But even the most charismatic and self-reliant people are not working in a vacuum. Team management is always instrumental in any major project. The truth is that teamwork is the shoulder on which all major successes rest. Whether that be the building of the pyramids in Egypt or the dominance of Apple in the marketplace.

But don’t take our word for it. There are many teamwork examples throughout history. We cherry-picked 12 of our favorite inspirational examples of teamwork as it applies to a variety of circumstances. It won’t be long before you’re won over by the benefits of teamwork and collaboration.

If you’re looking to level up your teamwork capabilities, see how ProjectManager’s award-winning software can assist you. Regardless of how your team prefers to work, ProjectManager can help facilitate real-time collaboration. From Gantt charts to kanban boards to task lists, we have a range of project management tools to keep you productive during all stages of your project.

1. The Beatles, Live in Hamburg

Everyone knows the Beatles. They defined the 1960s, moving from the Mersey Beat that made them a boy band that the girls loved to folk and psychedelic rock, inventing new genres seemingly with ease. Their music is the soundtrack of an era and continues to influence musicians to this day. But those are the flowers that grew from the dirt. That fertile soil that nourished and sustained them was far from their Liverpool home.

During the very early 1960s, before any radio play and Beatlemania wasn’t yet a word, they were the house band for a ruckus portside bar in Hamburg, Germany, called the Kaiserkeller. There they had to play for hours and hours, stretching three-minute pop songs into 20-minute jam sessions. It was in this crucible, that the four soon-to-be mop tops bonded musically. It was through live performances that they learned to put on a show, according to George Harrison on the Beatles Anthology DVD. This is clear evidence that the Beatles’ success can be attributed to such teamwork examles along their career.

The magic of the Beatles is that four individuals learned through intense and extended live sessions to play as one, to anticipate each other and develop an almost intuitive communication. That set the stage which allowed their songwriting gifts to flourish. It was teamwork, plain and simple, that gave the Beatles the musical chops to develop their potential.

2. The Miracle on Ice

The United States upset victory over the Russian hockey team in the 1980s Olympics was called the “Miracle on Ice” for good reason. The Russian team had dominated the sport for as long as anyone could remember, and in the United States, hockey has always been a second- or third-tier sport. How the 25-year-old team captain Mike Eruzione got his team to bring home the gold and beat the odds-on favorites, the seasoned Soviet team is a most inspirational teamwork example.

Related: Teamwork Quotes: The 25 Best Quotes About Working Together

As a child, Eruzione never thought of himself as a star player; he thought of himself as a team player. He believed success was due not to individuals excelling as much as everyone on the team carrying their own weight and having a strong work ethic. Although at Boston College he didn’t make the cut and was placed on the B team, he was told not to lose confidence.

It was those early lessons in teamwork that helped him gain the respect and trust of the Olympic hockey team. He understood that there were a lot of egos on the team that had to be put aside for the good of the team. Everyone had to feel they were contributing. The backup goalie, Steve Janaszak, never played in the Olympics, but he was as important to the win as anyone. Do you believe in miracles?

3. Apollo 11 Moon Landing

One of the most historic examples of teamwork is the Apollo 11 1969 mission. While the world focused on the three astronauts, Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins, the former two who walked on the moon, most remember only Armstrong and his famous line upon being the first human being to set foot on the satellite: “This is one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.”

However, behind that momentous moment are years of research and teams of people working diligently to do what no one had done before. Mission planners worked for two years prior to launch, studying the moon’s surface using satellite photographs in order to discern the best site for a lunar landing.

Related: See how NASA Uses ProjectManager

According to NASA, there were an estimated 400,000 people involved in making the moon landing possible. This included teams of scientists, engineers and technicians, many who had not worked in aerospace before. To make for a more cohesive team, the astronauts worked with many of these groups, making the human connection that is the blood of any team. So considering all of this, the Apollo 11 moon landing was one of the most massive teamwork examples of the 20th century.

4. Wikipedia

The digital age is defined by teamwork, and one new media company illustrates that more than any other. Wikipedia is everyone’s go-to when they need a quick answer. It’s the library of the internet, a collaborative engine of knowledge that is constantly evolving.

There were once encyclopedias that collected the world’s knowledge, but these are static volumes that are only updated every number of years. Also, what is printed between their covers is not up for debate. If you have a problem with what’s listed, you could write to the editors and maybe even get a response.

But Wikipedia changed that whole paradigm by recruiting an army of volunteer writers and editors who put the facts into its website. This simple but effective and massive example of teamwork is almost incomprehensible in its scope and yet runs surprisingly well. There are mistakes, but the site is built in such a fashion that these anomalies are quickly discovered. Teamwork is essential for Wikipedia because, in a sense, everyone who has ever landed on the site is part of the team.

Related: 30 Fun Team-Building Games for Work

5. The Starbucks Expansion

It might be a joke now (how there’s a Starbucks on every block and soon occupying every storefront), but it wasn’t always like that. In fact, the dominance of Starbucks was never as sure a thing as it looks in retrospect or over its company timeline. Back in the early 1990s, Starbucks chairman and CEO Howard Schultz had opened a few hundred new stores across the United States, but the business was not successful.

The ambitious expansion was hitting problems concerning customer service and a lack of communication between various levels of the company. The company might have brewed a winning cup of joe but their customer service and employee engagement were staler than a pot of yesterday’s coffee.

In 1995, Howard Behar became the president of Starbucks and with him came advancements in company culture. He cultivated a work environment that met the employees’ needs, which in turn inspired them to better serve their customers. It was his belief that it was not the coffee they were selling but the customer experience, which gave Behar the mission statement to rally his teams to work together more effectively.

6. D-Day

D-Day, or the invasion of Normandy, retaking Nazi-occupied France, was the turning point of World War II in Europe. Many things went into the success of D-Day. There’s the logistics management of aligning so many troops and equipment while keeping the whole operation a secret. Naturally, it was also a strategic win for the Allies. But all these parts worked together only because of teamwork.

The beaches of Normandy, which was the spearhead of the invasion, were boobytrapped and obscured by wooden stakes, metal tripods and barbed wire. Casualties were high on that day June 6, but if it wasn’t for beach-cleaning teams they would be higher, according to D-Day: The Battle for Normandy by Antony Beevor.

From the generals on down to the grunts, everyone who sacrificed their lives for the greater good did so because they worked together as a team for ideals that are more important than individuals, which led them to leave their imprint on history, making it one of the most significant teamwork examples on this list. It’s almost impossible to understand how people could place themselves in harm’s way like that, but teamwork makes us bigger in more ways that we can count.

Related: 10 Strategies to Motivate Your Team

7. The Iliad

This oral epic attributed to the Greek poet Homer, which was put down in writing sometime in the 8th century B.C., might be historical, or it might not. It’s hard to say. Historians have debated whether there was in fact a Trojan War or not. So, why include this? Because it might be the granddaddy of all inspirational tales of teamwork.

For one thing, the Iliad shows how difficult teamwork can be and how essential to success it is. The epic underlines the many ways teams can fail and how important it is to steer them to those narrower avenues that lead victory. In the story, Agamemnon disrespects Achilles, his best warrior, taking his slave girl as his own. Needless to add, this creates a great deal of conflict between the two allies. The erosion of trust between the two leads to tragic ends.

Related: The Dangers of Self-Serving Bias at the Workplace

The Iliad is many things, and to simplify it as merely a parable about teamwork would be to do the classic a disservice. That doesn’t mean it shouldn’t be read and appreciated on many levels, including what it can tell us, in the most dramatic ways, about teamwork examples and the importance of not acting selfishly and risking the loyalty of the team.

8. The Growth of Marvel Comics

We’re not talking about the teamwork of fictional Marvel comic creations, such as the Avengers, X-Men or the Fantastic Four, though we could. But more interesting than the superheroes are the super-talented teams that worked to create the comic books that have gone on to movie stardom.

There were writers, like the famous Stan Lee, who often came up with an idea that the penciler, someone like Jack Kirby (Captain America, the Hulk, etc.) or Steve Ditko (Spider-Man and Doctor Strange) would then block out in pages of dramatic sequential drawings. Then the boards would go to a letterer and inker before a colorist would add the primary colors. These would then be sent to a printer, distributed and sold at the local drug store or comic book shop.

Each step of this process had to be carefully planned among all parties, of course, but there would also be a collaboration between writers and artists as they developed characters and conflicts to add drama to the stories. Teamwork kept the gears well-greased and their work has since elevated “silly kids stuff” into the mythology of the future.

9. The Constitution of the United States

The Constitution of the United States is a foundational document of our democracy. It is also a prime example of teamwork. The then 13 states, all of which would have to ratify the constitution to make it the law of the land, were not united. There was no central government and the risk of the new nation falling apart was even more of a concern than it is today!

Debates raged over such things that we today take for granted like how long a president’s term should last. For four months delegates debated, until on September 17, 1787, the 39 delegates signed the historic document. Of course, that wasn’t the end of it. Now voters in each state had to approve. But the delegates did their job and the people ratified the Constitution in 1789. Because of its significance and the number of people involved, the creation and ratification of the Constitution is without a doubt one of the best teamwork examples in United States history.

10. The Wright Brothers

Wilbur and Orville Wright’s journey to invent the first successful powered airplane is a classic teamwork example of overcoming daunting challenges. Rather than working in isolation, the brothers combined their unique strengths–Wilbur’s strategic vision and Orville’s practical engineering skills–to solve the complex problems of flight. Their partnership was characterized by constant communication, mutual respect and a willingness to learn from failure, allowing them to refine their designs rapidly and efficiently.

Their collaborative approach extended beyond the workshop, as they studied the work of others, shared findings and supported each other through setbacks. In 1903, their teamwork culminated in the first controlled, powered flight at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, revolutionizing transportation and changing the course of history. The Wright brothers’ story is a testament to how trust, shared determination and complementary skills can turn an ambitious dream into reality.

11. The 2010 Chilean Miners Rescue

In August 2010, 33 miners were trapped 2,300 feet underground after a catastrophic collapse at the San José mine in Chile. The situation was dire, with the world watching anxiously as the miners’ lives hung in the balance. Immediately, a massive collaborative effort began above ground, involving engineers, geologists, medical personnel, government officials and international experts. They formed a unified command center, pooling knowledge and resources to devise a rescue strategy that had never been attempted before. Each team brought its unique expertise and together, they brainstormed, problem-solved and made critical decisions under intense pressure and scrutiny.

Below ground, the miners themselves demonstrated a remarkable teamwork example, rationing supplies, maintaining morale and supporting one another through the ordeal. After 69 days, all 33 miners were brought safely to the surface, an outcome made possible by extraordinary collaboration at every level. The Chilean miners’ rescue remains a testament to the power of teamwork in overcoming seemingly insurmountable challenges, showing how unity, trust and shared purpose can save lives and inspire the world.

12. Charles Plumb and the Parachute Packer

Charles Plumb, a U.S. Navy jet fighter pilot during the Vietnam War, completed 75 combat missions before being shot down and captured. Years after his release, Plumb was approached by a stranger who recognized him and revealed, “I packed your parachute.” Plumb realized that, while he was celebrated for his flying skills, his survival depended on the meticulous, unseen teamwork of others–like the sailor who packed his parachute with care and precision.

This encounter profoundly impacted Plumb, reminding him that every achievement is built on the collective efforts of many, not just the visible few. It’s a teamwork example that highlights the importance of recognizing and valuing every team member’s contribution, no matter how behind-the-scenes. True teamwork means understanding that everyone’s role—big or small—is vital to the group’s ultimate success and survival.

How ProjectManager Helps With Teamwork

ProjectManager is award-winning project management software that prioritizes teamwork. Regardless of how your team prefers to work, from Gantt charts to dashboards, our software can do it all. The best part is that data automatically populates across the software across project views, making it easy to collaborate and stay connected with your team.

Teamwork is not having one person force their way on the others: it’s about being open to compromise. All parties involved must find common ground and work together because the end result is something all can benefit from. Just like the Constitution, which has been amended over the years as times and attitudes change, teamwork must be a fluid process, not etched in stone, but always open and willing to improve.

Teamwork is inspiring! It exhibits our ability to overcome personal issues for a collective objective. ProjectManager is online project management software that fosters teamwork. From collaborative scheduling features like an online Gantt chart to Kanban boards to sharing workflow with teams, ProjectManager makes teamwork fun and easy. See what your team thinks by taking this free 30-day trial.

The post 12 Inspirational Teamwork Examples appeared first on ProjectManager.

What Is a Stakeholder?

A stakeholder is either an individual, group or organization that’s impacted by the outcome of a project or a business venture. Stakeholders have an interest in the success of the project and can be within or outside the organization that’s sponsoring the project. Stakeholders are important because they can have a positive or negative influence on the project with their decisions. There are also critical or key stakeholders, whose support is needed for the project to exist.

A stakeholder is a person, like any other member of the project, and some are easier to manage than others. You’ll have to learn to use stakeholder mapping techniques to identify who your key stakeholders are and make sure you meet their requirements.

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Stakeholder Analysis Template

Use this free Stakeholder Analysis Template for Excel to manage your projects better.

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Stakeholder vs. Shareholder

Stakeholders are not the same thing as shareholders. A stakeholder can be a wide variety of people impacted or invested in the project. For example, a stakeholder can be the owner or even the shareholder. But stakeholders can also be employees, bondholders, customers, suppliers and vendors.

A shareholder can be a stakeholder. A shareholder, though, is someone who has invested in a corporation through the purchase of stocks. A stakeholder has an interest in the corporation’s overall performance, not stock performance.

Types of Stakeholders: Internal vs External Stakeholders

Stakeholders can be anyone with influence or anyone who can be influenced by the project. We’ve already seen that there can be many stakeholders, something that we’ll discuss below. All stakeholders can be broken into two groups: internal stakeholders and external stakeholders. Let’s take a look at both.

1. Internal Stakeholders

Internal stakeholders are within the organization. The project directly impacts them as they serve and are employed by the organization managing it. Internal stakeholders can include employees, owners, the board of directors, project managers, investors and more.

How to Identify Internal Stakeholders

To identify internal stakeholders, make a list of everyone in the organization who may be interested in or affected by the project at any level. Then categorize them and analyze their influence and interest. Talk to key individuals directly to understand their perspectives and review project documents such as the business case or the communication plan for identified stakeholders. Be sure to keep them updated regularly throughout the project.

2. External Stakeholders

External stakeholders are outside of the organization and are indirectly impacted by the project. They’re influenced by the organization’s work but are not employees of the organization. These people can be suppliers, customers, creditors, clients, intermediaries, competitors, society, government and more.

