Constructing an effective IT team

Margy Ross (President of the Kimball Group, founded by the father of DW) wrote a great article called "Risky Project Resources are Risky Business."  She was focused specifically on DW/BI projects, but I think her article applies to all effective teams, and I want to pass it on. 

Risky Project Resources are Risky Business

Over the years, we’ve worked with countless exemplary DW/BI project team members: smart, skilled, dedicated, and motivated, coupled with a healthy dose of mutual trust, respect, and camaraderie with their teammates. Teams with members who possess these characteristics tend to fire on all cylinders, with the resulting whole often greater than the sum of the parts. But we’ve also run into risky project resources; in addition to being individual non-contributors, they can undermine the effectiveness of the entire DW/BI team. Model team members often become short-timers if the team is stacked with unproductive non-performers. We hope your team doesn’t include resources that resemble the following profiles:

• Obstructionist debaters are perpetual naysayers who find fault with everything and get more satisfaction from the process of debating than the process of delivering.

• Heat seekers who are always anxious to try the latest, greatest technical gadgets and gizmos regardless of whether they align with the DW/BI project’s objectives.

• Cookie cutters continue to do exactly what’s worked for them in the past, regardless of their latest assignment’s nuances.

• Weed dwellers lose sight of the forest from the trees, focusing exclusively on the nitty-gritty details without regard to the bigger picture.

• Perpetual students and researchers want to read, read, and then read some more, but are disinclined to ever take action because there’s always more to learn.

• Independent spirits march to their own drummer without regard to rules, standards or accepted best practices.

• Honesty dodgers and problem hiders are always nodding “yes” and saying “no problem,” even when serious issues are lurking just around the corner.

• Dysfunctional incompetents and mental retirees are checked out and unable to perform.

• Self-declared “know it all” experts don’t need to listen because they already have all the answers – just ask them!

• Threatened worriers are so paralyzed with fear about what might happen that they respond by doing nothing at all.

Of course, even with superstar teammates, the right team leadership is also necessary. Hopefully your DW/BI project/program manager fits the following bill:

• Establishes a partnership with the business, including joint ownership for the DW/BI project/program, in part because they’re respected by the business as being user-oriented rather than technology-focused.

• Demonstrates excellent interpersonal and organizational skills since the DW/BI project/program is a political and cultural animal.

• Recruits and retains resources with the talent to deliver, gets them operating cohesively from a common playbook, and understands that adding more mediocre players won’t increase the team’s chances of winning. Conversely, they also spot individuals who are slowing down the effort and proactively counsel them (or at least minimize the risk of project derailment.)

• Listens keenly, plus communicates effectively and honestly, setting appropriate expectations and having the courage to say “no” when necessary.

• Optimally possesses some DW/BI domain expertise, in addition to strong project management skills. At a minimum, they’re staying one chapter ahead of the project team in The Data Warehouse Lifecycle Toolkit…

• Understands that DW/BI success is directly tied to business acceptance. Period.