Forming a Team? 4 Questions to Ask Before Doing So
By Terence Lee

A project or challenge arises and many people, without giving much thinking and consideration, immediately form a team or committee to solve problems and implement the solutions. Teams can be a very effective mechanism to achieve improvements or new frontiers, however forming a team isn’t always the right answer to every situation. In order for us to achieve the best possible results from the resources available, it is important that a decision maker answer a question they typically don’t ask - “Is a team the best way to address this situation?”

Unfortunately, when they assume the answer to that first question they jump to “Who should I select to be in the team?” When we start there, we may have already doomed the organization to less than the perfect solution, before they even get started. Here are four questions to help us answer this important first question.

Is the goal or target clear? If the goal or target isn’t clear yet, don’t form a team. A team can develop a problem statement and solve a problem, but any team can’t work successfully (at least not quickly and efficiently) with a goal that isn’t clearly communicated or articulated. Once the goal or target is clear, only then can we continue on with the rest of the questions.

Will the team have the resources they need to succeed? We may be the person who is required or responsible to provide those resources, or we may need to negotiate for them. Teams need to know what resources they have in terms of time, budget, competencies, support and more. While a lack of resources will challenge people and teams to be creative and innovative, there is a limit to this perception. Teams will falter and struggle without the necessary resources to succeed, and proceeding without such resources may lead to massive frustration and low productivity.

Does this task really require a team? This is perhaps the biggest of the questions. We all value collaboration and teamwork, but they don’t have to go together instantaneously. Collaboration can be achieved without a team by assigning or selecting a person to coordinate the task or tasks, and encourage others with valuable input and experience to collaborate and assist when it is required. We need to understand that there is a difference between putting people on a team and requiring them to assist on an as-needed basis. When we remember that we can foster collaboration without a team we allow ourself to really answer this question successfully.

What is the relative importance? Not all projects or problems are equal. It is important to consider the relative importance of a task or situation before dedicating lots of resources to it. Think about our overall plan and our people resources. See where this fits into our big picture before we decide to form a team, versus assigning it to a single person to manage.

Last updated - 1 June 2006