How to Identify External Stakeholders

External stakeholders are outside of the organization, so list all external individuals, groups or organizations that care about or may be impacted by the project. Categorize them, such as competitors, customers, government agencies, etc. Then, analyze their influence and interest in the project using a power-interest grid. Communicate with them through surveys, meetings, etc. and be sure to update them regularly in case their views change. Managing both internal and external stakeholders is easier with the right tools.

Update Stakeholders in One Place with ProjectManager

ProjectManager offers in-depth planning, tracking and reporting features to plan projects and keep your stakeholders updated in one place.

• Use unlimited guest licenses to provide instant status updates to your stakeholders
• Leverage unique summary dashboards to track costs, budgets, workload and more
• Generate and share in-depth reports with stakeholders in only a few clicks. Try it free

Stakeholder Examples

As we mentioned, there are many types of stakeholders, many of which fall under the internal or external stakeholder categories. Let’s take a look at some of the more common stakeholder examples.

• Senior management or executives: These are leaders who make strategic decisions and have an interest in the project’s contribution to organizational goals.
• Investors: These are stakeholders looking for a financial return and can be shareholders and debtholders. They have invested capital in the business and want a return on that investment.
• Employees: These stakeholders rely on their employment and job security. They have a direct stake in the organization as it supports them and provides them with benefits.
• Customers: These stakeholders want the product or service that the project delivers and they expect it to be of quality and contain value.
• Company owners: This person or group of people has a financial stake in the overall success of the organization.
• Competitors: Other organizations in the same industry may be impacted by the project’s success or failure.
• Other departments: Adjacent departments or teams in the same organization may be impacted by the project’s outcome or even involved in its implementation (customer service, sales, operations).
• Suppliers and Vendors: These stakeholders have their revenue tied up with the project as they sell goods and services to the business managing the project. Project success means more business for them.
• Communities: These stakeholders don’t want the project to negatively impact their health, safety or economic development. The organizations that are housed in their communities or working on projects in their communities can impact job creation, spending and more.
• Government: These stakeholders get taxes and gross domestic product from a project. They are major stakeholders as they collect taxes from both the company on a corporate level and individually from those it employs.

A stakeholder is a person, like any other member of the project, and some will be easier to manage than others. You’re going to have to learn to deal with a variety of personalities and make sure you have a productive dialogue to know the project goals you’ve been hired to meet. But first, who is the stakeholder?

Stakeholder Analysis Template

Identifying who your project stakeholders are is one of the most important tasks you’ll have as a project manager. For that reason, we’ve created a free stakeholder analysis template that lets you list your stakeholders, their level of influence, and their preferred method of communication, among other relevant information about them.

How to Manage Project Stakeholders

Managing stakeholders is easy if you follow the right stakeholder management steps. Here are the steps that any project manager should follow when managing stakeholder relations.

1. Stakeholder Identification

Identifying the stakeholders in your project is key as the project’s success depends on it. If your stakeholder isn’t happy, the project isn’t a complete success. You’ll want to start this process as soon as the project charter is created.

A good place to start figuring out who your stakeholders are is by reviewing the project charter, which documents the reason for the project and appoints the project manager. Among the information about objects, budget, schedule, assumptions, constraints, project sponsors and top management, you can discern the stakeholders.

Make sure to review the contracts as stakeholders might be mentioned in these documents. Are there environmental factors or other organizations with key ties to the project? Look those over as they might supply you with the names of stakeholders. For example, if there are environmental factors dictated by the government, then the government is a stakeholder. Review their regulations and standards to stay on good terms with them.

2. Stakeholder Analysis

Once you identify your project stakeholders, it’s time for the stakeholder analysis phase. This is when you’ll gather information and requirements from them. The main goal is to identify, understand and prioritize the stakeholders who can influence the outcome of the project.

During this phase, focus on documentation such as a stakeholder register and stakeholder map. The stakeholder register documents and tracks the details about stakeholders, while the stakeholder map is a visual representation of the project’s stakeholders based on their influence and interest in the project’s outcomes.

You’ll also need to begin estimating their level of involvement and influence in your project to prepare stakeholder communication strategies and prioritize them.

3. Stakeholder Prioritization

A key question for anyone managing a project is how should you manage a stakeholder on the project? To complicate matters, there might be many stakeholders, and you should treat them like you would any other task on your to-do list: by prioritizing them.

Over the course of a project, one stakeholder might be more valuable in terms of the project objections and some might demand more attention than others. When you’re building your project schedule, make sure to define who those people are and at what point in the project phase you might need to attend to them more.

4. Stakeholder Engagement

Now we’ve come to the second part of our question. When we talk of stakeholder management, what we mean is creating a positive relationship with your stakeholders by meeting their expectations and whatever objectives they agreed to in the project. This relationship isn’t just granted, however. It must be earned. You can earn the trust and build a positive relationship with stakeholders through proactive communication and by listening to their needs.

One way to do this is by interviewing the project stakeholders—not all of them, but certainly the most important ones. You might need to speak to experts to get background information on particular fields or groups so when you do have one-on-one conversations with stakeholders, you’re well-informed and productive.

Like everything in project management, there’s a process for this:

• Document Stakeholder Communications. Do this formally by creating a stakeholder communication plan. Note their names and roles in the organization they represent. Document every conversation you have with these key project partners, both to record their interests and requests, but also to be able to review their information later for accuracy.
• Enforce Process. Next, you want to keep to a process of communications with stakeholders and make sure that process is transparent so everyone knows what to expect. This includes project requests or feedback. How you’ll document and respond to those requests needs to be subject to a formal process of review and approval. This lets the stakeholders know that requests are subject to review and that you have a process that you adhere to for formal requests.
• Provide Frequent Status Reports. Providing regular and timely status reports for stakeholders is crucial, but make sure to tailor the reports to the audience. You can go into details with team members while executives typically want more of an overview. Don’t forget to follow up with stakeholders and ask questions to see if they have any feedback.
• Dispel Myths. Your stakeholder might be working on multiple projects, which means they’re not going to have the same closeness to the project as you. But that doesn’t mean they’re not getting other information about your project from other sources. You don’t want them to be subject to gossip or get incorrect information that might sway their opinions on the project.

Keys to Stakeholder Communication: 3 Tips

The ability to engage with stakeholders in a meaningful way is invaluable in long-term success. Here are three tips to keep in mind.

1. Be Proactive & Transparent: Communicate with stakeholders early and often instead of waiting for problems to develop before reaching out. Regular updates are helpful, even when there isn’t significant news. Both successes and failures should be shared honestly to help build trust and maintain positive stakeholder relationships.
2. Actively Listen & Seek Feedback: Stakeholder feedback is invaluable. Whenever possible, create opportunities for stakeholders to share their thoughts and concerns. Pay attention to what they are saying and ask any questions to ensure you understand their perspective. This shows them that their input is valued and will be addressed.
3. Manage Expectations: Make sure stakeholders have a realistic understanding of what the project will and won’t deliver. If there are potential challenges or risks, be sure to highlight them early and discuss mitigation strategies. Don’t over-promise and under-deliver; it’s best to be realistic about timelines and resources.

Stakeholder Management Templates

Managing stakeholders and their expectations is an important part of project management. You need to keep stakeholders updated but you don’t want them interrupting the important work of managing the project. Not only does ProjectManager offer software but also free templates for every stage of your project. Here are a few templates that deal with stakeholder management.

Stakeholder Map Template

Our free stakeholder map template for Excel helps you see each stakeholder’s level of interest and influence. Their answers help you determine if they must be managed closely, kept satisfied, kept informed or monitored. There’s also a color key to make it easy to read; green means they’re supportive, yellow means they’re neutral and red means they’re a blocker.

Communication Plan Template

Finally, once you understand your stakeholders, it’s time to set up a way to keep them informed. Our free communication plan template for Word is the ideal tool to define your objectives, channels and regularity by which your stakeholders expect to be updated. The free communication plan template works for all of your project communication needs, not only for communicating with stakeholders.

Use ProjectManager for Stakeholder Management

Now that you know what a stakeholder is and why it’s important to keep them in the loop during the life cycle of your project, make sure you have the right tools available to help. ProjectManager is work and project management software that helps you manage stakeholder expectations and update them with real-time data.

Detailed Reports for Stakeholder Presentations

We’ve shown how our real-time dashboard offers a big picture of the project, but stakeholders often want to go deeper into the data. With one click, you can generate the reports that stakeholders want to see, whether that’s project status, time or cost. If stakeholders have questions, know that every report can be filtered to show select data. Reports are easily shareable so stakeholders are always in the know.

Create Transparency With Gantt Charts

The project plan is the roadmap that charts the direction of the project. It’s a critical document and one that changes throughout the project. Stakeholders need the project plan to keep the project’s progress in context, so project managers want an easy-to-share project plan. With ProjectManager’s Gantt chart view, you can import and export project plans and share them with anyone. As the project plan changes, just send an updated one to your stakeholders and keep them in the loop.

Our tool has project reporting features to help you create project reports in minutes. We give stakeholders the transparency they want to stay informed, allowing the project manager and project team the room they need to complete the project on time, within budget and to stakeholders’ quality expectations.

When you’re reporting to stakeholders you want to make sure the process is both streamlined and accurate. ProjectManager makes sharing reports as easy as a click of a button. Our cloud-based project management software updates in real time, so you always have the most accurate, up-to-date project data for yourself and your stakeholders. Try our award-winning software today with this 30-day free trial. 

The post What Is a Stakeholder? Definitions, Types & Examples appeared first on ProjectManager.

To understand the difference between internal and external stakeholders, we’ll first define both and offer examples of them in project management. Identifying them is only the first step. After that, we’ll spend some time explaining how to manage internal stakeholders and external stakeholders

What Are Internal Stakeholders in Project Management?

Internal stakeholders in project management are individuals or groups within the organization who have a direct interest in the project’s progress and outcomes. These stakeholders are typically part of the organization and play roles in decision-making, execution or oversight of the project.

Internal stakeholders are crucial for project success because they have direct control or influence over the resources, processes and policies that drive the project forward. Managing their expectations, involvement and communication is vital for ensuring the project aligns with organizational goals, meets internal requirements and maintains smooth execution.

Project management tools, such as Gantt charts, are important for internal stakeholders because they provide a clear, visual representation of the project timelines, tasks and milestones. This helps them understand the project’s scope, schedule and progress, enabling them to make informed decisions and track performance.

ProjectManager is award-winning project and portfolio management software with superior Gantt charts that provide a clear project overview, offer resource and task management, timeline and milestone tracking and more to improve decision making. On top of that, our Gantt charts link all four types of task dependencies, which identify potential risks, delays and cost overruns. It can also quickly and easily filter for the critical path and set a baseline to track progress in real time to stay on schedule. Get started with ProjectManager today for free.

6 Examples of Internal Stakeholders in Project Management

Internal stakeholders play a key role in the success of a project, as they are directly involved in the project or affected by its outcomes within the organization. These stakeholders are crucial for providing resources, support and oversight throughout the project lifecycle. Below are six examples of internal stakeholders in project management.

Project Sponsor

The project sponsor is typically a senior leader or executive who provides financial resources and strategic support for the project. They champion the project, ensure it aligns with organizational goals and have the authority to make key decisions. The project sponsor is responsible for securing funding and ensuring the project stays on track.

Project Manager

The project manager is responsible for the overall planning, execution and delivery of the project. They manage the project team, resources, timelines and budgets, ensuring the project meets its objectives. The project manager communicates with all stakeholders and is the central point of contact for any issues or risks that arise during the project.

Project Team Members

These individuals are directly responsible for carrying out the tasks and activities required to complete the project. Team members can include subject matter experts, engineers, developers, designers and other professionals who contribute their skills to ensure the project’s success. Their performance and collaboration are crucial for meeting deadlines and achieving project goals.

Company Executives and Board of Directors

Executives and board members provide high-level oversight and governance for the organization’s projects. They may not be involved in day-to-day project activities, but they make important decisions related to resource allocation, strategic direction and project prioritization. Their approval and support are often required for major project initiatives.

Department Managers

Department managers oversee the resources, people and processes within their respective departments. They ensure that their teams are properly allocated to the project and that the project aligns with the department’s broader goals. They also assist with resolving any departmental challenges that may arise during the project.

Stockholders

Stockholders or shareholders are individuals or entities that hold an ownership interest in the company. While they may not be involved in day-to-day project activities, they are considered key internal stakeholders because the project’s success (or failure) can impact the company’s profitability, stock price and overall performance, which in turn affects their investment.

These internal stakeholders are critical in ensuring that a project has the necessary support, resources and strategic alignment to be successful. Each stakeholder group has its unique role and responsibility in the project’s lifecycle

What Are External Stakeholders in Project Management?

External stakeholders in project management are individuals, groups or organizations that are not part of the internal team or organization but have an interest in the project or are affected by its outcomes. While they don’t have direct control over the project, their influence can impact its success, timelines and results. External stakeholders can include clients, suppliers, regulatory bodies and the broader community.

External stakeholders often have a broader and more varied range of interests compared to internal stakeholders, and their expectations need to be carefully managed to avoid potential conflicts or issues during the project’s lifecycle. Ensuring regular communication, addressing concerns and meeting their requirements is essential for achieving project success and maintaining positive relationships.

6 Examples of External Stakeholders in Project Management

External stakeholders in project management are individuals, groups or organizations that are not part of the internal project team but still have a significant interest or influence in the project’s outcomes. These stakeholders can affect the project in various ways, whether through providing resources, regulatory oversight or end-user feedback. Below are six common examples of external stakeholders in project management.

Project Client

The project client is the individual or organization that commissions the project. They are often the primary external stakeholder, as they define the project’s scope, objectives and expectations. The client typically has the authority to approve or reject project deliverables and may provide funding or resources.

Customers and End Product or Service Users

Customers and end users are the ultimate beneficiaries of the project’s deliverables. Their needs, expectations and feedback are crucial in shaping the project’s success. Understanding customer requirements and ensuring the project meets their needs is essential for achieving a positive outcome and customer satisfaction.

Regulatory Agencies

Regulatory agencies include government bodies or industry regulators that enforce laws, standards and policies relevant to the project. These agencies ensure the project complies with legal requirements, safety standards, environmental regulations and other codes. Compliance is crucial to avoid penalties, delays or legal issues.

Business Partners

Business partners are external organizations or individuals that collaborate with the project team to achieve mutual goals. These partnerships can involve shared resources, expertise or co-investment. Business partners have a vested interest in the project’s success, as it may affect their business interests or reputation.

Vendors and Suppliers

Vendors and suppliers provide the materials, products, services or technology required for the project. Their role is critical in maintaining the project’s timeline and budget. Delays or issues with suppliers can have a significant impact on project execution, making their reliability and performance essential for success.

Contractors and Subcontractors

Contractors and subcontractors are external parties hired to carry out specific tasks or deliver specialized services in the project. They are responsible for completing portions of the work and adhering to project schedules and quality standards. Their performance directly affects project timelines and overall quality.

