Chapter 2 - Team Roles & Responsibilities

Chapter 2
Team Roles & Responsibilities

2-1

2-1

What You Will See in This Module
I.

Team Roles

II.

Responsibilities for Successful Improvement
A.
B.
C.

Before the Project
During the Project
After the Project

III. Leadership Team Reviews

2-2

Team Roles
• Team Members carry out the team’s work, sharing their
knowledge and experience, listening to others, and completing
assignments. Effective Team Members
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•

Contribute fully to the project
Share their knowledge and experience
Participate in meetings and discussions
Listen to others and stay open to ideas
Assist the Team Leader with managing meetings, documentation,
discussions, etc.
Carry out assignments between meetings
Communicate effectively with colleagues
Recognize they may be implementing changes themselves

Team Roles, cont.
• The Team Leader orchestrates team activities, maintains
records, and serves as a communication link with the rest of
the organization. An effective Team Leader
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•

Focuses on following a data-based method to solve the problem
Serves as the contact point for communication
Develops ways of updating others who might be affected by the team’s
work
Meets with the Sponsor between scheduled meetings
Keeps official team records
Participates selectively and carefully in discussions
Participates in carrying out the work between meetings
Retains authority as a manager or supervisor —the leader can
immediately implement changes
Helps the team resolve its problems

2-3
To
2-4

Team Roles, cont.
• The Coach understands the tools and concepts of
improvement, including approaches that help a team have
effective, productive meetings. An effective Coach
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•

Attends meetings, but is neither a leader nor a member
Focuses more on the team’s process than its product
Assists the Team Leader in developing individual assignments
Works with the Team Leader to plan for upcoming meetings
Helps the Team Leader review plans
Teaches data collection and analysis techniques
Helps the team graphically present data
Guides the team’s efforts when technical expertise is required
Encourages the team to seek the causes of the problem before
generating solutions
Works with Team Members to develop data collection forms
Helps the Team Leader handle group dynamics
Helps the team prepare and rehearse management presentations

2-4
To
2-5

Team Roles, cont.
• The Sponsor selects a problem or process for improvement,
and reviews and supports team efforts. An effective Sponsor
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•

Maintains overall responsibility, authority, and accountability for the
effort
Selects and defines the project
Determines the resources
Selects the Coach, Team Leader, and Team Members
Provides context, guidance, direction, and support
Reviews progress and “runs interference”
Ensures stakeholders have appropriate involvement
Ensures changes are implemented and monitored
Feeds data and lessons learned into a system for further improvements

2-6
To
2-7

2-9

Roles and Responsibilities
Roles and Responsibilities for Improvement Projects

Before the Project
Sponsor responsibilities before the project:
• Select and define the project
• Draft a clear charter
• Select the Coach
• Select the Team Leader
• Select the Team Members
• Provide the resources

2-10
To
2-16

2-10

Selecting a Process to Improve
Select a process that
• Is important to the organization and its customers
• Is not undergoing major changes
• Is relatively simple and defined
• Completes a cycle once a day or so

2-10

Common Errors in Selecting Projects
• Selecting a process beyond your authority or control
• Selecting a project no one is interested in
• Selecting a solution to implement rather than a problem to
investigate
• Selecting a process in transition
• Selecting a system, not a process

2-16

Before the Project
Coach responsibilities before the project:
• Work with Team Leader to identify team’s initial training
• Work with Sponsor and Team Leader to pick Team Members
• Help Sponsor and Team Leader complete first draft of the
charter
• Help Team Leader draft the initial project plan
Team Leader responsibilities before the project:
• Review charter with Sponsor to understand the scope of the
problem
• Draft remaining elements of charter for Sponsor review
• Meet with Coach to clarify roles and responsibilities
• Review charter with Coach and draft project plan

During the Project
Sponsor responsibilities during the project:
• Orient the team
• Represent team interests to the organization
• Review team progress
Coach responsibilities during the project:
• Meet with Team Leader to discuss team’s progress
• Teach tools/skills to team during meetings
• Get team “unstuck” during meetings
• Meet with Sponsor, Team Leader, and Team Members for
joint team meetings

2-17
To
2-18

2-18

During the Project, cont.
Team Leader responsibilities during the project:
• Lead improvement project
• Provide Team Members with improvement tools and methods
• Develop, update, and execute the project plan
• Identify problems and risks
• Plan team meetings
• Lead meetings until Team Members are comfortable enough to
take turns
• Handle meeting logistics
• Regularly meet with Sponsor and Coach to review progress
• Meet with Sponsor, Coach, Team Members for joint reviews
• Make recommendations for changes when necessary

During the Project, cont.
Team Member responsibilities during the project:
• Participate in team meetings
• Help with administrative tasks
• Complete assignments between meetings
• Communicate progress to colleagues
• Make recommendations for changes
• Meet with Sponsor, Coach, Team Leader for joint reviews

2-19
To
2-20

2-21

Balancing Roles
Continuum of Leadership Shared Between Team Leader and Coach
Amount of Active Leadership by Coach
Start of the
project
After a few
meetings
End of the
project
Amount of Active Leadership by Team Leader

Joint Review Meetings
Joint review meetings between Sponsor, Coach, Team Leader,
and Team Members are held
• To stay updated on progress
• At the end of each step
• Whenever unexpected
problems arise
• When major revisions
occur
• When solutions are
selected

2-22
To
2-23

2-24

Structure of Review Meeting
Before the review:
• Team Members agree on what to present
• Team Leader and Sponsor agree on agenda
• Team Members prepare and send out handouts
• Sponsor and Coach read materials, looking to understand logic
and supporting data

2-24

Structure of Review Meeting, cont.
Part one of the review:
• Sponsor opens meeting and
reviews agenda
• Team presents highlights of work
• Sponsor asks questions and
offers suggestions
• Team asks questions and responds
• Sponsor closes part one and
reviews next steps

2-25

Part two of the review:
• Sponsor and Coach meet and discuss
•
•
•

Main messages sent to the team
Ways to improve what was said
Ways to improve the review itself

• Team Leader and Team Members meet and discuss
•
•
•

Main message heard by the team
How to address the main points
Ways to improve the review itself

2-25

Part three of the review:
• Sponsor, Coach, and Team Members reconvene to discuss
•
•
•
•

Main messages sent and received
Any modifications to those messages
The team’s plans for next steps
How to improve the next review

2-27

After the Project
Sponsor responsibilities after the project:
• Celebrate project’s conclusion
• Communicate team’s results
• Monitor changes
• Review information collected during the project
Team Leader responsibilities after the project:
• Ensure project documentation complete
• See that process owner receives documentation
• Identify, document, and communicate lessons learned

2-28

After the Project, cont.
The Process Owner is the manager or supervisor who has
ongoing responsibility to
• Monitor the processes and key measures in his or her area of
responsibility
• Maintain control of key elements
• Maintain the project’s gains

Leadership Team Reviews

2-30
To
2-31

The Leadership Team meets periodically to
• Continually assess project mix against organizational priorities
• Check for synergies across projects
• Manage the “pipeline” of projects
• Reinforce consistent message about importance of projects
• Gather lessons learned

Summary
• Teams require people with specific roles and responsibilites.
• Sponsors identify and review projects and support the team.
• Coaches teach teams how to use specific tools and skills.
• Team Leaders orchestrate team acitivities.
• Team Members share knowledge, experience, and expertise to
while completing the project.
• Joint review meetings are held throughout the life of the
project.
• The Leadership Team periodically reviews all project so the
organization can improve how it improves.

Chapter 2 - Team Roles & Responsibilities

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Chapter 2 - Team Roles & Responsibilities