Verzuh, Erick (2005), Chapters 10, 11, and 14

Verzuh, Ch. 10
High-Performance Project Team

The High-Performance Project Team chapter is rich with useful information, especially that any project can not succeed without a having a lawful enthusiastic team members.
Therefore, building high-performance teams should have a realistic strong framework including three area that should complement each other, and there is no possibility that one strong component can compensate a weak component. The framework should have an arch structure. (Verzuh 2005, p 237)
One of the components is the positive team environment; it “increases performance through more productive work habits” (Verzuh 2005, p 237). This is valuable and applicable in all kind of teams. The positive environment and the stability of a homogeneous collaborating team can be also reached after going through four development stages: Forming, Storming, Norming and Performing. This concept is very important that all team leaders should be aware of these stages to be able to communicate with their team members and work with them to cross the first three stages to reach the most desirable for production and accomplishment, it is the performing stage. At the DLI, the importance of this concept is reflected by one week training for the team leaders.
Understanding the importance of the team, other tips mentioned in this chapter are important to enhance the team performance, especially that teamwork includes team meeting. These tips give the guidelines for effective meetings as well making listening during these meeting active.
As I mentioned before, this chapter is rich in ideas needed for projects success.



Verzuh, Ch. 11

Communication

In this chapter we find an emphasis on the importance of communication. The project manager is selected based on certain qualifications; one of them is the possession of the communication skills. This is certain the most needed skill at the beginning of any project; good communication smooth the field when some difficulties raise up, and help in connecting the team member together and help them to go through the development stages of the team. Reaching the performance stage in any team is a result of the hard work of a project manager who is gifted in sending and receiving massages and work order. He/she is able to well communicate face-to face as well via mail, and do not tolerate any space for a misunderstanding. Any hard feeling between the team player can delay the work process and affect the results. In my project, good communication is one of the most important pieces of the project infrastructure, without a good communication between the designer, the trainer and the trainees, the project will fail and the DLI students are the one who will loose the expected benefits of the teachers training.

Verzuh, Ch. 14

Solving Common Project Problems

By reading Verzuh, Erick (2005), The Fast Forward MBA in Project Management. Second edition. Hoboken, New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons, Inc., We learned many principles and rules to manage successfully a project. In this chapter, we find a summary of the needed rules in the project management; they were mentioned throughout the book, and it is beneficial to put them together one more time. The five factors that make a successful project:
“Agreement among the project team, customer, and management on the goals of the project
A plan that shows an overall path and clear responsibilities, which is also used to measure progress during the project
Constant, effective communication between everyone involved in the project
A controlled scope
Management support”. (Verzuh, Erick 2005, p 377)

We went trough these details earlier, but it is not bad to repeat that all projects need to include these factors for their success.