Project Teams And Leadership

bitchinsahsa says : Hello all,

I am new here and was wondering if I could ask for some help.

I am currently in my fourth year of a Software Engineering degree and I have
to deliver a presentation for Software Project Management on the following:

Many programmers view group development & team building with scepticism…They were selected for their programming skills – not their social skills, for coding more than cooperation” Discuss.

I am looking for a few opinions from, specifically, project managers on how
important teamwork is in delivering a project on time and within cost. I am
just looking for a few points of view from people that are involved in proj
ect management so I can compare my feelings and opinions so I can deliver wh
at will hopefully be a balanced and well argued presentation!

Any help that you are willing to offer me will be much appreciated :)

bas says : Hia,

Your question is an easy one to answer, I can throw all the cliches towards you and they all be true: a good team is more than the sum of the individuals, a good and motivated team can beat all odds. (easy and open communication).

However, you cannot "force" people into teamwork. If there is mutual respect and openess is rewarded the stuff comes naturally.

Teamwork is not a goal on its own. The lone wolf developer that programs alone at night can be highly productive and valuable for the project team, without being physically in the team. :o

It is the role of the project manager to manage all the individuals into the right balance / mix.

Hope this helps something, you see, it is not a black/white topic :D

Cheers
Bas

soma says : I am also a student studying Project Management.
I am looking at how game developers in particular handle people issues with a project.
People seem to be such an intangble resource and formal PM methodologies do not cover these variables.
I study a general Computing degree but have covered some topics such as group dynamics and social networks within the knowledge management area.

If I can help, I will!
Looking forward to seeing what post appear as they can help me too?