Managing relationships with these external stakeholders and ensuring their expectations and requirements are met is crucial for project success. Regular communication and transparent engagement are key to preventing misunderstandings and ensuring the project delivers the desired outcomes.

How to Manage the Internal and External Stakeholders of a Project

Managing internal and external stakeholders is crucial to a project’s success. Stakeholders can influence the project’s direction, execution and outcomes. Effectively managing these stakeholders ensures that their needs, expectations and concerns are addressed throughout the project lifecycle. Here’s how to manage both internal and external stakeholders in a systematic and structured manner.

1. Identify Stakeholders with a Stakeholder Register

First, identify all potential stakeholders, both internal and stakeholders, who are involved in or impacted by the project. This is done using a stakeholder register, a document that lists key stakeholders along with their roles, contact information, interests, influence and expectations. This list helps ensure no important stakeholder is overlooked and allows for effective communication planning.

2. Create a Stakeholder Map to Analyze and Prioritize Stakeholders

Once internal and external stakeholders are identified, it’s essential to analyze and prioritize them based on their level of interest, influence and impact on the project. A stakeholder map visually categorizes stakeholders into different groups, such as high-power, low-interest or low-power, high-interest. This helps you understand which stakeholders require the most attention and engagement, ensuring that resources are allocated effectively.

3. Make a Project Communications Plan to Engage Stakeholders

A project communications plan is essential to ensure that internal stakeholders and external stakeholders are kept informed and engaged throughout the project. This plan defines how, when and what kind of communication will occur with each stakeholder group. It ensures timely and consistent communication, addresses stakeholders’ concerns and keeps everyone aligned with the project’s goals, status and deliverables.

4. Report on Progress and Status Periodically to Project Stakeholders

Regular updates and progress reports are essential for maintaining transparency with internal and external stakeholders. Periodic reporting allows stakeholders to stay informed about the project’s achievements, challenges and risks. These reports can be tailored to different stakeholder needs and should include key performance indicators (KPIs), milestones and any actions taken to address issues that arise.

5. Implement Stakeholder Engagement Actions

Engagement actions refer to the efforts taken to ensure that stakeholders are actively involved in the project and that their concerns are addressed. This could include meetings, feedback sessions or collaborative decision-making. Stakeholder engagement actions should align with the stakeholder map and communication plan to ensure effective and productive interactions. Proactive steps to address stakeholder needs can enhance project support and reduce the risk of conflicts or delays.

Effectively managing stakeholders is a continuous process that requires flexibility, communication and timely responses to feedback. By following these steps, you can foster positive relationships with both internal and external stakeholders, ensuring smoother project execution and greater chances of success.

Free Stakeholder Management Templates

There is more than one way to manage stakeholders. Below are three free stakeholder management templates from over 100 free project management templates available on our site. There are free templates in Excel and Word that cover all aspects of managing a project across multiple industries.

Stakeholder Analysis Template

Download this free stakeholder analysis template for Excel to identify, assess and manage stakeholders. It helps prioritize stakeholder engagement, address concerns proactively and ensure better communication throughout the project lifecycle.

Stakeholder Map Template

This free stakeholder map template for Excel is a visual tool to represent and categorize stakeholders based on their level of influence and interest in a project. It provides a clear overview of the stakeholders, how they relate to the project and how their involvement might impact its success.

Stakeholder Register Template

A stakeholder register is a document used in project management to record detailed information about all the stakeholders involved in a project. This free stakeholder register template for Excel serves as a centralized resource to track stakeholders, their interests, levels of influence and how they might affect or be affected by the project.

How to Manage Internal and External Stakeholders With ProjectManager

While stakeholder management templates can help project managers and their teams understand the influence and impact of various internal stakeholders and external stakeholders, they’re not a great way to manage them. Instead of using static documents to try and control a dynamic situation, it’s better to add internal and external stakeholders to your project management software.

ProjectManager is award-winning project and portfolio management software with multiple project views that allow each stakeholder to use the tool best suited to their needs. Whether that’s kanban boards, task lists or a calendar view for a monthly overview of progress. Plus, guest licenses give external stakeholders access without being able to edit plans.

Stay Productive With Resource Management Tools

Internal stakeholders, such as project team members, can be onboarded to the software, which then can set their availability, pay rate and skill set. This ensures that the right resource is assigned to the right task at the right time. Project managers can view resource allocation across one or multiple projects by viewing the color-coded workload chart.

They can quickly see who is overallocated or underutilized and balance the team’s workload without leaving the chart. View activity on the team page, which can be filtered by progress or priority and tasks are updated without leaving the page.

Keep Stakeholders Updated With Real-Time Dashboards and Reports

Whether an internal stakeholder or external stakeholder, project data is critical. Both can get a high-level overview of the project’s key metrics by toggling to the real-time project or portfolio dashboards. There’s no setup required to view time, cost, workload and more on easy-to-read graphs and charts.

Project managers can focus on specific data points by using customizable reports on status, workload, timesheets, variance and more. Then, filter the report for a more general summary and share it with external stakeholders to keep them updated on progress. Even our secure timesheets help by tracking labor costs to stay on budget.

Related Stakeholder Management Content

There’s more to stakeholder management than identifying who is an external stakeholder and who is an internal stakeholder. For those who would like to read more about the subject, below are some more recent posts we’ve published on our blog.

• Stakeholder Salience Model in Project Management
• What Is Stakeholder Theory?
• Free Stakeholder Management Templates for Excel & Word
• How to Manage Stakeholder Expectations
• Stakeholder Mapping 101: How to Make a Stakeholder Map
• Stakeholder Engagement in Project Management

ProjectManager is online project and portfolio management software that connects internal and external stakeholders, whether they’re in the office or out in the field. They can share files, comment at the task level and stay updated with email and in-app notifications. Join companies like Avis, Nestle and Siemens who use our software to deliver successful projects. Get started with ProjectManager today for free.

The post Internal Stakeholders vs. External Stakeholders in Project Management appeared first on ProjectManager.

What is a project board in PRINCE2? That’s what we’ll answer first. Then we’ll explain who makes up a project board and their key responsibilities. There is a project board in PRINCE2 because it benefits the project, a topic that we’ll also get to.

What Is a Project Board in PRINCE2?

The project board is a group of key stakeholders who provide overall direction and governance for the project in PRINCE2. They are responsible for making high-level decisions, ensuring the project aligns with the organization’s goals and maintaining control over its progress.

In PRINCE2, the project board plays a critical role in overseeing the governance and direction of the project. They make key decisions, providing strategic direction and ensuring the project remains aligned with the organization’s objectives. It consists of senior stakeholders and decision-makers who hold the ultimate authority and accountability for the project’s success.

However, the project board is at a higher level than the project manager who has to plan, manage and track the work. While the project board is there to help and guide the project, first there has to be an approved project, plan, schedule and budget. For this, project management software is essential, regardless of the project management methodology used.

ProjectManager is award-winning project and portfolio management software flexible enough to work in any project management methodology, especially PRINCE2. It has multiple project views to plan and execute the project. Project managers can use robust Gantt charts to schedule tasks, resources and costs, including linking task dependencies to avoid costly delays, filtering for the critical path and setting a baseline to track progress in real time.

Once those plans are made, they’re shared across the software. Teams can open the project view that best serves their purposes, whether that’s the visual workflow of kanban boards or the powerful task lists that show priority or add attachments and comments to better collaborate. Even the project board can stay updated on progress by using the calendar view with its monthly summary. Get started with ProjectManager today for free.

Who Makes Up the Project Board?

The project board in PRINCE2 is composed of three key roles that ensure the project receives the necessary direction, support and governance. These roles provide strategic oversight, make high-level decisions and ensure the project remains aligned with business objectives and user needs. Each project board member is distinctly responsible for ensuring the project’s success.

Executive

The executive is the most senior person on the project board and has ultimate accountability for the project’s success. This role is responsible for ensuring that the project delivers value to the organization by meeting business objectives and justifying the investment in the project. They are responsible for the following.

• Ensures the project aligns with organizational goals and priorities
• Approves the business case and ensures the project continues to justify its existence
• Allocates resources and makes high-level decisions on issues such as project scope and budget
• Acts as the main link between the project and the senior leadership of the organization
• Ensures the project stays on track and can make tough decisions regarding project continuation, termination or change

Senior User

The senior user represents the interests of the users who will benefit from the project’s deliverables. This role is crucial in ensuring that the project’s outputs meet user needs and are deliverable within the agreed timeframe, cost and quality. They help with the following.

• Represents the stakeholders or user community who will use or benefit from the project’s outcomes
• Defines and validates the project’s requirements and ensures the project meets those needs
• Monitors the project’s deliverables to ensure they are acceptable to the users
• Works with the project manager to ensure user requirements are effectively managed throughout the project lifecycle
• Approves the quality standards for the project deliverables

Senior Supplier

The senior supplier represents the suppliers or providers of the resources, expertise and technical capability required to deliver the project. This role ensures the project is technically feasible and that the resources provided meet the required standards. They are responsible for the following.

• Ensures the technical quality and feasibility of the project’s deliverables
• Provides the necessary resources, expertise and capability to meet project requirements
• Supports the project manager by ensuring the project has access to the required technical and specialist skills
• Ensures that the suppliers or contractors involved in the project adhere to the required standards and deliver the agreed-upon products or services
• Helps to resolve any technical issues that arise during the project

Together, the executive, senior user and senior supplier form the core of the project board, providing essential governance, decision-making and direction to ensure the project’s success. Each role has a critical function that ensures the project meets its objectives, stays within scope and delivers value to the organization and end-users.

Project Board Key Responsibilities

Now that we know who makes up the project board and their individual roles and responsibilities, let’s look at the project board in PRINCE2 as a whole. It holds key responsibilities for overseeing the project’s direction, ensuring it remains aligned with business goals and making high-level decisions to guide the project to successful completion. They provide strategic leadership and governance and ensure the project is appropriately resourced, managed and delivering value to the organization. Here are its core responsibilities.

Project Governance

The project board provides overarching governance, ensuring the project adheres to PRINCE2 principles while maintaining alignment with organizational goals. It holds accountability for the project’s success by setting clear objectives, monitoring risks and ensuring appropriate controls are in place. The board enforces structured decision-making and maintains authority over project viability, scope and progress.

Governance also includes overseeing stakeholder engagement and ensuring their interests are considered throughout the project lifecycle. By maintaining visibility and enforcing accountability, the project board ensures the project remains justified and well-managed and can deliver expected outcomes within constraints such as time, cost and quality.

Decision-Making Authority

It also holds final decision-making authority over the project. It is responsible for approving key milestones, such as project initiation, stage transitions and project closure. When risks, issues, or changes exceed the project manager’s tolerance levels, the board makes high-level decisions to keep the project on track.

The project board ensures alignment with strategic priorities and provides direction when conflicts arise. This authority also includes making go/no-go decisions at critical points, determining resource allocation and approving major changes that impact scope, cost or timeline. By maintaining control, the board ensures the project remains viable and meets business expectations.

Project Assurance

The project board is responsible for guaranteeing independent project assurance and verifying that processes, risks and controls are managed. While assurance roles may be delegated, the board ensures compliance with PRINCE2 principles, including business justification, learning from experience and defined roles and responsibilities.

Assurance covers progress tracking, risk management and stakeholder engagement to prevent deviations from the plan. It also ensures that reports are accurate, that quality management processes are followed and that appropriate governance structures are in place. By maintaining oversight, the board safeguards the project’s integrity and ensures it is managed effectively and efficiently.

Resource Management

Securing adequate resources is a core responsibility of the project board. It ensures that financial, human and technical resources are available to support project execution. This includes approving funding, assigning skilled personnel and ensuring suppliers or partners meet their obligations. The board evaluates resource constraints and reallocates them when necessary to mitigate risks or address issues.

Effective resource management ensures that dependencies are met, schedules remain feasible and deliverables are achieved within scope. By maintaining control over resource allocation, the board ensures the project remains viable, cost-effective and capable of delivering the intended benefits.

Strategic Alignment

The project board ensures that the project remains aligned with the organization’s strategic objectives. It continuously assesses whether the project’s outcomes contribute to broader business goals and provide long-term value. If changes in corporate priorities arise, the board evaluates whether the project should continue, be adjusted or be closed.

This responsibility includes ensuring stakeholder expectations are managed and project outputs are relevant to business needs. By maintaining strategic alignment, the board helps prevent wasted investment in projects that no longer serve the organization and ensures that resources are directed toward initiatives that deliver maximum impact.

Benefits Management

The project board ensures that the project delivers tangible benefits as outlined in the business case. It reviews benefit realization plans and ensures that expected outcomes are clearly defined, measurable and achievable. Throughout the project lifecycle, the board assesses whether projected benefits remain viable and takes corrective action if necessary.

After project completion, it oversees post-implementation reviews to verify whether benefits have been realized and whether further action is needed. By maintaining accountability for benefits management, the board ensures the project contributes positively to the organization and justifies the investment in its execution.

Approving Key Management Products

The project board is responsible for reviewing and approving critical PRINCE2 management products, ensuring they are accurate, complete and aligned with project objectives. This includes approving the business case, which justifies the project’s existence, as well as stage plans, which outline the approach for each phase.

The board also reviews exception reports when project performance deviates beyond tolerance levels and makes necessary adjustments. Other key products, such as the project initiation document (PID) and end project report, require board approval to confirm alignment with business needs. By overseeing these documents, the board maintains control and ensures project success.

Benefits of Establishing a Project Board

Establishing a project board provides numerous benefits by ensuring effective governance, clear decision-making and strategic oversight throughout the project. With the right people in place, the project board helps align the project with organizational goals, manages risks and ensures that resources are effectively utilized, ultimately leading to successful project outcomes. Here are some key benefits of having a project board in place.

• Clear project governance
• Defined decision-making authority
• Improved strategic alignment
• Stronger risk and issue management
• Efficient resource allocation
• Enhanced stakeholder engagement
• Better project assurance and oversight
• Faster resolution of escalated issues
• Increased accountability and transparency
• Improved benefits realization
• Structured approval of key project documents
• Greater control over project viability and justification
• Stronger support for the project manager
• Reduced scope creep and uncontrolled changes
• Better compliance with organizational policies and standards

Free Project Management Templates for PRINCE2

For those interested in more than understanding PRINCE2 but want to apply it as a project management methodology, below are some of the over 100 free project management templates for Excel and Word available for download from our site. These three free templates can help when working in PRINCE2.

Project Initiation Document Template

Use this free project initiation document template for Word to outline the project’s objectives, scope, deliverables, role and overall plan in PRINCE2. It provides a clear, structured foundation for the project by consolidating essential information into one place, ensuring that all stakeholders have a shared understanding of the project’s purpose and approach.

