The Project Management Tool Kit: 100 Tips and Techniques for Getting the Job Done Right

Building an Effective Matrix Team

Techniques for building and maintaining teamwork are necessary for matrix teams, but they are not sufficient. Pay extra attention to:

• Strong project sponsorship: intervention by the sponsor may be necessary for problem escalation and conflict resolution.

• Explicit, formal commitments for time and effort from each team member’s functional manager

• Clearly delegating responsibility and defining individual roles, showing precisely why each team member must be on the project

• A crossfunctional, thorough process for project plan development

• A communal space (an actual “war room” or a virtual website location)

Relationships on all project teams are important, but they are more difficult to establish and more quickly destroyed ...