6 Common Symptoms of an Underperforming Team
Recognizing when teams are underperforming is critical to business success. If a team is not hitting the mark, the likely outcomes include unsatisfied customers, disgruntled employees, delayed growth, reduced profit, and excessive time to market – overall lagging business results. There are tell-tail signs of a team in trouble – once you know how to identify them, it is possible to make needed adjustments and accelerate overall performance of the team and your company. Below are a few of the signs to watch for, ordered from team formation to project execution.
1. The team leader is not clearly identified. Teams are established in many ways, sometimes via management’s advance planning but other times spontaneously, such as when a big issue suddenly arises. When these spontaneous project teams form, there is a propensity for people to start working without naming a leader to coordinate the team, actions, and communication. This often results in chaos. Have you seen a customer emergency situation without a clear leader defined? It happens far too often. It’s much more effective to briefly pause and structure the team properly with all needed functions and sites represented, and of course to name the leader. The leader could come from any of a variety of functional groups in these situations. Don’t chose the leader based on the function they happen to perform; select the team leader based on the talents required to maximize the chances of success. Determine, for example, whether customer communication, technical knowledge, or organizational skills are the priority and select accordingly. Note that team leadership can (and should) be formally handed off as the issue evolves and different skill needs come to the fore.
2. Roles within the team are not defined or not clear. Roles within a team can develop based on many factors, including the type of team (e.g., problem solving, corrective action, new product development, continuous improvement, change management, etc.), its goals, the progress along the project plan, and the specific functions and activities involved. Best practice is establishment of a RASCI chart describing the default standard for each functional role. RASCI stands for Responsible (owner of a task or activity), Accountable (owner of overall project, control over allocating relevant resources), Supporting (providing assistance), Consulting (providing advice/guidance), Informed (need to be kept in the loop). RASCI’s help ensure everyone understands what’s expected of themselves and others when teams form. Having such a structure will allow all employees to follow a standard protocol, moving faster and reducing churn. However, please note that RASCI’s are just a starting guide. It is perfectly acceptable to team members to agree to blur or cross the lines on the RASCI when it makes sense to do so.
3. Action items and milestones are unclear. We frequently see team leader’s action lists that are unfocused, too long, or not sufficiently well-defined to drive action. Action lists should show the overarching plan for an entire project but individual actions should be very crisply defined. It’s critically important to include periodic milestone checkpoints to drive progress for each team member (we find weekly works best for most projects, but sometimes daily is required for very urgent issues). Action item lists that have targets set too far in the future often result in missed deadlines – people lose track without the reminder of an imminent deliverable. A balance must be struck: The team leader should be managing the critical upcoming deliverables and holding the team members accountable to deliver on time and with adequate quality, but they mustn’t fall into the trap of trying to micromanage everyone. There are several steps to improving team and project management execution (part of a specific CAEDENCE workshop, reach out for more details).
4. Team members stepping backwards instead of jumping in to tackle tough actions or assignments. We’ve all worked on a school project with that one person who doesn’t help at all; it stinks being one of the team members who actually cares. Guess what? Unfortunately, the same thing sometimes happens in almost all businesses. Poorly performing teams frequently have ‘passengers’, team members quietly listening without participating, not offering many inputs or actions. This can be highly de-motivating for the other colleagues. Teams like these can drift into stagnation, with people backing away from critical actions, not ‘jumping into the fire’ to tackle tough assignments, speak up, or lead. There are many reasons why someone might not help on the team. They might be afraid of the challenge itself, not recognize the tasks as their job, they might not have the necessary skills, or they might have competing priorities. Step one is communication – talk to the person one-on-one to clarify expectations, understand their concerns, and rearrange priorities if needed. If the issue persists, one of the best strategies is to make it more apparent: have team members present their updates at team meetings, set visible milestones for them to hit, have them present to management (or even customers) versus hiding behind others. If you still don’t see improvement, involve the passenger’s manager to support or coach them, or directly coach up their leadership skills yourself. If the situation persists, escalating the complaint to their management may be necessary.
5. Best practices not being followed (or unclear, or nonexistent). I recently saw this quote from American author Brandon Mull, “Smart people learn from their mistakes. But the real sharp ones learn from the mistakes of others.” Strong teams don’t reinvent the wheel, they take advantage of the known best ways of doing things. If you see repeat issues in the same areas, “solving” the same problems again and again, these are signs that the team is not following a set of best practices. Is this a gap in company structure and training, or are individuals not seeking out the current practices? Without a systems-thinking culture, this problem will arise very quickly. Codifying the learning of various teams (both inside and outside your business/industry) and effectively deploying that learning pays off handsomely. Instituting things like structured problem-solving, standardized change management protocols, stage gate new product development, defined customer communication methods, and many other kinds of tools and templates can save huge amounts of time, effort, and resources. (CAEDENCE can lead your systems deployment or updates using years of documented best practices, see here for more info).
6. Results are falling short. Are milestones slipping on key projects? Do you see customers upset or lacking confidence in the team? Are the team’s KPIs (Key Process Indicators) behind typical performance for the broader business? Monitor outcomes and start digging into why the results are lagging. Managers should regularly monitor performance and step in to change the outcome if the team is headed ‘off the rails’. First, look for evidence of the other 5 symptoms to pinpoint the problem. Next, help the team overcome the gap through coaching or training, or investigate other ways to address the problem. Finally, continue to monitor performance by either attending some of the team meetings or asking for periodic reviews. (CAEDENCE can help you establish KPIs and dashboards well as defining remedial actions.)