Business Case Template

In PRINCE2, the business case is a crucial tool that helps justify a project’s viability by outlining its benefits, costs, risks and expected outcomes. Download this free business case template for Word to ensure that projects remain aligned with business objectives and continue to provide value throughout their lifecycle.

Project Brief Template

Download this free project brief template for Word. This is a key document in PRINCE2 that provides a high-level overview of the project before it is fully initiated. It ensures that all stakeholders have a shared understanding of the project’s purpose, scope and approach.

How ProjectManager Helps Manage PRINCE2 Projects

To better manage a PRINCE2 project or any project, templates are only so much help. They can help write a project initiation document, business case and project brief, but once a project has been approved it needs dynamic planning, management and tracking. Templates are static documents that aren’t made for project management, project management software is. ProjectManager is award-winning project and portfolio management software with multiple project views that allow everyone on the project team and project board to do their work with the right tools.

Stay Projective With Robust Resource Management

No matter how well-planned a project is, it’s the resources that execute that plan. First, resources are scheduled to Gantt charts. Our software allows project managers to set the team’s availability to make it easier to assign the right person for the right job at the right time. To oversee resource allocation across all projects, visit the color-coded workload page. This shows who is overallocated or underutilized and allows project managers to balance their workload without leaving the chart. There’s also a team page that shows daily and weekly summaries of team activity, which can be filtered by progress, priority and more.

Monitor Progress and More With Real-Time Dashboards and Reports

Resources aren’t the only things that have to be monitored and controlled. There are costs, time, tasks, etc. For a high-level overview of key project metrics, toggle to the real-time project or portfolio dashboards. There’s no setup required. They automatically collect live data and display it on easy-to-read graphs and charts. For more detail, generate reports with a keystroke. There are status and portfolio reports as well as reports on variance, timesheets, workload and more. All of them can be filtered to focus on key data points or a broader view of progress to share with the project board. Even our secure timesheets help track labor costs to keep the project on budget.

Related PRINCE2 Content

Of course, there’s more to PRINCE2 than just understanding what a project board is. For those curious about the principles, aspects, roles and processes in this project management methodology, below are a handful of links to recent articles on the subject from our blog.

• What Is PRINCE2? Principles, Aspects, Roles & Processes
• Top 15 Project Management Methodologies: An Overview
• What Is a Product Breakdown Structure (PBS)?
• How to Create a Project Initiation Document
• How to Create a Project Brief (Example Included)

ProjectManager is online project and portfolio management software that connects teams whether they’re in the office or out in the field. They can share files, comment at the task level and stay up to date with email and in-app notifications. Join teams at Avis, Nestle and Siemens who use our software to deliver successful projects. Get started with ProjectManager today for free.

The post Project Board in PRINCE2: Key Roles and Responsibilities appeared first on ProjectManager.

These actions can be annoying, but if the lazy coworker doesn’t impact your work, then simply avoid them. Don’t hold onto resentments. On the other hand, if their laziness starts to affect your work life, then you need to address it.

But first, do a little soul-searching. Are you just being judgmental? Does the lazy coworker trigger you? Before you start tattling and spreading toxic emotions, try speaking to the person. Communications are key. If it’s too embarrassing to speak about in person, reach out via email or other online collaboration tools. It could all amount to a simple misunderstanding.

But if you can’t work out the issue with the lazy coworker, then what? You might have to report the person to your superior. Before you escalate the issue, though, try these 13 tips for dealing with a lazy coworker.

1. Don’t Let Your Feelings Fester

Yes, ignore the petty issues. But if there is a real problem, the worst thing you can do is ignore it because then you’re just going to sit and stew. This will pollute your entire person in time.

Naturally, you first need to determine if the problem is small. If it’s not, then be proactive and do something about it. Nothing rash, of course, but the first step is acknowledging that there’s a problem. Then next step is letting the person know. After that, well, it depends on how the lazy coworker responds.

2. Deal with the Lazy Coworker Head On

If the lazy coworker ignores their own work and asks you to do it instead, don’t. Sometimes you need to just stand up and say, “No!” It’s as simple as that. Now helping once or twice is called teamwork. You’re all in this thing together. But once it becomes habitual, then that’s called enabling. You’re becoming part of the problem and not the solution.

3. Focus on Your Own Work

While a lazy coworker can undoubtedly be a distraction, one of the easiest ways to deal with the problem is to focus on your own tasks. Continue to perform and execute your work to the best of your ability without letting your frustrating coworker drag you down.

In some cases, you might find yourself taking on work that’s outside of your responsibilities. The last thing you want is for this to detract from your tasks and cause larger issues. If this is the case, be sure to communicate with your manager or supervisor so you can find a solution.

4. Offer Some Guidance

Maybe your lazy coworker isn’t really goofing off; they’re just in over their head. They might need some help. That doesn’t mean you’re going to do their work for them, but it could mean that you’re going to tell them how to manage their tasks and workload so they can be more efficient and productive.

5. Understand the Potential Underlying Issues

A little bit of empathy can go a long way in understanding why your lazy coworker acts the way they do. Laziness can sometimes be a symptom of a deeper problem such as personal issues, burnout or a lack of motivation.

While there isn’t any excuse that justifies this type of behavior at work, consider where your coworker is coming from and approach the situation with as much empathy as possible.

6. Be Dispassionate

When you can’t avoid the problem, and the attempt at guiding them back on track wasn’t fruitful, then you’re going to want to communicate more firmly what the problem is and how it’s impacting you and others. It’s important to try and resolve the issue yourself first, but don’t go into that conversation with a hot head. If you’re upset, then wait, and even if you’re angry, don’t speak from a place of anger. You want to state your case professionally and dispassionately. If this doesn’t work, well, at least you tried.

Related: How to Negotiate in the Workplace: A Practical Guide

7. Talk to Someone About Your Lazy Coworker

If you’ve talked and nothing comes from it, before doing something like lodging a complaint, seek outside counsel. No, you’re not going to need to hire a lawyer (hopefully!), but you can use a friend as a soundboard and maybe get some perspective on the situation. Do you have a mentor, someone who’s been around the block? They might offer insights that can help you resolve the problem.

8. Use Positive Reinforcement

In the case that you catch your lazy coworker putting in true effort, be sure to acknowledge and praise their work. Even something as simple as a “Great job!” message on Slack or an email thanking them for their work can help encourage them to keep it up.

If their contributions benefit the team and the project, let them know. Emphasizing this team angle can help them feel valued and motivated to accomplish their tasks.

9. Don’t Gossip About Your Coworker

While it’s suggested you talk with someone about the problem, that’s different than gossiping and complaining. Yes, you’re frustrated, and so there is a tendency to get that off your shoulders by sharing it with coworkers.

Gossiping might alleviate your frustration momentarily, but it’s not a long-term fix. Plus, your negative comments are likely to get back to the person, and that will only make the matter worse. If you talk to the lazy coworker directly, you can control the situation better, but if they pick up on office gossip then they’re going to get resentful and the cycle will continue.

Related: The Dangers of Self-Serving Bias at the Workplace

10. Don’t Enable Their Laziness

You could think that by picking up the slack you’re doing them and yourself a favor. After all, if there’s work to be done, then someone’s got to do it. Why not you?

This isn’t dealing with the problem, though. It’s a passive way of avoiding it, and such inaction will backfire on you. You’ll burn yourself out, or you’ll grow resentful. Either way, what might feel like an easy way to solve the situation is really just prolonging it until it becomes something worse.

11. Keep a Good Attitude

A lazy coworker that impacts your work is also going to influence your attitude. You might feel that if they’re not doing any work, well, then you won’t either! That’ll show’em!

Unfortunately, this little act of rebellion will only put you in the hot seat. Instead, do your work, and try and ignore the laziness of others. But if you do feel that bitterness rising to the point that it affects your personality, then you know that action is required.

12. Talk to Your Manager About Your Lazy Coworker

While it’s never ideal to bring interpersonal issues to your manager, sometimes it can’t be avoided. Again, you should try to work these problems out by talking with the person, but if they are a bad boss and don’t listen, or tell you that you don’t have the authority to tell them what to do, then go to that person in the office who does.

This is especially true if their laziness is impacting the business. Then, frankly, it’s no longer an interpersonal matter, but one that could jeopardize the project or the company.

13. Keep Documentation

Once you’re sure that the problem isn’t your thin skin and that it cannot be ignored without detrimental impact on the business, then it’s time to approach the manager. When you do, make sure you have a strong case. That means before going to a superior you start documenting the actions (or inactions) of the coworker, so that their infractions are clear.

Don’t be a snoop, but you should collect any issues as they arise in a file. So, if it comes to it, you’ve got evidence. You might not even have to name the person, but just mention that some people are not carrying their weight. Either way, when it becomes a bottom-line issue, then it’s one that must be brought up to the boss.

How ProjectManager Helps with Lazy Coworkers

There’s one more thing you can do to help a lazy coworker get out of their rut: give them the right tool to make them work better. You might even spark some enthusiasm if you get them to use ProjectManager, which organizes projects and tasks, fosters team work and holds people accountable.

ProjectManager gives managers a window into the lazy worker’s productivity, so it’s not like you won’t be able to track their progress. For example, there’s a workload page with a color-coded chart that shows how much each person is working and if they’ve too much or too little responsibilities. This provides transparency, so you don’t have to micromanage but still can stay updated.

There’s also the Team page, which shows what everyone is working on this week. That way, no one can skate by with an empty plate.

Maybe your coworker isn’t lazy, they’re just not a self-starter. ProjectManager makes it easy to assign them tasks and then track their progress on a real-time dashboard, so you don’t feel the need to hover over them. Given that sort of freedom, a lazy worker might bloom into a exceedingly productive one.

But a lazy coworker might just be lazy. Don’t worry. ProjectManager makes them accountable for their work. You can attach all the important files and requirements for their assignment to the task and even comment and dialogue with them at the task level, to make things clear. There’s no way they can say their dog ate the homework, where it’s all present and accountable ProjectManager.

Maybe your lazy coworker is just not equipped to handle the work, and they need better tools to get the job done. ProjectManager is a cloud-based project management software that supplies real-time data and provides a collaborative platform for teams. Give your team the right tools, and watch them go from lazy to productive. Take this free 30-day trial and see for yourself.

The post 13 Ways to Deal with a Lazy Coworker appeared first on ProjectManager.

The salience model in project management is a way to manage stakeholders appropriately. We’ll show how by defining the model, what it measures, and how it breaks down stakeholders into various categories. Next, readers will learn how to use the stakeholder salience model and who should use it. Then, we’ll illustrate it with an example and link to a free salience model template.

What Is the Salience Model in Project Management?

A salience model is a powerful tool for stakeholder analysis and management used in project management. It helps prioritize engagement efforts based on the relative importance of each stakeholder to the project’s success by understanding the balance of power, legitimacy, and urgency, which we’ll define in a moment.

Project managers use a stakeholder salience model to make informed decisions on where to focus attention and resources for optimal project delivery. Mitchel, Agle and Wood developed it in 1997 to help manage, identify and prioritize stakeholders through the assessment of the three attributes mentioned above, power, legitimacy and urgency. The more of these attributes a stakeholder possesses, the more salient that stakeholder is perceived by managers.

Once stakeholders are prioritized and how to manage them is understood, projects will run more smoothly. However, identifying and classifying stakeholders into different categories based on key attributes isn’t going to manage the project. There are, however, visual tools akin to the salience model that can be used in project management software to plan, manage and track projects to a successful completion.

ProjectManager is award-winning project and portfolio management software that has robust Gantt charts that visualize the project with a timeline that captures everything from start to finish in one place. But Gantt charts do much more than that. They organize tasks, plan resources and the associated costs, add milestones and assign work to team members. Our Gantt charts go further, linking all four types of task dependencies to avoid cost overruns and delays. They identify essential tasks by filtering for the critical path and can set a baseline to capture the plan and compare it to actual progress and spending in real time to keep the project on track. Get started with ProjectManager today for free.

What Does the Salience Model Measure?

We’ve mentioned that a stakeholder salience model measures three attributes. To better understand what those attributes are and how they work, let’s define each with an example.

Power

The ability of a stakeholder to influence the project’s outcome, resources or decisions. For example, a senior executive with decision-making authority or a regulatory body with legal control over the project.

Legitimacy

The stakeholder’s involvement is seen as valid or appropriate based on their relationship to the project or its objectives. For example, a community group that is directly affected by the project’s environmental impact may have a legitimate claim to be involved in decision-making.

Urgency

The degree to which the stakeholder’s needs or demands require immediate attention or action. For example, a customer is requesting a product feature that needs to be implemented immediately because of a market shift or competitor pressure.

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Salience Model Template

Use this free Salience Model Template to manage your projects better.

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Salience Model Stakeholder Categories

Based on the combination of the above three attributes, stakeholders can be categorized into these five groups. They can, however, overlap and change over time. These groups are defined on the salience model below.

1. Definitive

Stakeholders who possess all three attributes. These are the highest priority stakeholders, requiring immediate attention and engagement. Their demands and concerns are essential to the project’s success. These can be major investors who have legal ownership, control over funding and urgent demands regarding the project’s progress.

2. Dominant

Stakeholders have power and legitimacy, but their needs or demands aren’t as urgent. These stakeholders should be managed closely and kept satisfied. They have significant influence, so they must be properly engaged. This type of stakeholder might be a major corporate partner or supplier with significant influence over the project, but whose concerns are more long-term.

3. Dangerous

Stakeholders who have power and urgency, but lack legitimacy. These stakeholders can be a threat to the project, as they may exert pressure or take action even though their claims might not be considered legitimate. Managing their concerns and controlling their influence is critical. Think of a vocal, influential critic who can derail the project but doesn’t have a formal or legitimate claim to influence decisions.

4. Dependent

Stakeholders who have legitimacy and urgency, but lack power. These stakeholders need attention because their expectations and concerns are urgent, but they rely on others (dominant or definitive stakeholders) to take action. Their needs should be recognized, but they may not have the ability to directly impact the project’s outcome. This can be a local community group with an urgent concern about environmental impacts but lacks the power to influence the project’s direction without support from others.

5. Dormant

Stakeholders who have power, but no legitimacy or urgency. These stakeholders are generally lower priority and require monitoring. They may not immediately need attention, but their status could change over time, so it’s important to use a stakeholder map to identify them and remain aware of their potential influence. This could be a large investor who holds significant shares in the company, giving them voting power on corporate decisions.

When to Use the Salience Model

The stakeholder salience model is a useful tool and can be used throughout the life cycle of a project. Here when the salience model in project management can be applied.

