Developing Team Performance Plans - Assignment Example

Task 1 Part 1: Developing Team Performance Plans Overall Purpose The team is an audit team working in the quality control unit of a government sector. The team consists of three employees, the audit team leader and two other members. The overall purpose of the team is to conduct an annual audit for all the processes in the organization which includes planning and scheduling quality audits of all organizational processes, preparations to conduct internal quality audits, reporting on quality audits, assessing the effectiveness of responsive actions in the event of non-conformance and evaluating requests for corrective action. Each of the team members has various roles, responsibilities and accountabilities. The team leader is in charge of establishing the overall audit strategy and planning for the team’s activities prior to conducting the audit engagement. The responsibilities of the team leader include planning for preliminary engagement activities prior to conducting audit procedures such as ensuring acceptance and continuance of client relationships, evaluating the ethical requirements for the audit such as the independence of the audit team which includes communicating with previous auditors and establishing the audit strategy, terms of engagement and ensuring both team members and the client understand the strategy. The team leader’s accountabilities include establishing the overall audit strategy, developing and supervising the implementation of the audit plan, providing direction, supervision and review of team members’ work during the audit engagement, ensuring proper documentation of the audit process, communicating with those charged with governance and management, facilitating discussion and engagements and providing support for team members. The team member’s primary roles and responsibilities are to implement the established quality control audit strategy. Their accountabilities making contact with the various organizational units to be audited, collecting the necessary information required for effective quality control audit, communicating to the team leader any challenges or emergent issues during the audit and preparing the final audit report. Consultation Process Several meetings, interviews and brainstorming sessions were conducted to ensure that the goals and objectives of the team would be met. As the team leader I held individual interviews with the employee team members to brief them of the requirements of the quality control audit and to ensure that they understood the overall audit strategy and its requirements. Moreover, I held brainstorming sessions with the team members and several selected experts where we discussed several audit strategies and offered suggestions which were used as input into the audit plan. The brainstorming session enabled me to have a better understanding of the team members, their skills and attributes and their approach to the audit process. In addition to this, I held several meetings with the employees of the organization to communicate the purpose of the quality control audit and the audit strategy. These meeting also outlined to employees how they could contribute to the audit process. The team also held several meetings with the government officials to brief them on the overall audit strategy and to address or clarify several issues such as the expectations of both the audit team while conducting the quality control audit and the parameters in terms of responsibilities of both the audit team and the government officials regarding access to information and cooperation to ensure an efficient and effective audit process. A meeting was also held with the previous auditor to identify any challenges or issues that may be anticipated in the audit and to enable effective planning. Work-based Performance Plan Overall objectives Plan and Schedule Quality Audits Conduct Quality Audits Report on Quality Audits Provide Corrective Action Requests Key Performance Indicators Do quality audit reports contain real root causes? Is the plan and schedule for change SMART? (smart, measurable, attainable, rational and time bound? Do corrective action plans deal with the fundamental cause? Are the recommended solutions realistic? Expected level of team performance Effectiveness in planning and scheduling quality audits Display of efficiency, professionalism and competency in conducting quality audits. Compliance with organisational code of ethics and values Develop comprehensive and incisive audit reports Timeliness in delivering quality audit reports. Provide evidence-based corrective action plans and recommendations. Measures of enhancing team performance Regular performance reviews Performance feedbacks Coaching, support and follow-ups Brain-storming sessions Part 2: Team Development Strategies to Encourage Teamwork As the team leader, I put various strategies in place during various stages of the audit to encourage ongoing teamwork among the team members during the quality control audit. Some the strategies put in place include; shared planning, role definition and communication. When it comes to shared planning each of the other two members was allowed to contribute to the development of the audit plan and in establishing the overall audit strategy. As a result, the audit plan which was developed reflected each member’s input to ensure their commitment to executing the plan. Allowing each team member to participate in the planning process also enabled the plan to accommodate their individual expectations of the process. Role definition entailed defining each team member’s roles and responsibilities, this was essential in the creation of a functional team. Each team members’ roles and responsibilities were clearly defined at the beginning of the project. I gave each of the other two members to determine which role they could execute best in the quality control audit and facilitated their collaboration with each other. As the team leader my role entailed implementing and executing the audit plan. Furthermore, as the team leader I ensured that any scheduled meetings, discussions and audit engagements were communicated to each team member in advance to ensure their