1. Project Development Team
Chapter 23
Project Development Team
© 2013 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.

2. Lessons Lesson 23.1 Team Formation Lesson 23.2 Team Activities
Lesson 23.3 Multimedia Development Team Roles
Digital Media, 3e

3. Learning Outcomes 23.1 Form a team 23.2 Understand team activities
23.3 Identify roles within a multimedia development team
Digital Media, 3e

4. Stages of Team Development
Teams generally go through four stages of development
Forming
Storming
Norming
Performing
Digital Media, 3e

5. Stages of Team Development (continued)
Forming
Team members meet one another and begin to form ideas about what their roles within the project might be
You can start to see each person’s personality and work ethic
A leader is chosen to provide guidance and direction
The leader should be prepared to field questions from the team members, such as:
What is our team’s purpose?
What are our team’s objectives?”
Digital Media, 3e

6. Stages of Team Development (continued)
Storming
Team members begin addressing issues during this stage in an attempt to bring clarity to the process
This interaction may result in conflict
This conflict can be resolved, but without strong leadership a team could easily find themselves stuck in this stage of the process
Team members must be willing to compromise and stay focused on their common goals
Digital Media, 3e

7. Stages of Team Development (continued)
Norming
The majority of team members have agreed upon a common goal and a clear picture of each team member’s roles and responsibilities begins to take shape
The group as a whole has agreed upon all major decisions, while individual members or small groups within the team have dealt with minor issues
Teams begin developing a sense of unity during this stage and may even engage in fun, morale-building activities
While the team leader facilitates discussions, it is up to the team as a whole to:
Mold how the team will work
Develop any team processes that need to be followed
Digital Media, 3e

8. Stages of Team Development (continued)
Performing
The team has a clear idea of its goals and knows exactly what it wants to do and why
The team leader continues providing support, but the team is not reliant upon the leader at this point
Each member is able to work independently or as part of a smaller group within the team
Team members may not agree on every aspect of a project, but they should be able to resolve any conflicts without a great deal of argument and without major changes to any processes
Members may look to their leader to delegate tasks and projects during this stage, but they should not need detailed instructions or a great deal of oversight
Digital Media, 3e

9. Team Charter
A team charter specifically identifies the team’s goals, values, and approach to handling the task at hand
These questions cover areas that should be addressed in the team charter:
Why was the team created?
What is the team to accomplish?
How will the team track its progress?
What will the team members gain from working on this team?
What happens when team members need help?
Yuri Acurs/Shutterstock.com
Digital Media, 3e

10. Team Communications
Communication within a team is essential to the success of the organization
Communication problems can destroy the effectiveness of a team
Fear of ridicule prevents team members from voicing their opinions
Fear of entering into conflict with members of the team
Members who so strongly want to see their point accepted that they refuse to allow others to add ideas
Members need to find the ways to:
Listen to each other
Be open to the opinions of others
Be willing to accept a diversity of viewpoints
Blend Images/Getty Images
Digital Media, 3e

11. Can’t We All Just Get Along?
Most team members bring various qualities to a project; education, experience, talent, and skill sets…as well as individual personalities
To be successful, team members must maintain good communication and work through disagreements as soon as they arise
Digital Media, 3e

12. Team-Building Activities
In order to function as a single entity, teams must gather each person into the group by meshing all of the personalities
Team-building activities help the team mesh and function as a single entity; these activities are generally recreational
Sharing a meal
Playing games
Engaging in recognition activities
Digital Media, 3e

13. Team-Building Activities (continued)
Team Meetings
Meetings should have beginning and ending times and clearly stated purposes
A well-thought-out agenda should be delivered before the meeting so that everyone is prepared
Team Decisions
Everyone in the team should understand the issues related to the decision, including:
What are the specific details of the decision to be made?
What is the deadline for the decision?
What impact will the decision have on the team?
Who will be involved in the outcome of the decision?
How will the decision be made?
Consensus building requires that everyone or nearly everyone agree with the final decision
Phil Date/Shutterstock.com
Digital Media, 3e

14. Collaborative Tools
Collaborative computing is growing in importance as software is developed to encourage its use as part of a team activity
Various software applications provide tools for brainstorming
Technology provides ways for teams to collaborate even when they cannot meet in person
Documents can be created that others can review and comment on
Internet tools allow you to share and collaborate on documents
Technology provides means for teams to be far more productive than in the past
Digital Media, 3e

15. Role of the Client A “client” may be:
An external client who is paying for a specific product/deliverable
Another division, team, or individual within your own company
The client must provide the team with a clearly defined project
The client must be available to answer questions and provide feedback
StockLite/Shutterstock.com
Digital Media, 3e

16. Role of Multimedia Development Team Members
Team Leader/Project Manager
Must define and coordinate the multimedia team and the team’s projects
Must have excellent communication skills
Must be able to multitask as they negotiate, solve problems, and manage all aspects of each project
Producer
Responsible for the overall execution of the multimedia project
Responsible for ensuring the each link in the project fits together correctly, forming a cohesive and professional end result
Digital Media, 3e

17. Role of Multimedia Development Team Members (continued)
User Interface Designer
Decides exactly how different multimedia elements within a project will interact with one another and with end users
Must ensure that the final product is both user-friendly and functional
Must also be able to work with all types of media, including:
Text
Graphics
Audio
Video
Photos
tkemot/Shutterstock.com
Digital Media, 3e

18. Role of Multimedia Development Team Members (continued)
Media Specialist
Responsible for creating the content within the project
There may be up to six different media specialist roles on any given project, including:
Motion designer
Graphic artist
Audio specialist
Videographer
Writer
Editor
Digital Media, 3e

19. Role of Multimedia Development Team Members (continued)
Computer Systems Specialist
Ensures that the final product is user-friendly and functional
Responsible for building a multimedia project’s behind-the-scenes computer architecture
Must also understand how all types of media interact with one another
Quality Assurance Analyst
Responsible for establishing a set of guidelines against which he or she will measure each multimedia project
Must check each and every aspect of the project to ensure that all standards listed within the guidelines have been met
Digital Media, 3e

20. The Ethics of Conflict
Conflict is usually seen as undesirable and something to be avoided
A conflict of ideas brings into the open all possible ideas in order to provide as many solutions as possible
You must learn to present your ideas and to accept the ideas of others without creating a negative environment for members of the team
Digital Media, 3e

21. Key Concepts
Before starting a multimedia development project, you must first form a team by gathering members who possess all the required skill sets
Team-building activities play an important role in helping individual team members function as a single entity
Multimedia development teams consist of skilled individuals playing diverse roles
Digital Media, 3e