In today’s world of constant corporate change, team relationships become a vital part of any conversion. Newly formed teams must understand their purpose within a project before throwing themselves into the nitty-gritty work.
Given this, it is not surprising that students in the online project management programs from Florida Institute of Technology study organizational behavior in depth. Understanding how employees behave and work together in organizational settings is critical to fostering teamwork and the collaborative environment that drives projects over the finish line.
Project management teams that are focused and understand their performance impacts every step of a project support the overall success of that project. In the past, organizational departments were often structured hierarchically. While effective management and leadership remain important, project teams are now cross-functional, embracing the benefits of collaborative work. Even digital advancement, influential as it may be, cannot replace crucial human roles and team efficacy within project management.
Project Management Team Roles and Responsibilities
Aside from understanding the primary goals and structures of a project, its completion is not possible without the development of a competent team. Developing and harnessing the potential of the team is a critical component of one of the 10 project management knowledge areas, as outlined by the Project Management Institute (PMI) in the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK).
In PMI’s publication Building and Leading High-Performing Teams, the organization notes that companies need “future-focused project teams” to drive technology adoption, market expansion and other strategic initiatives. These teams comprise professionals with distinct roles and responsibilities who work together to ensure the success of the whole and the accomplishment of project benchmarks and goals. The following are four of the most common project management team member roles:
1. Project Manager
These leaders require the skills to identify, build, maintain, motivate, lead and inspire project teams to achieve high team performance. Performance can look different across business sectors. A startup might decide to measure team improvement through the number of monthly creative leads with clients, while a long-standing marketing team analyses the amount of time it takes for a campaign to be completed. Despite this contrast, project managers in both sectors must promote high team performance by employing the following behaviors:
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- Using open and effective communication
- Creating team-building opportunities
- Developing trust among team members
- Managing conflicts in a constructive way
- Encouraging collaborative problem-solving
- Encouraging collaborative decision-making
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2. Project Team Member
These members work on various phases of the project. Under the supervision of the project manager, they can either work in-house, remotely, full-time or part-time. The project manager is responsible for considering those factors during the resource phase before starting the project. Team members may contribute to the overall objectives of the project or be responsible for specific deliverables.
3. Project Sponsor
A project sponsor works closely with the project manager and is considered the most senior member of an organization. Their responsibility is to legitimize the project’s objectives and participate in the highest level of project planning. This can include meeting with the C-suite of an organization. They’re usually the last ones to sign off approvals needed to advance to the next phases of a project. Other responsibilities of the project sponsor include:
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- Solving cross-program and strategic issues with stakeholders
- Approving and securing funding for the program and project
- Supervising the work of others in leadership roles
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4. Business Analyst
The business analyst joins a project management team to offer solutions. This individual essentially focuses on the final deliverable and helps the team and organization reach their goals. A business analyst must provide the most detailed project objectives and make sure that the objectives can resolve existing problems and add value to the organization. Other responsibilities of business analysts include:
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- Documenting technical requirements
- Ensuring the timeliness of project deliverables
- Creating tradeoff, risk and cost-benefits analysis
- Bridging production teams and stakeholders
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Gain the Expertise to Manage Teams Successfully
Once each member’s roles and responsibilities are established, it’s up to the project manager to begin managing the team. During this effort, the manager must be aware of the five common phases of team development and how they pave the way to the ultimate realization of the team’s core purpose. During this process of management, the leader should track individual performances, provide feedback, resolve issues and manage changes.
According to PMI’s Pulse of the Profession 2025, today’s project managers must advance their business acumen and leadership skills to effectively manage teams and project phases, ensuring successful and efficient project completion. Aspiring leaders can develop the business insights to succeed in this exciting field through comprehensive coursework in one of Florida Tech’s three online project management programs.
Florida Tech’s online offerings range from a generalist project management master’s degree to concentrations in either information systems or operations research. With the expertise gained from specialized coursework, graduates can pursue senior-level leadership roles and find success in their chosen area of project management.
Learn more about the online project management programs from Florida Institute of Technology.
