Source: Image of checkbox, checkmark, silhouette of crowd, silhouette of crowd with one individual highlighted, images by Video Scribe, License held by Jeff Carroll.
Hi, I'm Jeff, and in this lesson we'll learn how a project manager evaluates the team and individual performance during the closing process. When closing a project, it's the project manager's responsibility to evaluate the team as a whole. This evaluation is judged against the expectations established over the course of the project.
Some expectations are the ability to actively collaborate with one another. Does the team function well when cooperating? Keeping one another informed on individual accountabilities. Was there an open and free flow of information about the work? Keeping project documentation up to date, including scheduled progress. Was design and support documentation maintained? Was time tracking completed when needed? Was the project manager notified when tasks were delayed?
Problem solving as a group and managing project risk. When issues arose, did the team function as a group, or did only individuals solve problems? And participating in team meetings. Did everyone attend and contribute to the team meetings? The project manager should evaluate the team based on these expectations and any others established by the organization's standards.
In addition to team performance, team members must also be evaluated separately. This is an important part of the closing process because this is the time when feedback is most beneficial to someone shifting to a new project. This evaluation might also be included in an individual's annual performance review. So this might be mandatory for a project manager to complete. If it is part of the performance review, then the project manager should use the performance management processes, tools, and rating definitions as defined by the organization.
In any case, individual team members should be evaluated against the performance expectations set by the organization and also set at the initiation of the project. These might include performance on tasks that were assigned. Did the individual complete the work? Deliverables that were assigned. Did the individual develop or handle deliverables in a way that met the quality and performance standards established in the project scope document?
Timelines that were established. Did the individual meet their estimates for their assigned work? Quality standards that were attached to specific individuals. For some individuals, such as team leads, did they perform the additional duties expected by their position? And any other project activities in managing the project. Cover any areas where an individual helped or harmed the project with their efforts.
When evaluating an individual's performance, be sure to use criteria that is specific and measurable. And when delivering the evaluation, it is best to meet in person with the individual. Team members should also be given the opportunity to evaluate their own performance. This helps a project manager see how an individual believes they are performing so it can be compared to management's evaluation. It may also provide information and details of which the project manager is unaware.
And a project manager should always remember to include positive as well as negative feedback when needed. Only after a project's readiness is verified, all project approvals are given, all information has been warehoused, and the team and all individual team members have been evaluated can the team be released to other work. OK, good job. In this lesson, we learned how a project manager evaluates a team and how they evaluate an individual. We also know when to release the team to other projects. Thanks and have a great day.
