Introduction

This topic discusses the process of team formation. This is not the mechanics of how do you select people to be on a team, but what stages do teams go through between the team being formed, and it becoming a cohesive, effective team. Teams do not instantly become productive. There are phases where team members begin to learn about each other, their strengths, skills, and weaknesses. There are several dimensions that a team needs to address before it can become effective.

Learning Outcomes

• Describe the stages that teams go through from initial formation to being an effective team.
• Describe the characteristics that a team must possess for it to be highly effective.
• Describe strategies to resolve conflicts within a team.
• List the elements of project work that your instructor will use to evaluate your individual contributions to the project.

Study Resources

For your study of this topic, use these resources.

Video Lessons

• Manage team forming and storming stages (4:38) and Take the team from norming to performing
  (3:07) from Scrum: Advanced by Kelley O'Connell on LinkedIn.com available through the RIT Library. Even though these two videos discuss team evolution with a perspective of a Scrum Master mentor, who you will not have, the ideas are all relevant for moving your self-managed team from formation to delivering results. Note the emphasis on all team members being commited to the team and the team being committed to delivering value to the customer. These are key tenets of Agile software development. Without it, Agile software development does not work.
• Discussion of the four stages of Tuckman's stages of group development: Forming stage (3:31) Storming stage (3:52) Norming stage (3:54) Performing stage (2:59) by Izzy Gesell in Building Your Team on LinkedIn.com available through the RIT Library.
• Understanding conflict: Name, blame, claim (2:57) from Conflict Resolution Foundations by Linda Gates on LinkedIn.com available through the RIT Library.

Web Articles and Blogs

• Navigating the Five Levels of Conflict - The Agile Way
• Team Toxins and Team Conflict
• Conflict and Resolution in the Agile World

Books

• Chapter 10 - The Importance of Teamwork, and in Scrum in Action: Agile Software Project Management and Development, by Andrew Pham and Phuong-Van Pham available on Skillsoft through the RIT Library
NOTE: RIT-SkillSoft is not longer available.

If you have trouble finding a resource try to find the replacement in O'Reilly or LinkedIn and notify your instructor about the problem AND a possible solution link.

YOU MUST FOLLOW these instructions at the moment to be able to get in until SSO is fixed: O'Reilly access for RIT


• The Five Dysfunctions of A Team in The Five Dysfunctions of a Team by Patrick Lencioni available on Skillsoft through the RIT Library
• Chapter 3 - Approaches to Conflict, and in Resolving Conflict: Ten Steps for Turning Negatives to Positives by Harold Scharlatt available on Skillsoft through the RIT Library

Wikipedia

• Tuckman's stages of group development
• Lencioni's Five Dysfunctions of a Team

Class Lecture

• Team Formation

Exercises

Before-Class Exercises

• Team formation - quiz: Read all the books sections, and watch the two Scrum: Advanced videos and the four Building Your Team videos. By the time indicated in the schedule for your class section complete the Team formation quiz in the myCourses quiz area.

During/After Class - Ask instructor

• Team formation survey - individual: By the time specified on the schedule BUT ONLY AFTER DIRECTIONS from your instructor, proceed to fill out the following survey. PLEASE make sure to select your corresponding class section, and double check your answers before submission. You will need to be authenticate with RIT credentials. Complete all sections of the Team Formation survey.

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