CS3007A Software Project Management

Problem Sheet 9

Lecturer: Dr Robert Macredie

E-mail: Robert.Macredie@brunel.ac.uk,

Introduction

In the ninth session we talked about aspects of team management, looking at both team managers and team members. We developed reasons to explain the importance of teams with respect to SPM, and looked closely at what we mean by the word 'team'. We then went on to briefly examine a range of theories that can help us understand aspect of team formation (Tuckman's work) and management (Weber, McGregor, Likert and Etzioni) and explored their relation to team performance.

Learning Outcomes

The learning outcomes for the problem sheet are as follows:


(i)     you should be able to explain the importance of teams to effective SPM;

(ii)    you should be able to critically discuss the nature of teams and the 
        impact that team leaders and team members may have on 
        team performance;

(iii)   you should be able to explain, using appropriate examples, how 
        the composition of a team can affect its performance;

(iv)    you should be able to describe different theories relevant to 
        team management;

(iv)   you should be able to explain TuckmanÕs model of team formation, 
        critically discussing each stage in his model;

Questions

(i)     Why are teams important in the effective management of a 
        software project?

(ii)    How does a 'team' differ from a 'group'?  Why are categorisations 
        such as that provided by Belbin important in helping us assemble 
        teams instead of groups?

(iii)   To what extent, and in what ways, can the composition of a 
        team determine its performance? Give examples to support 
        your answers. 

(iv)    Briefly explain the relevance of the following management theories 
        to team management in SPM: Weber's theory of authority; 
        McGregor's X-Y theory; Likert's theory of leadership; and Etzioni's 
        matrix of compliance.  Provide examples of the impact that effectively 
        exploiting each theory might have on SPM.  

(v)    Briefly describe the characteristics of each of Tuckman's stages in 
        team development.  Why is this theory important to SPM?

I would encourage you to work in groups of around five for this and subsequent exercises.

Robert Macredie

21 November 1998