• At the start of the project for stakeholder identification and analysis
• When stakeholder interests are conflicting
• During the project risk assessment and mitigation
• When resources are limited (prioritizing stakeholder engagement)
• When a stakeholder’s role or influence changes
• When stakeholder engagement and communication need to be tailored
• During decision-making and project planning
• When preparing for project closures or transitions
• When facing project challenges or crises

Who Should Use the Salience Model?

The stakeholder salience model can be used by anyone managing stakeholder relationships, who need to prioritize them based on their influence and needs and is responsible for managing communication, expectations or engagement with key stakeholders. This impacts roles in project management, program management and product development. Here’s a list of professionals who can benefit from using the salience model.

• Project managers
• Program managers
• Product managers
• Business analysts
• Stakeholder managers or engagement specialists
• Executives and senior leadership
• Change management professionals
• Legal and compliance teams
• Marketing and communications teams
• Consultants and advisory roles
• Human resources and talent management
• Suppliers and vendors
• Non-profit and NGO project managers

Benefits of Implementing the Salience Model

There are many benefits to implementing the stakeholder salience model. It provides clear prioritization of stakeholders and by understanding which stakeholders require what attention, project managers can ensure that their efforts are directed where they matter most. This leads to better decision-making by providing clarity on who needs to be consulted, informed or involved in key decisions.

Another advantage of using the salience model in project management is resource optimization. That’s because it helps allocate resources more effectively by focusing on stakeholders with high power, legitimacy and urgency. This avoids wasting time on unnecessary engagement with low-priority stakeholders, especially when resources are limited.

This model helps identify the most critical stakeholders to engage and tailor communication strategies based on their specific needs and priorities. This engages stakeholders and effectively improves collaboration, buy-in and support, which leads to better project outcomes. It also helps to identify potential conflicts early, especially if different stakeholders have conflicting interests. This aids in anticipating those stakeholders that might have competing demands and where those demands should be balanced.

Salience Model Example

To better understand how this works, let’s examine a stakeholder salience model example. In this scenario, there’s a hospital construction project with multiple stakeholders of varying levels of influence, interest and urgency.

As we put those stakeholders into categories, the definitive stakeholders with power, legitimacy and urgency are project funders, such as government agencies and investors, as well as the hospital administration who have decision-making power on design, functionality and compliance requirements.

The dominant stakeholders with power and legitimacy include the local government, which has the power to authorize permits. Dependent stakeholders, with legitimacy and urgency, include the future patients and community residents, as their health and safety depend on the project’s timely conclusion. Dormant stakeholders are those with power and are such entities as insurance companies, while the competing construction firms who might challenge or protest if they feel procurement processes are unfair, can be categorized as dangerous as their influence could lead to legal or public relations issues.

The above stakeholder salience model example shows where each stakeholder falls in a clear and visual map. Using this salience model, professionals can make better decisions about which stakeholders to engage, when to engage them and how to manage competing interests to drive the project’s success.

Salience Model Template

Rather than having to create one, users can download this free stakeholder salience model template for PowerPoint. This can then be shared or displayed to visually communicate how to manage various stakeholders in the project.

To use this free salience model template, just follow the directions that are outlined below. They are also included in the PowerPoint document. The template is fully customizable, so users can add their logo or change it in any way that better reflects their organization.

Related Stakeholder Management Templates

The salience model template is only one of over 100 free project management templates for Excel and Word that cover every aspect of managing a project across multiple industries. Here are a few free templates that can help with stakeholder management.

Stakeholder Analysis Template

Another stakeholder management tool is this free stakeholder analysis template for Excel. It helps identify individuals who have a vested interest in the project, collecting key stakeholders by group, which then helps to determine their level of participation, interest and power on the project.

Stakeholder Map Template

The free stakeholder map template for Excel is another visual tool for identifying and defining the stakeholders in a project. This one works by creating a matrix with four quadrants that are defined by the level of influence and interest in the project. This helps managers know whether to keep satisfied, manage closely, monitor or keep stakeholders informed.

RACI Chart Template

RACI stands for responsible, accountable, consulted and informed. This free RACI Matrix template for Excel is a chart that identifies and defines the roles and responsibilities of all those involved in the project, including stakeholders.

How ProjectManager Helps With Stakeholder Management

All of these free templates are great tools to use when starting a project and even throughout the project’s life cycle. They identify and define the stakeholders and how to manage them. However, templates cannot handle the management part. That’s because they’re static documents that aren’t collaborative and require manual updates, which only pulls project managers away from more important work. Project management software is far more capable of managing stakeholders and projects. ProjectManager is award-winning project and portfolio management software that can create visual project schedules with Gantt charts that can be shared with stakeholders, but that’s only the start of our software’s valuable tools.

Monitor Time, Cost and Progress With Real-Time Project Dashboards

Stakeholders, regardless of their power, influence or urgency, share a common interest in the project’s success. Therefore, they want to be regularly informed about progress, costs and so forth. Once a baseline has been established on the Gantt chart, our software captures the project plan and is constantly comparing it to actual progress and spending. For a high-level overview of the project’s status, toggle to the real-time project or portfolio dashboards. They’re collecting live data and displaying it on easy-to-read graphs and charts that show time, cost, workload and more. Managers can share read-only guest passes with stakeholders to keep them informed.

Make Project Management Reports in Minutes

The dashboard is great for an overview, but managers need to get into the details. They need more information to better steer the project towards a successful outcome. That’s where our customizable reports come in handy. They can be filtered to go into the weeds for managers and their teams or provide a more general view of progress, which can be shared with stakeholders. There are status and portfolio reports as well as reports on variance, timesheets, workload and much more, all of which can be shared in a variety of formats to meet stakeholders’ needs.

Related Stakeholder Management Content

There’s so much more to stakeholder management than a salience model. For those interested in continuing to learn about this subject, below are a handful of links that will take you to our most recent posts on the topic.

• Free Stakeholder Management Templates
• What Is a Stakeholder? Definitions, Types & Examples
• What Is Stakeholder Management?
• Stakeholder Mapping: How to Make a Stakeholder Map
• Stakeholder Analysis (Example & Template Included)

ProjectManager is online project and portfolio management software that connects teams and stakeholders whether they’re in the office or out in the field. They can share files, comment at the task level and stay up to date with email and in-app notifications. Join teams at Avis, Nestle and Siemens who use our software to deliver successful projects. Get started with ProjectManager today for free.

The post Stakeholder Salience Model in Project Management appeared first on ProjectManager.

Don’t forget that, while employee motivation is key to success in the workplace, it’s not all you and your team need to succeed. You’ll also need project management software like ProjectManager. Our award-winning software offers teams the tools they need to plan, schedule and keep track of all their projects and strategies in real time. Get started with ProjectManager today for free.

Tips to Manage Teams & Promote Teamwork

Before we look at the best teamwork quotes from history, let’s start with some key team management tips. In the video below, Jennifer Bridges, professional project manager (PMP) explains how leaders can motivate their team members and help them better collaborate with each other.

Best 45 Teamwork Quotes

In the list below, we’ve included the best teamwork quotes along with a visual version of each quote so that you can easily drop your favorite teamwork quote into an email or Slack channel when your team needs that extra motivation. So, without further ado, here are 45 of the best inspirational quotes about teamwork.

1. “To me, teamwork is a lot like being part of a family. It comes with obligations, entanglements, headaches, and quarrels. But the rewards are worth the cost.” – Pat Summit

While no family has the perfect relationship, the rewards often outweigh the hardships. Pat Summit sums it up beautifully in this teamwork quote.

2. “Unity is strength… when there is teamwork and collaboration, wonderful things can be achieved.” – Mattie Stepanek

American poet Mattie Stepanek understands the importance of teamwork. While you certainly have your own goals you want to achieve, doing so in a group setting requires leaning on others to find success, which is also true when executing projects.

3. “If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.” – African proverb

There’s something to be said about relying on other people to get you to the finish line. Think of your teammates like your biggest cheerleaders and you’re all working toward a common goal.

4. “Growth is never mere chance; it is the result of forces working together.” – James Cash Penney

James Cash Penny, also known as J.C. Penny, understood that achieving goals was a process never left up to chance. It’s important to lean on those around you to help accomplish things that you couldn’t do alone.

5. “People who work together will win, whether it be against complex football defenses, or the problems of modern society.” – Vince Lombardi

American football coach Vince Lombardi didn’t stumble into his success. He knew that teamwork was one of the most effective ways to overcome any obstacles or bring any plan to fruition.

6.“The best way to serve the individuals on the team is to see that the whole team wins.” – John C. Maxwell

Renowned American author, speaker and leadership expert has a good reminder for all of us. When working toward a goal, know that you will only be as successful as your team.

7. “I’ve never scored a goal in my life without getting a pass from someone else.” – Abby Wambach

American soccer legend Abby Wambach knows that her success on the field can always be attributed to a teammate. The same can be said for off-field scenarios as well.

8. “We may all have come on different ships, but we’re in the same boat now.” -Martin Luther King Jr

Civil rights leader and advocate Martin Luther King Jr. had a way with words. His teamwork quote is a good reminder that despite any previous differences, we can all come together as one.

9. “To build a strong team, you must see someone else’s strength as a complement to your weakness and not a threat to your position or authority.” -Christine Caine

American author and activist Christine Caine reminds us that skills, strengths and weaknesses can benefit one another in a team setting.

10. “If I have seen further, it is by standing on the shoulders of giants.” – Isaac Newton

Isaac Newton is one of the most notorious intellectuals that the world has seen. Even a brilliant man like him knew the importance of teamwork. In this quote, Isaac Newton explains he didn’t achieve all his accomplishments by himself, but rather through teamwork and the work of those who came before him.

11. “Great things in business are never done by one person. They’re done by a team of people.” – Steve Jobs

If anyone deserved to run a company named after the most famous symbol for knowledge, it was Steve Jobs. At Apple, he rallied teams to successes that continue to resonate today through excellent team management. There are many famous teamwork quotes that came from his motivational speeches at Apple.

12. “It is the long history of humankind (and animal kind, too) that those who learned to collaborate and improvise most effectively have prevailed.” – Charles Darwin

Charles Darwin spent many years analyzing a wide variety of animal species to develop his famous evolution theory. During those years, he realized that teamwork and collaboration are not only inherent to humankind but are also important in the animal kingdom.

13. “Coming together is a beginning. Keeping together is progress. Working together is success.” – Henry Ford

Henry Ford built cars, but his most famous innovation was the factory assembly line, which took teamwork to a whole new level and revolutionized the automotive industry. Besides that, he’s got great team success quotes.

Related: 10 Strategies to Motivate Your Team

14. “The strength of the team is each individual member. The strength of each member is the team.” – Phil Jackson

Phil Jackson is a man who has experienced teamwork in the athletic world. Like other sports legends, he’s remembered for his teamwork quotes. This phrase captures the importance of collaboration in any team, project or organization.

15. “[Teamwork] is the fuel that allows common people to attain uncommon results.” – Andrew Carnegie

Industrialist philanthropist Andrew Carnegie knew that if each team member gave their all, the collective effort would lead to success.

16. “Keep away from people who try to belittle your ambitions. Small people always do that, but the really great make you feel that you, too, can become great.” – Mark Twain

Constructive criticism should be always welcome in any team. We must strive to help our teammates flourish, in any way we can. Because when one member of the team becomes great, then the team becomes great, as Mark Twain says.

17. “None of us is as smart as all of us.” – Ken Blanchard

Ken Blanchard is a management guru, best known for his 13-million-copies sold tome The One Minute Manager. It takes even less time than that to read his insightful quote.

18. “It is amazing what you can accomplish if you do not care who gets the credit.” – Harry Truman

Harry Truman, the 33rd president of the United States, surely knew a thing or two about leadership. This is a great teamwork quote from history because it shows the importance of selflessness when being part of any team.

Achieving better results alongside your team often requires reflecting on what went well within your project. This helps you establish what went well and what can improve the next time. Take advantage of our free lessons learned template for guidance.

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Lessons Learned Template

Use this free Lessons Learned Template for Excel to manage your projects better.

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19. “There is no such thing as a self-made man. You will reach your goals only with the help of others.” – George Shinn

George Shinn, an American entrepreneur and owner of sports teams, knows that teamwork is key to achieving goals, whether those are personal goals, business objectives or the completion of a project.

20. “Many ideas grow better when transplanted into another mind than the one where they sprang up.” – Oliver Wendell Holmes

This teamwork quote helps us understand the importance of letting others contribute with their talent. It’s important to let our teammates do their job and provide them with a collaborative environment where they feel welcome, as this teamwork helps us grow and makes our own ideas better.

21. “Individual commitment to a group effort — that is what makes a team work, a company work, a society work, a civilization work.” – Vince Lombardi

Vince Lombardi is another sports legend who’s known for his famous teamwork quotes. He truly experienced the power of teamwork, as he expressed in this quote.

22. “No matter how brilliant your mind or strategy, if you’re playing a solo game, you’ll always lose out to a team.” – Reid Hoffman

Reid Hoffman, the co-founder of LinkedIn, is an experienced entrepreneur who understands how teamwork helps organizations grow. This short teamwork quote sums up the power of working as a team.

23. “If you want to build a ship, don’t drum up people together to collect wood and don’t assign them tasks and work, but rather teach them to long for the endless immensity of the sea.” – Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

Antoine de Saint-Exupéry is best known as the author of the children’s classic The Little Prince. He was also an enthusiastic aviator and knew that it was better to fly as a flock than to fly alone.

24. “Give us the tools and we’ll finish the job.” – Winston Churchill

Winston Churchill was a great leader for a number of reasons, and one that’s famous for his teamwork quotes. One of them is that he understood that teamwork wins the fight, and quotes like the one below show how good he was at motivating not only the troops but everyone into supporting the war effort.

Our online tool helps teams collaborate on projects in real time with comments, status updates and file sharing—with immediate notifications in-app and through email when tasks are updated. We’re not saying that WWII could have ended sooner with our software, but we have squeezed greater efficiencies out of projects both big and small. Get started with ProjectManager for free today.

25. “It takes two flints to make a fire.” – Louisa May Alcott

Author Louisa May Alcott wrote the novel Little Women, which is as influential now as it was when first published in 1868 and knows that characters, like people, work best together.

26. “Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much.” – Helen Keller

Don’t tell Helen Keller that she had disabilities. She knew that a person is more than the sum of their parts.

27. “If anything goes bad, I did it. If anything goes semi-good, we did it. If anything goes really good, then you did it.” – Bear Bryant

Paul W. Bryant, commonly known as Bear Bryant, was the head coach of the University of Alabama football team for 25 years. During that time, they won six national championships and 13 conference championships. Now that’s teamwork!

28. “In union there is strength.” Aesop

You’ve read Aesop’s fables in school. Maybe you should go back and read the Greek storyteller again. There’s a lot of wisdom in those stories.

