No team is perfect, but I think it’s often kind of obvious when a team is bad – there’s usually a level of chaos or drama, a sense that they can’t be relied on or don’t really deliver the value that the organization needs. I think it’s also quite obvious when a team is good, mainly from the output of the team, but the underlying operating that goes into that tend to be less obvious.
Practically, most teams are somewhere in the middle. Not terrible, but not as good as they could be either. Here’s my list of what I think makes a good team. If you think I’m missing anything please let me know in the comments or on your preferred social media.
Clarity of purpose – people understand why the team exists.
Defined work streams aligned with purpose – people understand what the team is doing (and why).
Good team communication (openness, psychological safety) – communication is the foundation of collaboration.
Connected, but not cliquey – the biggest predictor of work happiness is having a friend.
Good delivery fundamentals – this is the team delivering its purpose, consistently and over time.
- Work gets done and to agreed standards
- Delivery is consistent medium term, not just short term sprints + burnout
- Mistakes are a source of learning
- Team is reliable <> people are reliable
- Time is spent on higher value activities (complex tech designs > linting)
Good people fundamentals – the necessary ongoing maintenance work for any team. Without good people fundamentals, management debt gets generated, which over time becomes corrosive.
- Everyone has a good manager
- Onboarding is predictable
- Feedback loops are solid
- Under-performers are addressed (up or out)
- High performers get developed
- Equity (in work allocation, advancement)
Good process fundamentals – like the oil that keeps a team moving, process is the base level organization that facilitates team effectiveness.
- All process has a purpose
- Easy things are easy
- Hard things are possible
- Processes are fluid and evolving (continuous improvement mindset)
The above items were the static needs of a team, if a team is going through a period of higher growth there is some additional complexity, such as:
- More complex hiring (new roles)
- More intense people development (stretch assignments)
- Removing bottlenecks before they hit
- Updating processes before they break
- Balancing risk/reward, (stretch assignments, creative bridging of gaps)
If you liked this, you may also like my book.