participation in all project activities. Each team member was informed by email and short messages and in cases where they did not respond they were personally contacted by telephone to confirm their attendance at every meeting and to the maximum extent possible their participation in every activity. Communication was also meant to ensure that team members could react to changes in the plan in a timely manner. Encouraging Individual and Team Effort As the team leader, I developed several systems, processes and policies to encourage individual and team effort during the project. Some of these systems, processes and policies include; Information Sharing and Reward System, performance assessment, open communication and collective responsibility. In relation to information sharing and reward system I developed a team based organizational structure to encourage team effort during the project by allowing for both vertical and horizontal sharing of information within the team. Each of the team members was also given autonomy in their delegated tasks such as scheduling meetings with officials to encourage responsibility-taking and overall contribution towards team effort. I also put in place a reward system to encourage and reinforce individual effort where the team member who individually scored the highest from performance reviews received a bonus at the successful completion of the quality control audit. When it comes to performance assessment, the officials and employees of the organization being audited were requested to voluntarily take part in optional assessment and performance reviews where they completed questionnaires regarding the performance of both individual team members and of the team as a whole. This was developed to encourage the team members’ individual efforts which would in turn reinforce the overall team effort. In order to encourage Individual and Team Effort, I focused on developing open communication and collective responsibility. Open communication was necessary to encourage both individual and team effort by sharing all information during the project that might impact on the performance of the team and identifying solutions or remedies to challenges collectively. Collective responsibility implied that all team members were responsible for the outcomes of the project, whether negative or positive and should thus share both recognition and in the problem solving effort. I also encouraged innovation by allowing team members to share any ideas which would improve the process and in return the team member would be given authority over that particular area of the project. Feedback Mechanisms Feedback is integral to effective collaboration in any team project. Feedback enables the project leader to identify any problems and challenges in the course of implementing the audit strategy and to continuously monitor any progress made as a team. In the quality control audit, I developed several systems, policies and processes to encourage both positive and negative feedback from the employees of the organization being audited and from the team members. Some of these systems, policies and processes include; Performance Assessment Questionnaires, meetings and contacts. To encourage feedback, the employees of the government organization were requested, at their discretion, to complete assessments on the performance of the team both as individuals and collectively. This was done through questionnaires which were administered to employees and officials on voluntary basis that gauged several aspects of performance such as communication skills and ratings of skills proficiency in auditing. The questionnaires also enquired which aspects of the team member’s performance required improvement and any suggestions to improve the audit team’s performance. During the scheduled client engagements, I also encouraged feedback by allowing for a 15 minute question and answer session where employees and officials were invited to pose any questions about the quality control audit and express any complaints, suggestions or concerns that they had about the audit. I also provided telephone and email contacts specifically established for the audit team to employees to encourage them to contact the audit team and communicate any concerns they had about the audit process or volunteer additional information in confidence. The contacts were intended to facilitate collection any information that was sensitive or that the employees wished to remain confidential. Confidentiality of such information was assured to the employees. Part 3: Stakeholder Engagement To ensure effective stakeholder engagement both within the team and outside the team, as the team leader I would use several communication methodologies and conflict resolution mechanisms in the event of non-conformances. Communication Since the team consisted of only three members, communication within the team was largely interpersonal and informal and included making telephone calls, sending short messages (texts) and emails. The telephone calls, short messages and emails were mainly to alert the team members of any changes in the audit engagements, to keep them up to date with details such as the timing and location of audit engagements and to confirm their participation in the various meetings with stakeholders. Communications between the team and other stakeholders in the quality control audit was mainly conducted in written form through memos and notices which were circulated to all departments in quality control to inform them of audit engagements such as meetings and interviews. The notices were posted to employees informing them in advance of scheduled audit engagements. Where the team was scheduled to meet with particular individuals, e-mails were also sent informing them of the time and the agenda of the meetings. Communication with other external stakeholders will mainly be conducted mainly in the form of sequential progress reports outlining the findings of the quality control audit. These reports will be prepared and both physical (hard) and electronic (soft) copies circulated both within the organization and to any other stakeholder which the team deems relevant. Conflict Resolution Conflict resolution among team