29. “When he took time to help the man up the mountain, lo, he scaled it himself.” – Tibetan Proverb

A proverb is a simple saying that gains popularity over time. This Tibetan proverb is deceptively simple and offers a great lesson on teamwork.

30. “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed people can change the world. Indeed. It is the only thing that ever has.” – Margaret Mead

Margaret Mead was a cultural anthropologist who spent her life studying the holistic view of human nature. So, who better to comment on the nature of teamwork than the icon herself?

31. “When your team is winning, be ready to be tough, because winning can make you soft. On the other hand, when your team is losing, stick by them. Keep believing.” – Bo Schembechler

Bo Schembechler was one of the most victorious college football coaches in history. So, it’s wise to listen when he’s offering advice on teamwork.

32. “The nicest thing about teamwork is that you always have others on your side.” – Margaret Carty

You might have come across this quote by Margaret Carty. It’s a good one. Oddly, there’s little-to-no biographical information on her. It’s a mystery, and who doesn’t love a mystery?

33. “In teamwork, silence isn’t golden, it’s deadly.” – Mark Sanborn

Entrepreneur Mark Sanborn is a wealth of wisdom, and thankfully he likes to share the wealth.

34. “Trust is knowing that when a team member does push you, they’re doing it because they care about the team.” – Patrick Lencioni

Management and teamwork expert Patrick Lencioni is best known for his bestselling book The Five Dysfunctions of a Team, so he’s someone all teams should listen to.

35. “I’m not the smartest fellow in the world, but I sure can pick smart colleagues.” – Franklin D. Roosevelt

President Franklin D. Roosevelt got the United States through the Great Depression and the Second World War. He knew it wasn’t just what you can do, but what you and your team can accomplish.

36. “You are either supporting the vision or supporting division.” – Saji Ijiyemi

Leadership pro and author Saji Ijiyemi knows that a leader is only as good as the team supporting them.

37. “Obstacles are those frightful things you see when you take your eyes off your goal.” – Henry Ford

We’ve already mentioned Henry Ford on this list, and it turns out that he was full of knowledge about teamwork. This quote is a good reminder to keep your eyes on the prize.

38. “The ratio of We’s to I’s is the best indicator of the development of a team.” –Lewis B. Ergen

Fake news? Maybe. Lewis B. Ergen is another attributed quote whose author is elusive to the research department here at ProjectManager. But if this is a fake quote, the sentiment behind it isn’t.

39. “Sticks in a bundle are unbreakable.” – Kenyan Proverb

If Africa is the cradle of civilization, then there’s a lot we can learn as this Kenyan proverb proves.

40. “It is literally true that you can succeed best and quickest by helping others to succeed.” – Napoleon Hill

Self-help author Napoleon Hill wrote a book called Think and Grow Rich. Those are two things we can all get behind.

41. “The way a team plays as a whole determines its success. You may have the greatest bunch of individual stars in the world, but if they don’t play together, the club won’t be worth a dime.” – Babe Ruth

Baseball legend Babe Ruth is so famous they named a candy bar after him. But his real worth is that he was but one part of one of the winningest teams ever, the New York Yankees.

42. “Talent wins games, but teamwork and intelligence wins championships.” – Michael Jordan

What can’t Michael Jordan do? The basketball star has parlayed his post-sports career into a powerful empire, and his sneakers are pretty great, too. He’s also right about teamwork.

43. “Teamwork makes the dream work.” – John C. Maxwell

John C. Maxwell was a leadership visionary, but even from his perch on top, he could see the importance of teamwork.

44. “The higher a monkey climbs, the more you see of its behind.” — Joseph Stilwell

Army general Joseph Stilwell led troops during the Second World War. For him, teamwork was the difference between life and death.

45. “Individually, we are one drop. Together, we are an ocean.” – Ryūnosuke Satoro

Japanese short story writer Ryūnosuke Satoro is best known as the author of “In a Grove.” It was famously adapted by director Akira Kurosawa as the movie Rashōmon, which retold a story from several different participants’ perspectives.

If you’re looking for project management tools like Gantt charts, Kanban boards and project calendars to kickstart your teamwork efforts, then try ProjectManager, online project management software. It has the tools your team needs to communicate and collaborate in real time. Get started for free. 

The post Best Teamwork Quotes: 45 Motivational Quotes for Teams appeared first on ProjectManager.

Once you get buy-in from the team and they know where they stand and how to maneuver through the project, you’re on the road to success. Let’s explore how to put a team charter together.

What Is a Team Charter?

A team charter is a project document that outlines why the team has been brought into the project, what the team is being tasked to accomplish and the resources and constraints in which the team will be working.

The team charter is often created in a group setting, which gives the team direction and boundaries in a transparent environment. This collective development gets buy-in from the team and ensures everyone understands their part in the project.

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Team Charter Template

Use this free Team Charter Template for Word to manage your projects better.

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What Is the Purpose of a Project Team Charter?

A team charter is a document that defines the overall objectives of the project team. It’s important as it guides the team throughout the life cycle of a project. When assembling a new team, the project team charter is helpful to quickly bring them up to speed.

Whether the team is new or already established, the project team charter is useful in that it clearly outlines the goals, assets and obstacles of the project. A new team gets the basics while a team that’s been working on the project for a long time gets a refresher.

What Should Be Included in a Team Charter Document?

A team charter document helps outline the purpose, roles, goals and processes of a project team. We’ve included some of the key components below.

Project Background

The project background is an opportunity to provide context for the project team as it includes details about how the project came to life, its importance and any history before initiation. This is where to include either the organizational or business need that the project helps to address. You can also include any insights into past related projects, challenges or opportunities that the project offers.

Team Purpose or Mission

Use the team purpose section of the project charter to include a mission statement. In other words, what is the reason that the team exists and what problem is the team addressing? This section can help the project team gain better clarity on why their work is important. This section can also include an overview of the project or problem, providing information on the challenges or opportunities that the team is working through.

Goals and Objectives

The goals and objectives section of the team charter should outline what the team members want to accomplish to help provide a roadmap for project success. When setting goals, they should be broad and overarching. Objectives, on the other hand, are more specific and should be SMART; specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time-bound.

As the project unfolds, it’s critical to track the progress of your team, timelines, budget and expenses to ensure the project goals and objectives will be met. With ProjectManager, you get access to planning, scheduling and tracking tools that keep your projects under control. Build a plan that includes costs, estimates and labor rates, then track everything on our real-time project management dashboard. Try ProjectManager today for free.

Project Scope

The project scope section should define the team’s work and establish boundaries to prevent scope creep. In this section, it’s important to identify project milestones and key deliverables for the project team. This allows them to better understand what’s expected of them and sets them up to only work on what is part of the project scope. Highlight what decisions the team members are empowered to make independently and where approval from key stakeholders is needed.

Resource Requirements & Budget

In this section, specify the tools, materials and other resource requirements that the team needs to reach its goals. This can include software, training, financial resources and more. If there is specific support that the team will need from cross-functional teams or departments, it’s important to note that in this section. For example, the team might need budgetary approval to obtain additional resources.

Roles and Responsibilities

This section of the team charter should further define the roles of individual contributors on the team. It should state the name of the role, such as the project manager, technical lead, analyst, etc. and outline details of their responsibilities. For example, the project manager is likely responsible for overseeing the project timeline while meeting the project timeline. The clearer each role is defined, the less work will be duplicated and the more accountability there will be.

Stakeholders

The stakeholders section of the team charter document identifies the key stakeholders involved in the project, both internal and external. This could include senior leadership, external partners, project sponsors, customers or other teams within the organization. It’s essential to establish a project communication plan as it helps the team manage stakeholder communication and engagement activities.

Team Operations

Here, outline how the team will operate on a daily basis. This can include standard operational procedures, how the work will be tracked or how decisions will be made. This section should also include how the team will be collaborating; for example, will there be weekly standup meetings or daily standups? Clear operational procedures within the team can help result in project success.

Performance Assessment & Success Metrics

Finally, define how success will be measured. This evaluation criteria should be well-rounded and both qualitative and quantitative data. For example, quantitative metrics could include budget adherence, specific performance targets or project completion dates. Qualitative metrics could include stakeholder feedback or how well the team collaborates. The team then uses these metrics to assess progress and make needed adjustments.

When Should You Use a Team Charter Document?

The team charter document should be created early in the project as it sets the foundation for how the team is going to operate. It’s typically created in the project initiation phase as it helps align team members with the project’s scope, purpose and key objectives. Even though it’s technically created during project initiation, it doesn’t mean it can’t evolve alongside the project.

The team charter should be updated whenever the project plan has changed in a way that’ll impact the original guidelines. For example, if the project’s scope changes because of a change request, that information needs to be related.

Another reason to update your team charter is if a new team member is brought on board. At this point, the details of the team charter might remain very similar, but the process of developing it with the new team member would require revisiting it with them. This is also true when a team member is exiting the team. The team charter needs to be reviewed and revised to note the team member’s contributions. Even if they’re leaving the organization, the team charter can be changed to make this transition smoother.

Who Writes the Team Charter Document?

A project team charter is created by the project manager based on insights from everyone on the project team such as the project sponsor, team members and stakeholders. It’s a collaborative effort to make certain all are clearly aware of its content. This helps get buy-in for the project, whereas if the team charter was made by management and presented to the team, it’d be less impactful.

The participation of everyone on the team is so important that when the team charter is completed, everyone signs off on it. While this might seem unnecessary, it symbolizes the shared commitment to the project and its objectives and makes the team better understand their roles and responsibilities.

Why Is a Team Charter Important?

There are two main reasons for the team charter. First, it clearly outlines the project objectives and how the team is responsible for tasks that lead to the final deliverable. Second, it informs outside project members of what the team is and isn’t responsible for.

Another benefit of using a team charter is that it creates transparency in the team, which leads to more accountability and better team management. It gives the team the structure to build agreement on how they wish to operate within the project and how they make decisions. This is done by defining the frequency of meetings and other logistics.

The team charter removes roadblocks and sets a course for the team to work together more effectively while staying aligned with the project’s overall goals. One way it does this is by clearly defining each team member’s role and responsibilities in the project and their level of authority in any particular project aspect. It also sets what resources they can request.

Team Charter Example

The team charter is developed with the team as it’s being formed. To make sure you have covered all the bases, it’s not a bad idea to use a team charter template. ProjectManager has dozens of free project management templates, including the team charter, shown below.

As you can see, each section is laid out in a customizable box that gives you the ability to expand. Of course, supporting documentation can always be attached, but the template itself will have the overview, hitting all the main points and ending with a signature page.

Our team charter template has all critical fields you need to include. Every team member should have not only participated in the development and discussion of the team charter but also have a copy for themselves to reference whenever needed.

Team Charter vs. Project Charter

There are other charters made over the course of a project. We’ve discussed the project team charter, but how does it compare to the project charter? Just by the name alone, it’s easy to distinguish one from the other, as one is about the team and the other is about the larger project.

Where the team charter defines the teams, their roles and responsibilities and how they’ll collaborate on one or more projects, the project charter lists the requirements of only one project. It’s also more wide-ranging, describing the whole project in brief and used in the planning process to define the goals and benefits of the project.

Team Charter vs. Organizational Charter

Another charter found in project management documentation is the organizational charter. This, too, serves a different purpose than the project team charter. The organizational charter is broader than the team charter and even broader than the project charter.

The organizational charter deals with the entire organization, defining its overall mission, objectives and even values. It goes into specifics, too, such as the role of its stakeholders, financial obligations and what resources are required for it to do what it wants to do.

How to Create a Team Charter

A team charter is made up of several sections which directly relate to the team’s involvement in the project. While team charters can change depending on the project, they all tend to share the elements outlined below.

1. Describe Your Project Background

The first thing to do is lay the groundwork for the project; summarize what it’s about and why it’s being initiated. This allows the team to see how they fit in the overall project, as well as identify the stakeholders who are invested in the project’s success.

2. Define Project Mission and Objectives

The mission statement defines the background section further by defining what success looks like in the project, so the team knows what they’re aiming for each time they take on a new task. Expanding again to the big picture, the benefits and business driving the project are explained.

3. Estimate What Project Resources Will Be Needed

The project funding is defined in this section, including what resources are earmarked. Team members may be curious if there’s any training offered, so the team leader will say whether training is included. Finally, in terms of finance, the management who supports the team is identified so they can be contacted with any questions related to costs.

4. Define Roles and Responsibilities for the Project Team

Everybody on the team needs to know their role and responsibility to not get in each other’s way. Here, list their skill sets and expertise, as well as who has authority over whom.

5. Describe the Team Operations

For a team to work effectively, its operational structure must be outlined. If a new team member enters the project, their pathway must be defined, as well as an exit strategy for those who might be leaving the team. All operating rules, relationships, etc. are explored and clarified.

6. Outline the Project Scope

The project scope is outlined in this part of the team charter, as well as how the team members will participate in the project scope.

7. Establish Performance Assessment Guidelines

Throughout the project, team members will be assessed on their performance and progress. This needs to be explained upfront, including how these metrics will be measured, who will be assessing them and when.

8. Describe the Project Activities and Milestones

This is where the tasks that make up the project are listed, along with the milestones. With these, the team has a better sense of the work ahead of them.

9. Set a Guide to Communication

Team communication, both between themselves and with their manager or team leader, is outlined in this section. The method of communication will be decided on, as well as how often the teams will meet and the frequency of their status reports.

10. Add Signatures

Finally, once the team charter has been fully discussed and everyone on the team is on board, each will sign and date the document. This shows that they understand their role, responsibility, the scope of the project and how they’re involved.

Team Charter Tips

The best way to make a team charter is with the team. They need to know the ins and outs of the project and should be part of the team charter’s development. Even though they won’t know the details, their input is essential.

While you don’t want to get lost in the weeds, the team charter should be thorough and fully explain the team’s purpose, the measurable goals they’ll be assessed by and the operating guidelines for the team during project execution.

That said, the document should be digestible, with specific and measurable goals that everyone on the team can live with. It should be achievable and result in the success of the project as planned. You might want to include a code of conduct and a plan to resolve any conflicts, which creates a work environment where everyone feels safe and valued. This usually results in greater morale and productivity.

When to Update a Team Charter

The team charter should be updated whenever the project plan has changed in a way that’ll impact the original guidelines. For example, if the project’s scope changes because of a change request, that information needs to be relayed.

Another reason to update your team charter is if a new team member is brought on board. At this point, the details of the team charter might remain basically the same, but the process of developing it with the new team member would require revisiting it with them. This is also true when a team member is exiting the team. The team charter needs to be reviewed and revised to get that team member’s contribution noted. Even if they’re leaving the organization, the team charter can be changed to make this transition smoother.

How ProjectManager Helps With Team Management

ProjectManager is award-winning project management software that organizes teams and fosters collaborative work. Our tool not only empowers teams to work better together, but it also gives managers transparency into that process to support them through better planning, scheduling and allocation of resources.

