December 2009
The Right Stuff – Why Some IT Teams Succeed?
The last day of the year has dawned and I was struck by a fundamental question as an IT executive: “What makes some IT teams really excel and succeed where others fail?”
This thought came to me as I reflected on the huge successes this year with my own team of 12 staff –
- Convergemag.com – site completely redesigned from the ground up and launched on the Clickability.com platform. The new site was recognized as one of the top 10 great media sites in 2009 by BtoB Media Business.
- Emergencymgmt.com – a new site split out from Govtech.com and launched as a standalone website on the Clickability.com platform. The site was awarded a Bronze Digital Azbee Award for Best New Website in 2009!
- Centerdigitaled.com – the site was completely redesigned from the ground up and launched on the Clickability.com platform.
- Erepublic.com – the site was updated with a fresh look and launched on the Clickability.com platform.
- Navigatorgov.com – SaaS product completely re-designed and re-built from the ground up on the in-house developed proprietary CMS and API (the Node Mesh). See Navigator Product Launch post for more details.
- Navigatored.com – SaaS product completely re-designed and re-built from the ground up on the in-house developed proprietary CMS and API (the Node Mesh). See Navigator Product Launch post for more details.
Yes, it was a banner year for the IT department! But, back to my original question, why this success? Was it because I am a great executive? No. Was it because of strategic and tactical planning? No, not really. Was I blessed with perfect project management? Again, no.
There is a very fundamental reason why some teams succeed and others fail. Yes, there are many, many factors which make an IT project successful but if this one factor is missing then everything will be for naught. The reason can be summed up in a single concept:
TEAMS SUCCEED WHERE THERE IS EXCELLENT TEAMWORK
This may seem too obvious and of course one needs teamwork in a team. But, let’s take a closer look. Every successful organization or team you have ever witnessed has had fantastic organization and teamwork. Have you ever seen a football team win the Super Bowl and not be just an amazingly coordinated team? That teamwork did not just spring from the ground and appear – it was created by each of the team members working in coordination with one another.
Teams are not just a group of people – they are individuals working together to achieve a common purpose.
Thus, as an executive or manager, one must work with and grant beingness to individuals vs the whole group as just one big mass, and ensure that everyone on the team has the same purpose. If this is not done then there are a lot of wasted actions, staff feeling left out or not noticed, staff having their own agendas, work being re-done, etc., etc.
Since teams are built from individuals, you must ensure that you have GREAT staff on your team. Do not compromise when looking for new talent and just accept whatever the market has to offer! Keep looking and find those really great staff and hire them. Building your team with excellent staff is half the battle.
If you have staff which are a liability to the team then that is a real problem and you should work with HR on how to handle it, fast!
Given a team with great staff then you need to really drive home a common purpose for the group. This is done in various ways but it will always consist of clear communication on the goals and purposes for the group and reinforced regularly. Here are some ideas on this:
- Strategic plans adopted by management and communicated to all members on the team (see my post Building Bridges with IT Governance).
- Tactical plans hashed out on how and when the items in the strategic plan(s) will be carried out.
- Regular team and project meetings to review the plans.
- Excellent processes in place to ensure a smooth working environment for the team (see my post How to Make an IT Department Efficient).
In summary, if one really treats a group as individuals with a common purpose and just reinforces this over and over with good organization then you will have a top-flight team that really has the Right Stuff!
Related articles