members and between the team and other stakeholders in any project is necessary for both a functional team and for effective stakeholder engagement (Mumford 2011). In order to resolve conflicts within the team and between the team and other stakeholders, I will first clarify the conflict issue and articulate the joint decision that needs to be made to resolve the issue. The next step in the conflict resolution process is finding out what each conflicting parties’ positions are on the issue. This is achieved by meeting the conflicting team members or stakeholders individually in turn and allowing them to express their positions by listening and also through dialogue. Once the various positions are established, as the team leader I will conduct a brainstorming session with the different parties to generate ideas or proposals that might resolve the conflict. This helps to identify any compromise positions. These proposals are then evaluated against the joint decision that needs to be made and the one which most accommodates the positions of the conflicting parties is agreed upon. The final decision is then re-articulated to the parties. In the event that compromises cannot be made through this process or the conflicting parties fail to agree on a common proposal, I would seek the opinion of an independent third party as an arbitrator to make an unbiased executive decision. In the event that such is also not possible or the parties are not willing to abide to any external arbitration, as the team leader I am entitled in my responsibility to make an executive decision based on my discretion as the head of the project. Team Leader’s Contribution The team leader in his contribution to the team was able to serve as a role model for other stakeholders in various ways. Principally, in performing his roles and responsibilities as team leader, the team leader demonstrates to other stakeholders the importance of leadership skills in effectively managing the various aspects of a team’s performance. Principally, the team leader achieves this by developing strategies and putting in place the various systems, processes and policies to encourage teamwork. The team leader’s strategies to encourage teamwork such as shared planning and role definition or encouraging individual effort through rewards systems based on performance assessment also provide working examples to other stakeholders as to how to manage their teams more effectively. The team leader also demonstrated the importance of consultation and communication among team members and between the team and other stakeholders in realizing the project’s objectives. Encouraging feedback also demonstrates to other stakeholders the importance of developing feedback mechanisms and how to monitor and assess the effectiveness of strategies which require implementation through teamwork. Another important means through which the team leader served as a role model is through the conflict resolution process employed during the quality control audit. The conflict resolution process provides a model through which external stakeholders may facilitate effective collaboration among their team and between their teams and other internal and external stakeholders. Task 2: Managing People Performance Part 1: Allocating Work The team performance plan work was allocated to individual team members in a coordinated and systematic manner. As the team leader, I had to foremost identify which team members can carry out which tasks. I had to be acquainted and conversant about the abilities and competencies of the each team member to perform specific work related to the team performance plan. Based on the skills and competencies of each team member, I assigned each member specific work roles. Subsequently, I held a meeting with the team and consulted with them regarding the work roles assigned to them. Each member was given the opportunity to accept or air their grievances regarding the work roles assigned to them. After the consultations necessary adjustments were made based on the feedback provided by the team members. Subsequently, expectations and standards of performance concerning different work roles and responsibilities were communicated to the team. The team performance plan work was allocated to individual team members in order to effectively accomplish tasks within the set time frame. Given that, the quality control process is demanding, all the work cannot be completed by one individual, it was essential to allocate different work roles in order to realise the objectives of the team performance plan. It also helped the team to have a sense of direction, focus and organization. Furthermore, allocating to team members, the performance work plan provided a sense of responsibility and accountability to each team member regarding the project. It enabled each team member to efficiently utilize their skills and talents towards the accomplishment of objectives in the team performance plan. Some of the considerations put into account when allocating work include; the skills, experience, competencies, talents, knowledge and availability of the team members. In addition to this, the scale and nature of the work were put into account when allocating work to each team member. In the course of the allocating work, the main constraint experienced was time. It took a lot of time to consult with the team members about their work roles and determine the suitability of each member to different work roles. In order to ensure that each team member understood the performance plan and the review procedures, we carried out regular strategy meetings and brainstorming sessions. During these meeting and brain storming sessions, we reviewed the team performance plan and had discussions on resources allocation, costs and time among many other issues. Individual work outputs and organisational values and code of conduct The performance of team members in their work roles or responsibilities assigned to them was expected to be in accordance to organisational code of conduct and values. Foremost, the team performance plan was in line with organisational values and code of conduct thus these values and code of conducts were incorporated in the work output of each team