Not everyone works the same, so we give teams multiple project views so they can work how they want. There are dynamic task lists, a calendar view and kanban boards to visualize workflow and allow teams to manage their backlog and plan sprints together.

Plan With Gantt Charts

Managers have features to monitor their team’s work and schedule tasks and resources. The Gantt chart view allows managers to link task dependencies to avoid bottlenecks that decrease team productivity. They can set milestones and edit the Gantt by dragging and dropping tasks to their new deadline.

Balance Resources With Workload Calendars

Keeping teams working to capacity without burning them out is critical. Resource management features let managers track their team’s hours, availability and related costs. Use the team page to get an overview of their work and the workload page to keep their workload balanced.

ProjectManager is online software with real-time data that lets teams work together wherever they are. Managers get more accurate and timely information that informs their decision-making as they plan, monitor and report on the project. Try it today by taking this free 30-day trial.

The post How to Create a Team Charter (Example & Template Included) appeared first on ProjectManager.

Preparing your in-person or virtual meetings and adding ice breaker questions for work is a process, of course, so let’s start at the beginning. Drop drab intros like, “You’ve probably wondered why I’ve gathered you here today.” Yawn. Just like a speech gets attention by opening with an ice breaker question or joke, a team meeting needs to open in a way that creates a team-bonding environment. So, what are some ice breakers for meetings? They should be collaborative, and you can even use team collaboration tools to help elicit ideas from the team members.

Why Do Ice Breakers for Meetings?

Ice breakers are fun. Yes, meetings are about getting down to business, but opening one with an ice breaker is a way to break through that bad attitude that many might bring to the meeting. It’s also a way to get to know the people on your team. The closer the relationships, the better people work together.

Don’t think of an ice breaker as just a silly excuse to get people involved. It’s a team-building exercise. This is true for the coworker in the next cubicle or the remote worker on their computer at home. Ice breakers unite people, build better attitudes and create happier, more productive teams.

Who Should Participate in Ice Breaker Questions?

The short answer is everyone. The long answer is that total involvement is essential for team building. Therefore, the person who is tasked with bringing the ice breaker to the meeting shouldn’t just be the one leading the meeting. That responsibility should rotate, allowing everyone to bring something to the table.

Ice breakers for meetings should be collaborative in creation and execution. Have fun with it and learn what the guy next to you likes to have for breakfast or their favorite pastime. Okay, those are pretty lame ideas. Need inspiration? Read on, below are some of the best ice breaker games to make meetings fun.

40 Best Ice Breaker Games to Make Your Meetings Fun

Here are some fun meeting ice breaker questions. Try them and let us know what you think. If you have techniques that you’ve used, share them with us. Together we can use ice breaker games and team-building activities to make meetings less dreadful!

Best Team Building Ice Breakers

Getting a team to work together means building that team. Team-building ice breakers do just that, break that ice that freezes teams in a rigid way. Using these games will help to melt that ice and build the bonds that all well-performing teams have developed.

1. Superpower Selection

This is an oldie, but a goodie. Everyone is asked what superpower they would choose and why. There are the obvious ones, such as being able to fly or having superhuman strength, but there’s sure to be an oddball who’ll come with some leftfield power that is going to get some laughs. It’s a lighthearted ice breaker to get to know everyone better.

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2. Zombie Apocalypse

Okay, this is a strange one, but it’s sure to bring people out of their shells and help build a collaborative environment. Ask how everyone would survive in a world in which zombies ran wild. Not only will this uncover the survivalists in the group, but the ice breaker will show people’s coping skills. Watch out for the guy who says he’d just get killed as fast as possible to get the nightmare over with.

3. Bucket List

No, it’s not an ice breaker to name your favorite type of bucket. A bucket list collects the things a person wants to do before they die. Yes, it’s a bit morbid, but understanding that we are but mortal beings might help motivate the team to get their tasks done on time so they might actually cross off some of those bucket list items.

4. One Word Game

What’s the one word you’d use to describe yourself? Everyone picks one and then they’re referred to by that name throughout the meeting. It’s more than a silly way to start the meeting; it helps you learn about the personality traits of your team members and lets everyone get to know one another a bit better. The best part of this ice breaker game it’s that it’s great for virtual meetings and remote teams.

5. Pet Introductions

Not everyone has a pet, but those who do are passionate about them. Take a moment for those pet owners to introduce their pets to the group. If the ice breaker is added to the meeting announcement, they can even bring a picture, which is sure to get some oohs and ahs. For those people who don’t have pets, they can explain why they’re heartless monsters.

6. Time Period

Ask everyone in the meeting about what time period they would like to visit if they had a time machine. It can include the future. This will reveal a lot about the group. For example, who knew the IT guy was into the Renaissance? Well, everyone actually, as he won’t stop talking about last weekend’s Renaissance Faire.

7. Personality Quiz

This one is a great team-building activity that works great for small teams. Simply grab or create a personality quiz and hand it to your team members. Once they fill it out, ask each of them whether they agree with the results and ask them a couple of ice breaker questions. This is a great conversation starter and a great way to know your team members’ personality traits.

Related: 10 Strategies to Motivate Your Team

8. Two Truths and One Lie

This is an easy and fun ice breaker game to get everyone putting down their guard, which allows for teams to work better together. Each person states three facts, two truths and one lie. They can be personal facts, historical facts or anything else. Now the others have to guess which is the untruth.

9. The End…

Write a fragment of a sentence on a whiteboard or a piece of paper or just say it aloud to the group. Now ask them to complete it. You can take this in any number of directions, from a project-related sentence to a morale-related one or even something in a Mad Libs manner.

10. Share the Love

In the heat of work, it’s easy to forget that you’re a group of people and not automatons on deadline. Yes, there’s a part of you that must be dispassionate and devote yourself to the whole, but ignoring the individual and their emotional needs will come back to haunt you and your productivity. Share the love is a game that remedies that by having everyone on the team say something nice about another person on the team. Keep it respectful and in good taste and you’ll watch the smiles rise over the faces of everyone on the team.

Team building ice breakers are important to boost morale, but even the most cohesive group needs the right tools to get their work done. ProjectManager is award-winning project management software that empowers teams to plan, manage and track their work in real time. Our multiple project views, including Gantt charts, kanban boards and task lists, all have task cards that facilitate collaboration with real-time commenting, easy file sharing and much more. Get started with ProjectManager today for free.

Best Ice Breaker Games for Work Meetings

Games act as great ice breaker questions. They’re fun and build teamwork, if you choose the right games. These games are fun and facilitate the collaboration that your team needs to work well together and stay productive.

Related: 10 Super Fun Team Bonding Games

11. Mystery Object Game

This one will take a bit of planning, but that makes it more engaging. The idea for this ice breaker is to have everyone bring in a random object from their workspace and share its story or significance. People love to personalize their desks or offices, but the reason behind the object is not always evident. This will offer a nice window into a coworker’s personality.

12. Reverse Pictionary

Most everyone is familiar with Pictionary. It’s where someone has to draw a word that they’ve been given and the group has to guess what that word is from their drawing. Only this turns the game around. Instead of drawing, describe an object without naming it while others try to guess what it is. This ice breaker is fun and sets a good tone for the start of the meeting.

13. The Marshmallow Game

This ice breaker game was first introduced by Tom Wujec in a TED talk. It’s great for team bonding because it requires people to work together to build a structure using 20 spaghetti sticks, 1 yard of tape, 1 yard of string and a marshmallow in 18 minutes. There’s one rule for this construction project, the marshmallow must be on top.

14. Paper Airplane Game

This is one of those ice breaker questions that work only for in-person meetings. Here’s how it works. First, pass colored paper sheets to your team members and ask them to write an interesting fact about themselves. Then ask them to make a paper airplane. Once they’re ready, each team member will throw his or her paper airplane to the other side of the room. Pick up the paper airplanes, read them out loud and have them guess whose paper airplane it is.

15. Exquisite Corpse

This is an ice breaker game that was created by the Surrealists in which you divide a piece of paper into three. Three people must draw the head, torso and legs, respectively, without seeing what the person before them drew. Inevitably, the final drawing is a hoot. So, break the group up into threes and have them get drawings as you set up the meeting. Who cares if they draw well or not? The worse they draw, the more hilarious the outcome.

16. Scavenger Hunt

Scavenger hunts are a great team-building activity for new hires because it lets them get familiarized with the office. A surprise scavenger hunt is a great ice breaker game to get everybody to know each other and collaborate. Once the scavenger hunt is finished, everybody can have a productive meeting.

17. Hot & Cold

Hide something in the room, maybe some money or the meeting agenda or something random. Then, have the team try and work together to discover it. You only can respond by saying they’re hot or cold when they search. Depending on how big your meeting room is, this might be an absurd assignment, but that just makes it a better ice breaker.

18. The Squid Game

The Netflix hit from Korea, Squid Game is the opposite of an ice breaker, it’s a depressing illustration of “every man for himself.” But the premise is built on playing a bunch of children’s games. When you’re a child, playing an ice breaker game in the mud with a stranger ends with you both best friends. Using the popular show as a starting point, ask the group to come up with things they played in childhood. Whatever games, from blind man’s bluff to dodgeball, it doesn’t matter. You’ll find at the end of the team-building exercise that everyone is laughing and happily working together.

19. Stand Up

Remove the chairs from the room in which you’re meeting and tell everyone that it’s a standup meeting. Not only is there evidence that standup meetings are more efficient, but you’re likely to have a faster and more productive meeting because people will get tired of standing around.

20. Charades

Let’s wrap this up with one of the classic ice breaker questions for work, charades. You’ve undoubtedly played this as a kid or maybe at a party. It’s fun and easy—no equipment needed. If you’re unfamiliar, charades is a game where one person thinks of a word or phrase (you can narrow the choices to movie, song or book titles, animals, etc.) and then has to get the others to guess the word or phrase by acting it out, without speaking. There’s a reason this game is a classic. It’s a great way to loosen the tie (if people still wear ties!) and make a bunch of individuals into a team.

21. Red Light, Green Light

You probably remember playing this game as a child. That speaks to its simplicity, longevity and how much fun it is. As in the old schoolyard game, everyone lines up on one side of the room and a designated leader will shout out green light, which means everyone moves forward, or red light, which means they have to stop. If you keep moving after the leader says red light, you’re out. There’s not much to this game, but then the most fun is usually had with the least complexity. Watch as your team immediately loosens up.

Best Ice Breakers for Virtual Meetings

One of the biggest concerns as teams move to work remotely is accountability. Will they be as productive apart as they can be together under the watchful eye of their supervisor or manager? The answer is yes, but only if you keep them connected virtually and use that digital platform to strengthen the ties that may not be visible but can stretch over time zones.

22. Dinner Party

This ice breaker asks participants to choose three people, living, dead, real or fictional, with whom they’d like to have a dinner party. It’s a great way to learn about other people’s interests as they name the historic figures, fictional characters or whomever and explain why they picked them.

23. Meme Sharing

Yes, memes. They’re not for kids anymore. While the internet didn’t invent the idea of a meme, which is just something that is shared and popular, it did make it even more viral. Besides the internet being the greatest meme generator in history, memes can be a great way to have some laughs before the meeting. Or you can make the ice breaker more targeted, asking people to share a meme that represents their mood or the work week so far.

24. Emoji Check-In

Ask everyone at the meeting to share an emoji that represents how they’re feeling right now. Yes, there’s a chance you’re going to get some frowny faces. But it’s better to have a clear picture of the emotional state of those in attendance before the meeting starts. This ice breaker can help the leader better guide them through the meeting.

25. No Smiling

This ice breaker game will make your team members laugh and it works for in-person or virtual meetings. Tell everyone in a very serious tone that you won’t tolerate any smiling. Then tell a joke. See if people can keep a straight face. You might not be a comedian, but it’s harder than you think not to laugh. Chances are that within five minutes, everyone will be laughing their faces off. That’s exactly what good team meeting ice breaker questions do. It’s a great way to start a team meeting, and you’ll find it a more effective one because of it.

26. Make a Portrait

Again, this ice breaker game has nothing to do with being artistic. Have team members turn to whoever is sitting next to them and then have each draw a portrait of the other. People aren’t going to be especially happy with the results (no one’s likely to frame these pictures), but they’ll be playful, which is a great atmosphere to start a meeting. This ice breaker game can also work for remote teams.

27. 10 Things We Have In Common

If you’re trying to bond an organization with many disparate departments or remote teams that mostly interact by email or text, get them all together and direct them to discuss among themselves what they have in common. Have the goal for the group be to list 10 things they share. You might find weird commonalities among the group, which is fun, but the real objective is to bring people together. This ice breaker quickly melts the hard exterior of unfamiliarity and builds partnership.

28. Use PM Software for Virtual Teams

You can take the collaborative features of your project management tool, like ProjectManager, to get the team working together on fun ways to start a meeting with remote teams. Have them create a chatroom where they can discuss the meeting to come. You might even send them an agenda, so they can think about what the meeting will be about. Then they have ownership of the ice breaker and buy-in to the meeting.

29. Guess That Drawing

Being able to draw well might help in this meeting ice breaker, but it’s not required. In fact, the game is more fun when you can’t even draw a straight line. The idea is that one team draws a word and the other tries to guess it. Use a tool like Drawarsaurus, which asks you to enter a nickname, create a room and save it as private by creating a password. Then share the link with the virtual team. Once everyone has designated themselves as ready to play, you’ll begin. Whoever guesses the word being illustrated fastest wins. It’s a great way to quickly bond distributed teams.

30. Themed Meetings

It’s a silly idea, but don’t dismiss it as trivial. It’s great for holidays but can be used anytime to lighten the mood before getting to work. You can dress up as your favorite summertime character or in a Halloween costume, depending on the season. You can also just decide that everyone wears a mustache. Whatever theme you pick, make sure it’s in good taste and communicate the theme to everyone before the meeting. You don’t want to make anyone feel left out. That defeats the purpose of the meeting ice breaker. This can be done for virtual meetings, but also for when you’re together in one room.

Best Ice Breaker Questions for Work Meetings

An ice breaker doesn’t have to be a game. In fact, some of the easiest and most rewarding are simply well-asked questions. You can learn things about them that you would never find out from just working together. The more team members know each other and can relate to each other, the better they’ll work together and the higher their morale–and that leads to greater productivity.

31. What’s Your Favorite Year?

As the meeting settles, get people focused by asking what their favorite year is and why. Not only is this interesting, but it’s a team bonding activity that provides an avenue for people to know each other more intimately.

32. What Annoys You?

Ask each person to reveal the personality trait that’s most irritating to them. It’s good for a laugh, though you might fear it could make for a disharmonious team. You’d be surprised, what appears might help you resolve conflicts before they occur.

