• Chapter 23 Project Development Team

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Lessons

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• Lesson 23.1 Team Formation• Lesson 23.2 Team Activities• Lesson 23.3 Multimedia Development

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Learning Outcomes

• 23.1 Form a team• 23.2 Understand team activities• 23.3 Identify roles within a multimedia

development team

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Stages of Team Development

• Teams generally go through four stages of development– Forming– Storming– Norming– Performing

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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?”

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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

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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 followedDigital Media, 3e

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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 oversightDigital Media, 3e

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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?

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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