member. For instance, given that the key role of our team involves conducting quality control audits, it was essential that in cases of conflicts of interests, team members follow the organisational policies relating to the disclosure of conflicts of interests. In this case, team members were expected to showcase integrity as an organisational value by disclosing conflicts of interests. As the team leader, I ensured that in course of our group meetings, I provided a platform where team members can provide full disclosure of any actual or potential conflicts of interest. Moreover, the organisation’s ethical code of conduct was incorporated into the work outputs of each team member by setting performance guidelines and expectations. Each team member was given guidelines on which manner and how to conduct their roles on behalf of the company. In cases where the team members encountered ethically conflicting circumstances that are not provided in their work guidelines they were expected to ask for guidance or advice from the team leader. As the team leader, I also ensured that in course of our regular team meetings, each team member became well informed about the organisation’s ethical code conduct pertaining to their work roles. Risk Contingency Plan Basically, our risk contingency plan for performance outputs revolved around succession planning. As an audit control unit it was essential for us to ensure a continuous supply of talent and skills in the audit control unit in order to cater for future needs or ensure positive performance outputs in cases where some team members leave the unit or unavailable. Evidently, labour or staff turnover is one of the factors that could have inhibited the achievement of work outputs of the organisation. Therefore, as the team leader I worked towards identifying talents pools within out unit that could potentially perform in key roles. Subsequently, I gradually mentored the few individuals identified in order to prepare them for key work roles in future in the audit unit. In addition to this, I worked towards motivating and encouraging member retention and commitment to their work roles, the quality control unit and the overall organisation. Part 2: Assessing Performance and providing feedback The conducted performance review process conducted to evaluate results against the team performance plans was based on organisational objectives, protocols, timelines and legislations among many other factors. Basically, the process involved a review of performance against organisational objectives, legislations and protocols based on measures and standards set in the team performance plans. It also involved a review of performance based on what has been achieved by the audit team in terms of its overall audit strategy and standards of performance. The first step of this process involved identifying the standards that will be used as the criteria to assess the actual performance of the team. This step required establishing criteria to assess performance by review organisational documents depicting standards, legislations and protocols of performance. It also involved reviewing the strategies and standards of performance set in the team performance plans. After establishing the standards of performance review, these standards were communicated to the team. The standards were clearly explained to the team in order for the team to understand their roles and what is expected from them. Subsequently, the actual performance of the team was measured and then compared with organisational objectives and the desired standards of performance set in the team performance plans. Some of the areas reviewed include; short-term team goals, skills, progress measures, past performance, areas of improvement, strengths, task description, compliance to protocols , legislations and set standards , core organisational codes of ethics and values , performance against objective standards and measures. Later, members of the team were given feedback of the performance review process. The results of the performance review process were discussed with each team member on one –to one basis. Lastly, decisions were made on the corrective actions that should be implemented in order to improve performance. Several meetings, interviews and brainstorming sessions were also conducted to ensure that the goals and objectives of the team would be met. The team was also informed about the requirements of the quality control audit and so as to ensure that they understood the overall audit strategy and its requirements. This also enabled the team to have a better understanding of their skills and attributes and their approach to the audit process. Part 3: Coaching Support and Follow Up As the team leader of the audit team, providing feedback to the team members on their work performance is very crucial since it essentially gives them a sense of direction and helps them to improve their performance and grow professionally. Depending on the work performance of the team, the feedback provided can either be positive or negative. In the course of executing the team performance plan, I evaluated the performance of each team member particularly when it comes to tasks such as; planning and scheduling quality audits. Based on the assessment I conducted, I was able to establish that the team had done a quality and commendable job. During our regular meetings, I sought to provide a constructive feedback to the team regarding their performance in planning and scheduling quality audits. The feedback I provided was issue-focused, information-specific and based on the observation made. Foremost, I asked team members to provide their views regarding their performance in planning and scheduling quality audits. After listening to their views, I communicated to the team that they had collaborated effectively and produced quality and commendable plans and schedule for quality audits. I pointed out some of the key areas on the plans and schedule such as that were effective and outstanding. I expressed appreciation for the work that the team had conducted and urged them to continue with the good work. Subsequently, I provided each team member with an opportunity to comment on the feedback provided