Build Team Dynamics on Project Team

Software development is a complex activity and depends strongly on a human commitment to its implementation. The basis of every software development is a team. The use of a team is to increase speed, productivity, problem-solving ability, and organizational learning. The foundation of the team and team dynamics are laid down during team-building. The concepts of team dynamics help to tackle such issues in software development teams.

What is Team Dynamics?

Team Dynamics is the term used to define how people work and interact together in teams. Team dynamics are the hidden strengths and weaknesses that operate in a team between different peoples or groups. Team dynamics can be specified to positive and poor vibes. Positive team dynamics are working based on trust and aiming to achieve a collective goal. However, poor team dynamics can show a lack of respect and difficult to reach decisions. Team dynamics effect how a team reacts, behaves or performs.

source: VIP Coaching

The Stages of Team Dynamics

1. Forming, where members get to know each other
2. Storming, conflict, and disagreement about rules and procedures
3. Norming, the establishment of rules and social relationship
4. Performing, work to the completion of the task
5. Adjourning, praise the efforts to celebrate their success on a finished project

The Importance of Team Dynamics

1. Communication
   The dynamic performance of a software project involves many processes and always depends on the team, especially the quality of communication within the team. Communication is also impacted by the team’s physical proximity, in that an increased distance between teams can affect the team dynamics. The development team must have open communication that can react to challenges quickly and precisely.
2. Motivation
   Motivation depends on how driven the team is to achieve. Having enthusiasm and motivation to work and learn new skills are just as important as having the required talents and skills. Enthusiasm would inspire motivation in other team members. The development team must have a strong motivation to encourage team members to support each other.
3. Innovation
   People’s involvement in improvement activities is important because the team must adopt process innovation in their day-to-day activities. The atmosphere of the team should reward creativity and avoid negative criticism if you want to make your team members feel comfortable taking chances. To create an innovative atmosphere, you must ensure the teams remain positive, supportive, and avoid negative comments.
4. Efficiency
   To implement efficiency in your team dynamics, each member is allowed to serve in their best capacity. The various skills of the team could make the project work fast and efficiently. The development team must feel the project is done efficiently with the maximum capacity it had. The effectiveness of work depends on positive group dynamics.

Team Dynamics on My Project

The atmosphere of the team is important. We always bring positive vibes to make the atmosphere become calm but structured. Productivity is affected by its atmosphere. So, the team must be motivated in a positive atmosphere to make the teamwork productively. Team dynamics also can be built by team building to release stress and gather the team that can make good communication as time goes by.

Our Slogan

My team, PPL B7, has a slogan ‘BukanBintangBiasa’ it is inspired by a group band called BBB. Our first team building is going to karaoke, which represents BBB who known as a famous group band in their era. When we are karaoke, we sing BBB song which the title is ‘Bukan Bintang Biasa’, the same as the group name. Another reason is BBB consists of 5 people, 2 boys and 3 girls, just like us. The implicit reason we use ‘BukanBintangBiasa’ as our slogan is we are not an ordinary star, because we are the shining star. We can make our product shining bright when it is delivered to our client.

Our first team building where our slogan is made

Team Capacity Building

Capacity building (or capacity development) is the process by which individuals and organizations obtain, improve, and retain the skills, knowledge, tools, equipment and other resources needed to do their jobs competently or to a greater capacity (larger scale, larger audience, larger impact, etc). Capacity building and capacity development are often used interchangeably.

To build team capacity, there are 3 points that are important

1. Knowledge, this project makes the team expand their knowledge about how to work in real life. In this project, we keep our professionalism to our partner, work at a fast pace, exchanging ideas with a professional partner, and how programmers in some company work. Before we start our sprint, our client always reminds us to study and explore first about Swift and Kotlin because it is very unfamiliar with us. So, at the beginning until first sprint, our tasks are learning about both of them via Udemy or other sources are given by the client or found by ourselves. At this stage, we certainly get a lot of new knowledge.
2. Skills, this project makes the team expand their skill to work on a team for a long period of time. Our project is basically using 2 languages, Kotlin and Swift. We are also adding our programming skills in both languages that never taught before. In another hand, one of our member has upgrading his skills in Sonarqube, jacoco, GitLab ci settings, and some DevOps things. For the girls, we also add capabilities in the programmer field as a UI engineer.
3. Tools, this project also makes the team expand other tools. In this project, we use Android Studio and Xcode to develop our product. Again, both tools are unfamiliar for us and different from other groups that use Flutter to develop an application. Requirements from our client really made us use a new tool that we’ve never been used before. So, we are very thankful for these. If not because of our client, we are not going to expand other tools that are not required in courses.

On capacity building, the team must work in their maximum capacity so that the team can get information and expand their skills evenly.

What is a Servant Leader?

The Servant Leader is responsible for determining the direction of the team. The leader must protect and ensure all members work well. A servant leader must be brave to approach another member who are considered to be not working optimally. If team members have difficulties or need help, the servant leader must also always be there for them. The servant-leader objectives are to enhance and increase teamwork and personal involvement. In this project, the scrum master described as the servant leader for the team. A scrum master is a servant leader whose focus is on the needs of the team members and those they serve.

On a Scrum team, there must be a person who has the responsibility related to the mentality and morals of the team. That person must maintain the team dynamics and be a servant leader for the team. A great team with good team dynamics will deliver the best products.

Happy build a great team!

References

https://smallbusiness.chron.com/importance-team-dynamics-project-management-37008.html

https://www.intellectsoft.net/blog/group-dynamics-for-teams/

https://agileforgrowth.com/blog/scrum-master-servant-leader/