved internal and external collaboration and integration

• Improved individual, team and leadership performance

• Decreased conflicts within the team and with other organization

• Decreased leadership and team stress

• Improved team interactions

• Clearer administrative procedures


What is in the Accountability Section?

Formal and Informal Accountability Mechanism Used to Ensure: The Project

Team should use a

collaborative process that engages the

team in open discussion about true

accountability.

Project Leadership

retains the right of final approval

of decision made.

• Organization Performance of Technical/Chartered Responsibilities and Collaboration Agreement decisions

• Team Performance of Technical/Chartered Responsibilities and Collaboration Agreement decisions

• Individual Performance of Technical/Chartered Responsibilities and Collaboration Agreement decisions

• Leadership Performance of Technical/Chartered Responsibilities and Collaboration Agreement decisions

• External Communication & Info Sharing Norms & Bounds


Benefits of the Accountability Section

Proactive Benefits of the Accountability Section

• Improved individual, team, organization and leadership performance

• On-going clarification of operational procedures

• Improved internal and external integration and collaboration

• On-going clarification of roles and responsibilities

• On-going informal performance feedback


• Improved setting and tracking of metrics

• On-going clarification of expectations


What’s in the Non-Compliance Section?

Formal and Informal Mechanism Used to Respond to Non-Compliance with the: The Project

Team should use a

collaborative process that engages the


Project Leadership

retains the right of final approval

of decision made.

• What Section of the Collaboration Agreement

• Who Section of the Collaboration Agreement

• How Section of the Collaboration Agreement

• When Section of the Collaboration Agreement

• where Section of the Collaboration Agreement

• Bounds of Authority Section of the Collaboration Agreement

• Accountability Section of the Collaboration Agreement

• Non-Compliance Section of the Collaboration Agreement


Collaboration Agreement: Non-Compliance Section

Proactive Benefits of the Non-Compliance Section

• Sends a clear message that the Agreement is to be taken seriously

• Sets a high standard for technical and interpersonal performance

• Gives appropriate weight to the “white space” issues facing the team


Development and Implementation Issues

• Will the Agreement work for a team already in place?

• Do the Agreement sections have to be worked in a certain order?

• Since all projects and teams are different, can the Agreement be customized?

• Does the Agreement work equally well for working groups and non-7120 projects?

• Does the Agreement work equally well for short term and long term projects?

• How much time does it take to develop the Agreement?

• Does it take a lot of time to maintain the agreement?


Backup Charts


For Information on OD at your Center…

Center OD Lead Phone # Email

ARC Linda Jensen 650.604.6985 [email protected]

DFRC Paul Condon 661.276.2656 [email protected]

GRC Adam Ross 216.433.2941 [email protected]

GSFC Kathy Doyle 301.286.8319 [email protected]

HQ Kim Haney-Brown 202.358.0433 [email protected]

JSC Paul Cruz 281.483.1158 [email protected]

KSC Laura Gallaher 321.867.6830 [email protected]

LaRC Myisha Tucker 757.864.6084 [email protected]

MSFC Jim Andrews 256.544.6846 [email protected]

SSC Anita Douglas 228.688.3698 [email protected]


Tuckman’s Model of Team Development

Forming

Storming

Norming

Performing

Teams go through phases of development on their journey to becoming a high functioning unit. This process can be linear and orderly or can jump around.

Key Learning: Intentional, Proactive Management of Project Team Development will net the Project the best results.


Team Development Goal

The goal of the project team is to navigate the phases

of team development in ways that promote team

health and project success and minimize potential

technical and people problems. To achieve this goal

requires a “proactive approach” to team development

and managing the white space of the organization.


What is included in the WHAT section?

WHAT section questions

• What is the clear mission that gives meaning and direction to this project? Where is the project team headed? How will be know we have reached our milestones and end result?

• How will the project team be managed?

• What is the team going to look like when it grows up?

• What will the team deliver? What is the team responsible for producing? What is the team accountable for achieving?

• What broad strategies will the organization use to achieve its vision?

• What things are important to the Project Team?

• What are the core values for the team? What is important to them for operating as a team? What won’t they compromise?

• What are the roles and responsibilities needed to realize the vision and accomplish the mission, goals, and objectives? What responsibilities will fall to each of those roles?


What is included in the WHAT section?

WHAT section questions

• How will the Project Team choose Project Team membership?

• What are the credentials and/or experience needed along with the skills required to be a member of this team?

• What staffing level (FTE/WYE) or resource allocations are required to accomplish the work of the project team?

• What are the priorities that will drive long-term plans and guide daily activities?

• What strategic and related business or operational planning the Project Team will do and how they will do it?

• Is professional development encouraged? If so, what will be req’d/expected, etc.

• What do we want the personality of the team to be?

• What policy and regulatory compliance requirements are needed for the team to work and function within its larger organization?

• How will new members be communicated regarding the team, how it works, etc.


What is included in the WHO section?

WHO section questions

• Who will be involved in the formal and informal leadership functions of the organization or team, which roles and people who fill those roles? Who is responsible for making decisions?

