For many, myself included, being part of a team and all that comes with it – project team collaboration, problem-solving, healthy conflict, help, learning, fun – influence how happy we are at work. 

Modern work is increasingly more team-based, with up to 75% of an employee’s time spent communicating with colleagues. 

Successful organizations invest in team building, putting the optimal mix of people together in the right environment and creating support structures to help them excel.

In this article, I’m going to explore different types of project teams, and the advantages and disadvantages of teamwork.

What are Project Management Teams?

A team is defined as ‘any group of people organized to work together interdependently and cooperatively to accomplish a purpose or a goal.’ Shared responsibility for common project goals and objectives defines successful teams.

Teams create a framework to help individuals easily work together, improving decision-making, problem-solving, and organizational agility.

Generally, teams of five to seven people perform well; bigger teams should be divided into smaller sub-teams.​

6 Benefits of Teamwork

Projects deliver the innovations organizations need to grow. Successful outcomes are more likely when your project team is engaged and works well together.  Below are some benefits associated with successful team collaboration.

1.  Balanced Skillset

A well-balanced team amplifies individual strengths, balances weaknesses, and taps into the expertise of every team member. In short, the sum is greater than the parts, helping individuals achieve more collaboratively than they could alone.

2.  Agility and Flexibility in Different Types of Project Teams

Focusing on common goals and building on individual strengths helps teams improve organizational agility and efficiency. Team members can also be cross-trained in several roles, increasing workplace flexibility. This adaptability is particularly important for achieving project milestones in dynamic environments.

3. Continuous Feedback and Improvement

Individuals who work alone receive less feedback and input from their co-workers, which limits opportunities for growth and improvement.

4. Shared Workload

Unexpected absences or departures from the team can quickly derail any project plan. Regular meetings, reports, documentation, and a collaborative project management tool can help keep everyone in the loop and ready to pick up extra work if needed, ensuring that the project scope stays on track.

5. Engagement

Employee retention and engagement are a challenge for many organizations, which, in turn, affects project delivery.

Project team members who are committed to a goal, understand their role in achieving that goal, and have a say in how the team works are more engaged and motivated.

6. Different Perspectives

We all need help seeing the world differently from time to time. Teams benefit from healthy conflict and sharing diverse ideas.

4 Pitfalls to Avoid When Working in a Team

As collaborative teams deliver more projects, organizations are encountering some challenges and obstacles. These include:

1. Personality Conflicts in Project Management Teams

For some people, such as introverts, working in a team is quite challenging and draining. By contrast, extroverts gain more energy by interacting with others.

If personality types or working styles are not considered early on, project managers may find themselves in charge of a dysfunctional group, constantly at loggerheads or they may find themselves dealing with ongoing team conflict.

2.  Impaired Decision-Making

A cognitive bias is a mental shortcut that helps to save time and energy when making a decision.

Both individuals and teams are subject to numerous cognitive biases, which affect decision-making. Teams are particularly susceptible to:

• Groupthink, focusing on harmony and consensus instead of what is best for the team.
• Sharedness bias, relying on the team for all information.
• Preference bias, privileging the opinions and solutions suggested by the team over other options)

3. Time-constraints

Building an effective team takes time and effort, which is not always available to project teams.

4. Performance Management

Shared responsibility and collaboration make it difficult to evaluate individual contributions. This can lead to dissatisfaction amongst team members, who may feel they deserved more recognition for their work.

Recent studies indicate collaboration can demotivate top performers as they feel they are carrying the team and often have to settle for ‘mediocre’ work.

What Are the Most Common Types of Project Teams?

If, like me, you are an accidental project manager, you will probably be part of a core team, such as marketing or finance, and join temporary project teams as needed.

To help you navigate these experiences, it’s useful to understand the most common team types and their functions within the project lifecycle.

4 Types of Project Teams

A project team can take several forms, depending on the project deliverables and organizational structure.

1. Cross-Functional Teams

A cross-functional team comprises individuals from different departments who are brought together to solve a particular problem in a set timeframe.

The team can consist of full-time and part-time team members with different roles and responsibilities. Once the project is completed, the team is disbanded, freeing up resources for other projects.

 2. Matrix Teams

If an individual reports to a different team leader for different aspects of their work, they are part of a matrix or ‘two-boss’ team.

This type of project team structure is quite challenging for employees, often leading to conflicting decisions and confusion if priorities are not clearly defined.

3. Contract Teams

In certain instances, you may need to outsource part of the project work to external vendors. The project manager is responsible for ensuring external vendors deliver as expected.

4. Virtual Teams

Global Workplace Analytics estimates that around 3.7 million employees (2.8% of the workforce) work from home at least half the time, a number likely to rise as more companies introduce flexible working arrangements. Heavily reliant upon  collaboration tools, virtual teams are characterized by:

• When people work, for example, different shifts or time zones.
• Where people work, including at home or in shared working spaces.
• How people work, which depends on cultural, political, social, and economic factors.

Whether working across time zones or from home, these teams require robust communication channels  to stay coordinated.

Other Types of Teams  in Project Management

Functional/Cross Department Teams

A functional team is a permanent team formed from individuals within the same work area or department.

The team carries out routine work throughout the year, for example, human resource management, customer analysis, and continuous improvement, and typically reports to one manager.

The work conducted by functional teams supports other teams within the organization; they also work with other departments on projects as needed.

 Self-Managed Teams

Growing in popularity, self-managing teams have no manager or hierarchal structure. Instead, the team creates their own norms and decides how to achieve agreed goals together.

Whilst some research shows that self-managing teams experience higher levels of engagement and job satisfaction, there is no evidence that they are more productive or effective.

Leadership Teams

Consisting of managers from differing departments, leadership teams play a key role in guiding strategic business decisions.

Informal Teams

These teams are formed by employees with common interests, such as implementing energy-saving initiatives.

Building Effective Project Teams for Collaboration and Problem Solving

Project managers are often responsible for assembling a project team of their own. Here are a few questions you may find helpful when building your next all-star team!

• What are the project objectives?
• How many people do you need?
• What key skills and competencies do you need on the team?
• Is there a formal resource allocation process in place for requesting new team members?
• Will you need to recruit any external team members on either a temporary or permanent basis?
• Can team members work remotely, and use project management software to stay aligned and maintain productivity?