In summary, it is vital to periodically assess team performance. Use the 6 symptoms of an underperforming team to recognize how a team is functioning. Take needed actions to close the gaps. Are you recognizing these symptoms and taking necessary actions to address them? If you need help to spot team disfunctions, actively coach a struggling team, or provide training to avoid or overcome these pitfalls, reach out to CAEDENCE – we can help!
Don’t be fooled by the latest fad in project management, Agile. Agile is pitched as a revolutionary method, but the fact is, it simply DOES NOT GET THE RESULTS that visual waterfall approaches do. Period.
We see team after team fail using Agile methods, for very specific reasons. Let’s look at the 6 painful TRUTHs of using Agile methods. You don't need the latest fad, you need to use the best practices to manage a project to completion.
Problem-solving methods haven’t changed in over 20 years, and some methods have been around for 30-50 years without significant improvement. CAEDENCE has released a novel improvement to problem-solving that overcomes shortfalls in existing methods.
Applicable to all structured problem-solving approaches, Visual 8D™ enables teams to execute the familiar problem-solving steps (with no additional effort), while capturing plans and progress in easy-to-follow diagrams. Visual 8D™ puts teams in the position of providing answers to management and customer questions before being asked, resulting in improved control of the situation and minimizing time wasted on extraneous actions.
Being action-oriented is a good thing, right? Well, yes and no. There's a big difference between learning and adjusting quickly ("failing fast") and wasting time and resources by "rushing off half cocked".
Executives and teams alike are eager to be (and be seen) "doing something", but they often fail to recognize the distinction between 'activity' and 'progress'. As a result, they act upon the first reasonable idea that comes along. The trouble with acting on the first reasonable idea is twofold. First, there might have been much better ideas, and second, once you start working on the first idea, you stop looking for the better ones. Outcomes are often sub-optimal – problems not solved, product not launched, etc.
Want to dramatically improve your team's odds of achieving consistently strong outcomes? Next time everyone's ready to run with the first reasonable idea, set aside just 30 minutes and challenge the group with this 3-step process.
I was asked to take over the redesign project as lead engineer after a team from another site had struggled and failed to meet the financial target. The assignment came with one condition (which, in hindsight, should have been a big red flag): “Don’t let the original leader know he’s not in charge anymore, we need to keep him engaged.” If I had it to do over again, I’m quite certain we could have delivered on the goal in half the time if team leadership had been clearly defined.
Management made several fundamental errors with this team: (1) They should have recognized the original project was not on track and intervened to course-correct much sooner. (2) They should have trusted the original team leader to act professionally and contribute despite being displaced, rather than feel it necessary to deceive him. (3) They should have made the leadership responsibilities unambiguous to everyone involved.
Some years ago, a bright young engineer was assigned to my group. He was very capable, energetic, and technically sharp, but a bit “rough around the edges” when it came to dealing with people. My job was to “polish the diamond-in-the-rough”, to teach him the soft skills he would need to succeed. I provided one-on-one feedback after attending his meetings to help him see how his abrasive style was holding him back, and to offer some alternative ways of communicating that would not only get the tasks done but also nurture long-term allies who would want to help him again in the future.
While there are a lot of great leadership techniques and tips out there, it turns out there is no magic bullet that works every time for every situation. You have to apply the best practices with consistency and integrity. You have to build environments of trust and common purpose. You have to measure and check. Doing so will not guarantee success, but it will stack the deck in your favor, maximizing your chances of succeeding.
Continuous improvement in a business is not a one-time action. It comes from a series of smaller actions taken over a long period of time. Driving improvement requires steadfast attention and a drive to achieve excellence. It can take months or years to make permanent improvements and change a culture. In your projects and initiatives, are you keeping your ‘foot on the gas’ to change the long-term outcomes?
Executing an effective cost reduction initiative goes beyond simply identifying a need, communicating a dollar value, and holding workshops. Cost reduction initiatives must start with a broader review of gap areas across the entire enterprise (considering existing and acquired sites) and definition of the future state goals. Buy-in must be secured among the key stakeholders and participants. The steps and metrics needed to ensure engagement before, and accountability beyond, the initiative kickoff must be planned.
Why are ideas cheap? Supply and demand – there are lots of ideas out there – everyone fancies themself an innovator, the supply far outstrips the demand. BUT, coming up with a good idea is only 1% of the success of a business. The hard part remains….
Why does execution matter more? Once an idea is created, there are hundreds of steps needed to turn it into a viable product backed by a viable business model. Driving rigor at speed through the product development, marketing and sales, pre-launch, and production ramp processes is what will make your business successful.
If you've got a favorite way of communicating (perhaps by text, email, or in-person) that you use most of the time, you are undermining the effectiveness of your communication! If you've ever been frustrated that your team or manager isn't taking action on what you've told them must be done – this post & infographic is for you.
Not all modes of communication are created equal. The way you communicate should be selected based on 3 situational factors: who you're communicating with, the gravity of your message, the outcome you're trying to achieve. Choosing the the mode appropriate to your purpose will greatly enhance the impact of your messaging. Choosing the wrong mode can undermine what you're trying to accomplish by communicating.
