MUTUAL RESPECT
Team members will inevitably come from different professional backgrounds. Each should be an expert in his or her respective field and that expertise must be acknowledged and respected by the others. An “all-star” team is a collaboration of peers in which all skills are equally necessary for success. In fact, the crosspollination of different perspectives is one of the most powerful advantages of teams.

A LARGER COMMITMENT TO THE PROJECT
Everyone in the group will win or lose together. It’s not possible for just one element of a project to succeed in isolation. The goals of the individuals involved must be in sync with the group’s goals. Different intended outcomes will lead to failure.

A SHARED UNDERSTANDING OF THE PROCESS
Design teams need a common framework and shared language for working together. Effective collaboration requires a commitment to shared methodology, terminology, and milestones. The process will include open critiques with all members participating—the goal is to identify and develop the very best ideas from all sources.

OPEN COMMUNICATION
Along the way, it’s vital to maintain positive and effective communication and a commitment to rapid and fair conflict resolution. Projects do benefit from creative tension, but not from personal conflicts. When differences arise, they must be acknowledged and addressed. This takes even-handed intervention by the team leader, active facilitation by the project manager, and a strong group commitment to resolving problems. The team leader must keep critiques from becoming personal. All members should receive frequent feedback on task performance from the leader and other team members, and constructive suggestions whenever change is needed.

MONITORING PROGRESS DAILY AND WEEKLY
Most design projects involve a lot of meetings and information sharing. On big projects, it’s typical to have a quick daily huddle to address pending deadlines or emergencies. There will also be a more comprehensive weekly meeting that is organized by the project manager and guided by the team leader. Even though digital technologies make it possible to collaborate remotely, on a fast-moving project there is no substitute for being in the same room and negotiating activities face-to-face.

To respect everyone’s schedule, keep it short and simple. In the meeting, state what has changed and what has been achieved. Be sure to recognize positive behaviors, results, and contributions, and include bad news, if there is any. This is a chance for the group to correct any miscommunications, clear the air if necessary, and refocus its energies. (However, the team leader will have to make a judgment call if a serious personal problem has come up with an individual team member. It may be best to remember the old adage about praising publicly and criticizing privately.) Input should be solicited from every team member and each should have an opportunity to contribute. At the end of the meeting, summarize the decisions that have been made and the follow-up actions that are needed. For each action item, identify the person responsible and the date when it must be completed. There must be personal accountability for results.

Whenever possible, keep progress visible. Display the latest iterations of the creative work and any other important documentation such as research findings and brand strategy documents. Post charts that show the burn rate on budgets and updated schedules that remind everyone of important milestones and deadlines. There should be one central repository for project information. It could be an intranet site, but it’s more beneficial if the team has a shared physical space. Many industrial design firms set up a workroom where all of the materials related to a large project can be left spread out. All team meetings take place there. If the materials are confidential and must be protected when the team is away, the workroom will have a door that can be locked. Having a shared space enables the team to work in close physical proximity, which increases interaction and encourages camaraderie.

A JOB WELL DONE

At the end of a project, the team delivers the completed work to the client or hands it off to a third party such as a printing company for implementation. As soon as that happens, all team resources are reassigned. This raises a very important psychological issue. To stay in business, each design firm must line up a constant stream of assignments. The master schedule is kept very tight so that as soon as one ends, everyone is immediately shifted to the next. However, it can be frustrating if there is never a moment’s pause to savor what the team has accomplished together. This can damage staff morale and contribute to burnout.

At the very least, the full team should have one final meeting to conduct a postmortem review of the completed project. This is an opportunity to evaluate the finished work in light of its success criteria. It’s a chance to discuss what went well and what didn’t, and to learn from any failures. In a large firm, there should also be a way of sharing what you learn with the rest of the organization, so that you’re creating a culture of learning for the overall company. For staff members, there should also be a way to include feedback on team play in their performance evaluations. This encourages personal and professional growth.

At the conclusion of a large or difficult project, it’s also important to satisfy the very human needs for emotional closure and a sense of completion. There are many ways to recognize and reward the team: a small event or celebration, a team photograph, a personal memento, or perhaps a personal note of thanks from the team leader. All of these are effective ways of closing the loop and can have a big impact on morale. They mark the conclusion of a shared experience, send a clear message that the effort was worthwhile, and create positive motivation for future efforts.