33. What Kind of Car?

If your workplace was a car, what kind would it be? Or you could tweak that too if you were a car, or if your coworkers were cars, etc. You’re probably seeing how these ice breaker questions are almost a stealthy way to analyze your team and work environment.

34. What’s Your Theme Song?

Music is a great conversation starter and a great team bonding tool. For this ice breaker activity, ask the team to imagine they’re in a movie. What song would play when they walk into a scene? Would it be a rousing number like in Rocky or maybe something more somber? You can use that information throughout the project to, say, play music when a milestone has been completed.

Related: Staff Meeting Ideas: 7 Creative Tactics That Your Team Will Love

35. Who Are You?

Hand out blank paper and ask each person to write or draw a short description of themselves. Then put all the papers face down in the middle of the table and go through them, trying to figure out who belongs to which description. You can do this yourself, which gives the team a chance to further bond as they work together to help you out.

36. M&Ms

Everyone loves candy. Admit it! So, why not get a bag of M&M’s and pass them out? Whatever color the person gets means that they have to answer a specific question about themselves. You can have some fun figuring out what the questions are. This is one of those ice breaker games that are great conversation starters.

37. What Do You Do to Destress?

Stress is a normal part of one’s personal and professional life. Being able to successfully deal with your stress will make you happier and a better worker. That’s why asking the team what they do to destress is a great meeting ice breaker. It not only addresses that work can be stressful, but it exposes everyone to many different ways to deal with stress–some of which they may never have thought of on their own. This connects the team, educates them and takes stress out of the shadows where it can do the most harm.

Related: 10 Super Fun Team Bonding Games

38. Stranded Desert Island Picks

You’ve heard the old, “If you were stranded on a desert island what one book would you have with you?” Well, find out! It could be books, music, food, etc. Again, a silly ice breaker question, but a real team-building activity for in-person or virtual meetings that helps to better know the people on your team.

Related: Staff Meeting Ideas: 7 Creative Tactics That Your Team Will Love

39. Be Honest

It might seem like a dangerous door to open but ask the team to be honest about their day. The Huffington Post says that “the best business is done when you’re being true and authentic.” If nothing else, you’re sure to get engagement from the team, and that’s how you want to start a meeting, with a fully engaged room.

40. Movie That Made You Cry

Admit it, you’ve teared up in a dark theater. But there’s nothing to be ashamed of. Movies can be emotionally manipulative. That’s one of the reasons why we go. When everyone on the team opens up about that tearjerker that hit them in the heart, whether it’s Bambi or The Shawshank Redemption, it’ll accelerate team bonding.

How ProjectManager Gets the Most Out of Teams

Once the ice is broken and the team is formed, the real work begins. ProjectManager is award-winning software that helps teams work better together. With ProjectManager, teams can plan projects, schedule work and collaborate on tasks. Plus, with unlimited file storage, they can upload as many documents and images as they need to get the work done.

Projects can be created by simply uploading a task list. Once started, teams love the multiple project views, such as kanban boards that visualize workflows and keep teams focused on the tasks at hand. Kanban boards also give managers visibility into the process, so they know who is working on what. Celebrate victories with ProjectManager and its online project management software.

Foster real teamwork with the right tools. ProjectManager is online software that takes teamwork to new heights, whether people work in-house or remotely. See how ProjectManager can improve everyone’s productivity by taking this free 30-day trial.

The post 40 Ice Breaker Questions for Work Meetings appeared first on ProjectManager.

Let’s look at how integrations for the Acumatica Construction Edition can give general contractors and their teams the best of both worlds. We’ll start by explaining the value of Acumatica Construction and then move on to how integration with ProjectManager gives construction companies a full picture of their projects and operations.

What Is Acumatica?

Acumatica is online ERP software that businesses across industries use to help with their accounting, financial reporting and customer relationship management (CRM). It’s a popular tool for companies looking to manage their finances, employees and aspects of their projects and tasks. It isn’t, however, a tool equipped to manage complex schedules, allocation of resources and data on tasks. This can be done with integrations.

There are over 10,000 customers who currently use Acumatica in multiple industries, including construction, distribution, manufacturing, retail and professional services, making it one of the fastest-growing ERPs in the nation. That’s because Acumatica helps manage accounting, operations, customers, vendors, employees and other business operations. Where it doesn’t directly serve these industries, it offers integrations beyond its core business efficiency service.

While Acumatica is designed for finance and accounting teams, executives, department heads and subcontractors, with integration it can bring in project workers in the office and on the job site for a full picture of the company’s operations. That’s because while Acumatica excels at managing contracts, payroll, requests for information, submittals and many other contracting essentials, it is not a full-service construction project management software. When Acumatica Construction integrates with ProjectManager, though, it fulfills that goal.

How to Use Acumatica for Construction

As noted above, Acumatica has elements of construction project management software, but it’s not a construction project management software. There are many modules that general contractors and their teams and subcontractors will find useful, but if they’re seeking a fully functioning ERP and construction project management software they’ll need to integrate with one.

There’s a construction project management module available in the Acumatica marketplace that will give users the power of the Acumatica ERP system with the tools they need to plan, manage and track construction projects in real time. This integration works to connect project teams with operational teams.

ProjectManager is award-winning project and portfolio management software that has been recognized as an official Acumatica Application, meeting the high standards it places on integration partners and their functionality. When ProjectManager is integrated with Acumatica construction users get bi-directional project management applications that empower them to seamlessly synchronize project data, automate financial tasks and optimize workflow processes. Contact ProjectManager to learn more.

What Are the Main Features of the Acumatica Construction Edition?

Acumatica Construction Edition is designed to give construction professionals powerful business intelligence. It allows general contractors to manage project costs and company-wide capacity that links contracts, schedules, budgets, change orders, subcontracts and compliance from one screen. The construction edition features the following features.

• Contracts: Links contract details and task in the project plan, including change orders
• Budgets: Directly links budgets to contracts, accounting and project plan, managing hard and soft costs, change orders, profits, overhead and fees in real time
• Job Costing: Captures labor, material and equipment costs with instant updates, keeping project management and accounting in sync. Simplifies calculating taxes for projects.
• Change Orders: Manage back charges or reduction in vendor commitments through the entry of negative change orders and streamline change orders for multiple construction projects with unit rate changes, custom retainage and cost-only change requests
• Project Billing: Confirms details and automatically generates pro forma, progress and time and material invoices from one screen, including quick billing
• Daily Field Reports: Streamlines field management and ensures everyone is viewing the same info
• Request for Information (RFIs): Use RFIs to create change requests and close when completed
• Submittals: Track approval of submittals before fabricating and delivering to the job site
• Join Checks: Purchase requisitions, contracts and inventory control integrate with subcontracts to simplify project and joint check management
• Compliance: Manage lien waivers and releases, insurance, certificates and status updates
• Payroll: Support for multiple unions, locals, classes, benefit packages and complex wages
• Retainage: Manage initial retainage and any changes to streamline invoicing and payments
• Mobile App: Capture time, project issues, change requests and more
• CFMA Benchmarker: Streamline collaboration with the CFMA
• Photo Logs: Use a mobile device to take pictures of the job site
• Project Issues: Report and track project issues on the job site

Construction Project Management Integration for Acumatica by ProjectManager

While Acumatica Construction has ample tools to help construction companies with their operations, general contractors can’t lean on ERP software to plan, manage and track projects. To get multiple project views construction teams will need to integrate with ProjectManager. Now, they can get bi-directional project management and operational data. ProjectManager integrates with Acumatica’s project accounting software to create a holistic project management experience.

Why Integrate With ProjectManager?

Once Acumatica Construction is integrated with ProjectManager, there’s a real-time channel connecting project teams and financial teams. These teams can continue to work in their preferred software solution, but now can seamlessly transfer data, which means faster delivery, better data accuracy and an overall more effective workforce.

ProjectManager integration with Acumatica Construction allows users to make detailed project plans that track progress, allocate resources and monitor financial impacts. However, the real value in integrating Acumatica Construction with ProjectManager is real-time data synchronization. This syncs project plans, resource schedules and task management, without duplication. This bi-directional integration improves data accuracy and makes managing projects more efficient.

Other benefits include automating workflows that streamline cost and resource management processors or designing custom workflows for specific business needs. Collaboration is improved and centralizing data increases visibility and cross-platform communication.

Acumatica Construction integrates with ProjectManager and provides greater insights into project plans and status no matter which application is being used. There’s up-to-date project accounting and reporting thanks to real-time data synchronization. Project and financial teams receive better analysis thanks to more reliable data. That means better management, forecasting and outcomes.

For more information on this integration and a demo, watch the brief 10-minute video below.

Who Is ProjectManager?

ProjectManager is award-winning construction project management software that manages construction projects and field teams in the cloud. It’s an effective alternative to more expensive alternatives with everything general contractors and their teams need to plan, schedule and execute construction projects in real time.

The simple, easy-to-use interface is built so everyone from the general contractor to subcontractors and job site crews can understand and use it with minimal training. Get instant project updates with Gantt charts, task lists and timesheets that can be updated in the field and managers get an overview of work with real-time project and portfolio dashboards.

Why Use a Construction Project Management Integration?

Acumatica Construction is built more for executive suite professionals and financial teams. There are some construction project management features, but without integration general contractors who are tasked with managing construction projects will find the software limiting.

In reality, Acumatica has only some tools that serve construction projects. While it has modules to help with construction, Acumatica isn’t a project management software. Integrating with project management software can bring the executive and financial teams together with the construction teams. They can both use the project management tools they prefer to work in and share valuable data.

Construction teams can use the tools they want, from Gantt charts and sheet views to project calendars, task lists, kanban boards and more. All project views are updated simultaneously to keep everyone working on the most current data. Create online schedules, teams can log hours on timesheets from anywhere, stay in communication no matter who or where they work, control costs and get unlimited file storage and customizable reporting.

Together, Acumatica and project management integration deliver deep insights into project plans and statuses in either application. The project reporting and accounting are up to date with real-time sync, allowing project and financial teams to make in-depth project analyses with reliable data. That makes for better overall management, forecasting and outcomes.

Benefits of This Acumatica Construction Integration

Integrating project management software with Acumatica gives users project planning, resource scheduling and task management features. This saves time and delivers more accurate data for both the users of Acumatica and the project management construction integration.

Execute project plans with the team in ProjectManager, which offers a collaborative platform and can track progress and resources. Acumatica can track the financial impact. This bi-directional integration in real time means no more importing Excel or CSV files to update Acumatica.

Integrating Acumatica with construction software provides visibility into project plans across platforms. Deepen project-level analysis, automate and streamline cost and resource management. Plus, users will reduce time-consuming manual imports. ProjectManager is the best construction integration for Acumatica.

Contact ProjectManager to Learn More

For construction companies that are looking for an Acumatica construction integration that connects their project and operational teams, the solution is ProjectManager. ProjectManager integrates with Acumatica Construction to deliver the power of seamless synchronization, allowing each team to work how they want and share data without issues. To set up a custom demo and see how ProjectManager and Acumatica are the perfect project management solution, contract ProjectManager today.

Why ProjectManager Is the Best Acumatica Integration for Managing Construction Projects

ProjectManger is award-winning construction project and portfolio management software that provides a full-service solution for construction companies seeking to unite their office and project teams. Follow this link to integrate Acumatica construction with ProjectManager today. Gain project insights, reduce data gaps and better understand the financial impact of projects. Here’s what ProjectManager can add to Acumatica construction.

Make Construction Schedules With Gantt Charts

Unlike other Gantt chart software, our Gantt chart links all four types of task dependencies to avoid costly delays. There’s no need for complicated calculations to conduct the critical path method, just use a filter and the essential tasks in the project are highlighted. Then, when the schedule, resources and costs are done, set a baseline to track planned effort against actual effort in real time.

Allocate Resources & Track Costs

Keeping projects on schedule and avoiding overcost that will eat into profit margins, means proper allocation of resources and tracking costs. Team availability is set during onboarding to help with assignments and resources can be allocated on Gantt charts as part of the project plan. To track resources, costs and more, use real-time dashboards to get easy-to-read graphs and charts on time, cost, workload and more. Customizable reports go deeper into the data and can be shared with stakeholders to keep them updated.

Manage Tasks and Balance Team Workload

Tasks can be managed across multiple project views, such as kanban boards to visualize workflows or task lists that give teams control over their work. Managers can get an overview of their team’s workload on color-coded workload charts or the team page. If someone is overallocated, managers can balance their workload right from those pages to keep everyone working at capacity and staying productive.

What Other Aspects of Acumatica Help Construction Teams?

Integrating ProjectManager with Acumatica Construction is only part of how the ERP software can assist the management of construction projects. Here are some other reasons to use Acumatica.

• Financial Management: Offers real-time insights, month-end closing and continuous compliance
• Project Accounting & Payroll Management: Helps with budgets, job costing, project billing, purchase requisitions and reduces staffing costs with increased accuracy in payroll
• CRM & Service Management: Respond quickly to customer requests, streamline customer journey and improve customer experience and maximize dispatching and boost revenue by scheduling the right people at the right time.
• Equipment Management: Maintain complete visibility of equipment under warranty as well as its history
• Construction Document Management: Manage construction documentation, such as contracts, change orders, RFIs and submittals

Free Construction Project Management Templates

For those not ready to upgrade to ProjectManager integration with Acumatica Construction, we offer over 100 free project management templates for Excel and Word that cover every aspect of managing a project across multiple industries. Here are a few for construction management.

Construction Estimate Template

The more accurate the estimate for the construction job, the more profit margin the general contractor gets to keep. Use this free construction estimate template for Excel to forecast labor and material costs and figure out the profit margin.

Construction Budget Template

Once accurate estimates have been completed, the general contractor will start to create a budget. Use this free construction budget template for Excel to list all the project tasks and estimate labor costs as well as material and equipment costs.

Construction Daily Report Template

Use this free construction daily report template to collect all the work that has been performed, whether it was completed, the crew, materials and equipment needed to complete the work as well as a log of site visitors and weather conditions.

Related Construction Project Management Content

For more information on construction project management, check out the handful of links below. Our site is an online hub for everything project management, with weekly blogs, ebooks, guides, video tutorials and free templates. Here are some recent posts that relate to construction.

• Acumatica for Project Management
• Acumatica for Manufacturing
• Best Project Management Software: Free & Paid Options Ranked
• Excel Construction Templates (Free Download)
• Manufacturing Excel Templates (Free Download)
• Why Use a Gantt Chart in Construction Project Management
• Best Construction Scheduling Software: Free & Paid Options Ranked

ProjectManager is online project and portfolio management software that connects teams whether they’re in the office, on the job site or anywhere else. They can share files, log hours and comment at the task level while staying up to date with email notifications and in-app alerts. Get started with ProjectManager today for free.

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