Team Organization

Question 1

Team Purpose: Describe why teams are an effective way to identify and solve problems, and describe when, where, why, and how teams can be used effectively.

Question 2

Value of teams: Explain how a team’s efforts can support an organization’s key strategies and effect positive change throughout the organization.

Answer 2

• Provide ROI
• Improve customer satisfaction
• Meet and exceed management expectations
• Launch new processes/products
• Improve a key process
• Increase core competency of the business
• Reduce waste and excess variation

Question 3

Roles and responsibilities: Describe the roles and responsibilities of various team stakeholders, such as sponsor, champion, facilitator, team leader, team member, scribe, and timekeeper.

Answer 3

• Sponsor: Backer; risk taker; sponsors the project
• Champion: Advocate; removes barriers to change
• Facilitator: Helper; trainer; advisor; coach
• Team leader: Change agent; chair; head
• Team member: Participants; subject matter expert
• Scribe: Recorder; note taker
• Timekeeper: Gatekeeper; monitor

Question 4

Initiating Teams: Apply the elements of launching and sustaining a successful team, including establishing a clear purpose and goals, developing ground rules and schedules, gaining support from management, and obtaining commitment from team members.

Answer 4

• Team must have clear goals/purpose, defined strategy, timelines, measurement criteria, support/resources, and empowerment

Question 5

Selecting team members: Describe how to select team members based on knowledge, skill sets, and team logistics such as adequate number of members in relation to the size or scope of the project, appropriate representation from affected departments or areas and diversity.

Answer 5

The right team consists of a good representation of people who work inside the boundaries of the process and have an intimate knowledge of the way it works.
The key factor is that the people selected for the team should be closely involved in the process that is being improved. The most highly skilled team members who are typically affective in their jobs should be selected as team members. Ideally, when actual process workers are on a team.