• Who will the determine the team structure or design?

• Who will be assigned to the roles established in the “What” section of this agreement

• Who will be responsible for the processes or functions which run across the organization, crossing role and division boundaries so that horizontal integration happens? How will the expert in each of these processes or functions be identified?

• Who will be responsible for the development and delivery of the products which run across the organization, crossing role and division boundaries so that horizontal integration happens? How will the expert in each of these products be identified?


What is included in the WHO section?

WHO section questions

• Which members of the team are primarily responsible for coordination of activities, meetings, and administrative demands?

• What other groups do we need to interact with to implement the “WHO” section of this agreement?

• Who will have signing authority?

• Who will be responsible for communicating the team structure, team progress, the reporting structure, etc.?


How section questions

• How will the organization or team be designed? What will the reporting structure, etc.?

• What will be the team’s interaction norms?

• How will the team manage conflicts between and among members?

• How will the team prioritize its work? When conflicts arise, what norms will guide the reasoning and decision making of team members?

• How will team members share information internally and what information can be shared externally and with whom?

• How will the organization or team members integrate and collaborate with each other and with groups external to the team?

• How will the organization or team members make decisions? What will be the degrees of freedom – empowerment – each role will have to make decisions?

• What standards will be established for the organization, the team and for individual members – both technically and interpersonally?

40

What is included in the HOW section?

Office of Human Capital, Organization and Leadership Development Office, Marshall Space Flight Center, February, 2011

How section questions

• What are the reporting requirements within the team, with project management and with groups external to the project?

• How will the work be conducted or flow through the organization? What are the major work or value streams for which the team is accountable and how will these be monitored? What work processes will be put in place to manage the chartered work?

• How will the organization, team, and individuals grow and improve professionally, culturally, and personally?

• How will the organization ensure that it is monitoring and responding to changes in the internal and external environment? Staying adaptable?

• How will the project, team, organization meet and maintain procedural, policy, and regulatory requirements?

• How will communication with entities outside the team, project or organization be handled? Other Centers Organizations? Other NASA Centers? Level II, HQ? Primes & Partners? Public/Media? HR Information Requests? Other?

• With what other groups, organizations or individuals must we integrate to implement the decisions we have made in this section of the Agreement? 41

What is included in the HOW section?

Office of Human Capital, Organization and Leadership Development Office, Marshall Space Flight Center, February, 2011

What is included in the When section?

When section questions

• Where will the team reside? Is it commiserate of the organization’s / project team’s structure or design?

• Where will the team reside in correlation to its customer?

• Where will any formal documentation take place?

• Is there space for a war room, team meetings, training, etc?

• Is the location accessible to all core and matrixed team members?

• Is there space available for confidential and SBU project documentation?


Information Sources

• Project Success and Failure: What Is Success, What Is Failure, and How Can You Improve Your Odds for Success? Robert Frese, System Analysis and Dr. Vicki Sauter, UM-St. Louis, December 16, 2003.

• My Management Guide - MyMG | Project Management Failure or Steps to Fail a Project Copyright -

Mary Lewinson [email protected].

• Gov't failures: Engineering brain drain and bad leadership. Michael Krigsman | June 27, 2008. http://www.zdnet.com/blog/projectfailures/govt-failures-engineering-brain-drain-and-bad-leadership/863

• Using Audits to Prevent Catastrophic Project Failure Paul Dorsey, Dulcian, Inc.

• Project Management Failure: Why Projects Fail. Project Management Best Practices Release 4.1 Chapter 4. http://www.databasedesign-resource.com/project-management-failure.html

• The Project Start-up Conundrum Authors: Lynda Bourne and Patrick Weaver www.mosaicprojects.com.au/Resources_Papers_003.ht

• Failed IT Projects (The Human Factor). Sheila Wilson. University of Maryland Bowie State University. 16

May 1998 • Project Failure—The Numbers, Why, and What It Means. Featured Authors - Jim Brown & Thompson -

June 11, 2005. Originally published - September 20, 2004.

• Office of Government Commerce, Trevelyan House, 26-30 Great Peter Street, London SWIP 2BY. http://www.ogc.gov.uk/documents/cp0015.pdf

• IT Cortex Research. Project Failure Statistics http://it-cortex.com/Stat_Failure_Cause.htmOffice of Human Capital, Organization and Leadership Development Office, Marshall Space Flight Center, February, 2011 43

mailto:[email protected]

http://www.zdnet.com/blog/projectfailures/govt-failures-engineering-brain-drain-and-bad-leadership/863

http://www.zdnet.com/blog/projectfailures/govt-failures-engineering-brain-drain-and-bad-leadership/863

http://www.databasedesign-resource.com/project-management-failure.html

http://www.mosaicprojects.com.au/Company_People.html#Lynda

http://www.mosaicprojects.com.au/Company_People.html#Patrick

http://www.mosaicprojects.com.au/Resources_Papers_003.ht

http://www.ogc.gov.uk/documents/cp0015.pdf

http://it-cortex.com/Stat_Failure_Cause.htm