and what they were going to do as individuals in order to ensure that they realise positive outcomes. However, the team had underperformed in some tasks relating to report on quality audits. After assessing their reports, I observed that some areas of their reports were not comprehensive. Thus I had to provide negative feedback on their performance in audit reports. I ensured that the feedback I provided was information-specific and issue-focused. When providing negative feedback, I foremost, asked team members to provide their views regarding their performance in creating audit reports. After listening to the views of each team member, I pointed out specific aspects of the audit reports that did not meet the set standards of performance. I communicated the negative feedback specifically and constructively so as to enable each team member to identify the oversight made and the areas that require improvement. I extended the feedback past the specific oversights made in the audit reports and explain the implications of presenting substandard audit reports. Moreover, I explained to the team the performance standards and expectation relating to audit report as depicted in the team performance plan. I also provided specific examples on what improvements I expect each individual to make in relation to the audit report. I communicated to the team that I expected the audit reports to be more comprehensive and incisive. Subsequently, I provided each team member with an opportunity to comment on the feedback provided and what they were going to do as individuals in order to ensure that they improve on the audit reports. Coaching and On-going Support In order to ensure that the team upholds high performance standards, it was essential to provide coaching and support. In order for the coaching and support process to be effective, I foremost ensured that I develop a rapport with the team members. The foundation of effective coaching is largely rooted in a good relationship characterised by mutual trust. Our regular team meetings were one of the platforms that I used to coach the team. In the course of the meetings, I would provide each team member with an opportunity to communicate about the progress they have made or any challenges encountered in their various work roles. Subsequently, I would provide guidelines or suggestions that the team members can employ in order to improve their work performance. Moreover, I would consult with the team and come up with short-term goals with timelines and gradually follow-up and monitor the progress of each team member. As the team leader, I articulated to the team the results that I wanted see and set relevant performance parameter for each team member depending on their work roles. I also focused on motivating each team member by providing them with tasks that challenge them to channel and capitalize on their skills and creativity. I also motivated the team by setting performance goals with their time scale and encouraging assistance and cooperation. Giving performance feedback is another strategy that I used to coach and support members of the audit team. Based on their performance in various tasks, I communicated to the team about their performance in specific tasks, the oversights they made and how they can improve on their performance. Rather than conducting an annual review or quarterly review on the performance of the team, I would assess the performance of the team on a weekly basis. I would meet one-on-one with each team member to review their performance, adjust their performance goals according to current priorities and provide suitable counsel or guidance. Conducting weekly performance reviews enabled me to obtain necessary information pertaining to the performance of each team member. This in turn enabled me to provide accurate and concise feedback that would help the team member to improve on their performance in various tasks. In addition to this, I coached and provided support to the team by providing learning materials. On a regular basis, I would find relevant reading materials that could aid team by proving relevant insights on how to effectively undertake their work roles and realise positive outcomes. The reading materials provided were also geared towards helping the team member to learn new things and develop or enhance their skills. Occasionally, I would train some team members by giving step-by-step instructions on how to carry out some tasks. During our meeting I also provided the team members with a platform whereby they could ask questions or request for assistance in any challenging area of their work roles and responsibilities. Organisational Process for misconduct or poor performance As the team leader, one of the ways that I would use to address misconduct or poor performance is setting clearly defined and specific performance expectations and standards. I would also make sure that I outline the consequences involved for not realising particular performance standards and expectations. Before findings solutions to address poor performance, it is foremost important to determine the causes of poor performance. It is crucial to establish whether the cause of poor performance is the lack of resources, inadequate skills or the lack of motivation. Some of the methods of establishing the cause of underperformance include conducting interviews with the team members and reviewing performance reports and feedbacks. After establishing the cause of poor performance, it is essential to carryout necessary measures in order to mitigate or manage these causes. For instance, if the cause of poor performance is as a result of insufficient resources, it is crucial to make inquiries about the resources that are lacking and thereafter provide the resources required. Moreover, organisational process for dealing with poor performance or misconduct necessitates reassigning duties based on the competence or skills of the team members and issuing formal warning especially in cases of misconduct (Armstrong, 2012). References Armstrong, M., 2012, Armstrong’s Handbook of Human Resource Management Practice, Kogan Page, New York. Mumford, M., 2011, Handbook of Organisational Creativity. Massachusetts: Academic Press. Read More