Summary of the book "High-Impact Tools for Teams" - By Stefano Mastrogiacomo and Alexander Osterwalder

Key Insights in this book:

1. There are a variety of reasons why teams perform poorly.
2. The Team Alignment Map helps to clarify things and sets SMART goals.
3. The TAM gives team members more power and keeps track of potential issues.
4. The TAM can assist you in detecting problems before they occur.
5. Rapid assessments can help you spot and fix problems.
6. In meetings, the TAM provides structure, engagement, and ownership.
7. A team contract will reduce conflict and promote a safe working environment.

Who can benefit the most from this book:

• Leaders and project managers looking for better results.
• Anyone trying to get an ambitious project off the ground.
• Team members who long for a better work environment.

What am I getting out of it? Discover a project management solution that is both powerful and simple to use.

We all want our meetings to be more effective. We also want to ensure that everyone on the team is on board and on the same page during those sessions. Unfortunately, this isn't always the case. Meetings frequently devolve into rambling, disorganized shambles. Even if they are unsure or puzzled, team members may remain mute for fear of appearing foolish if they speak up. Even when difficulties develop, such silence is all too frequent in the project management industry.

Enter the Team Alignment Map, a solution designed to address every recurring project management issue. This simple chart can assist you in planning and tracking tasks while also allowing team members to be more engaged, empowered, and collaborative. This tool could be the game-changer you've been looking for if you've ever had to lead a group project.

In this summary, 

• You'll learn why so many meetings and initiatives fail.
• How the "backward pass" might prevent problems from arising.
• And how stepping out of the room can empower your team.

1. There are a variety of reasons why teams perform poorly.

Isn't it true that everyone enjoys team meetings? What's going on?! Meetings aren't your thing? You despise going to them and think they're pointless inconvenient time-wasters? As it turns out, you're not the only one who feels this way.

According to data undertaken by the Atlassian software company, 50% of all meetings are ineffective wastes of time; US corporations alone lose roughly 37 billion dollars in meetings. This is partly due to the fact that many teams are utterly dysfunctional. Only 10% of team members can agree on who else is on their team, according to a Harvard Business Review analysis. Is it any surprise, then, that only about 30% of team initiatives are successful?

Meetings aren't working, as the writing is on the wall. Fresh tools and a new approach to project management are required for teams to thrive.

The main takeaway is that there are a variety of reasons why teams do poorly.

To be effective, we need to work in groups. There's no way around it: the biggest and most significant initiatives necessitate efficient teamwork. To come up with a solution for improved results, we must first identify some of the most typical issues.

Let's start with two of the most serious: hazardous team environments and misaligned activities.

A hazardous team climate is easy to identify. This occurs when people are afraid to speak their thoughts, express their worries, or disagree with others. Members of the team often feel undervalued, and it appears that the focus is on competition rather than collaboration.

When team activities are misaligned, there are also visible red flags. The most obvious example is when members of a team are unsure of the roles that other members of the team are playing. Then there are the endless meetings that never result in anything being resolved. Priorities are moving all the time, and no one is communicating. Because of the misconception, efforts are duplicated unnecessarily, and progress is measured in inches rather than leaps and bounds. Does this ring a bell?

Solving only one of these issues is insufficient. You'll need both a safe team climate and ideally coordinated activities to solve exceedingly complicated challenges. That's where the TAM (Team Alignment Map) comes in. We'll look at how the TAM can help you plan initiatives and ensure that everyone is confident and clear about how to work together to produce fantastic achievements in the insights ahead.

2. The Team Alignment Map helps to clarify things and sets SMART goals.

Both planning and evaluation are critical to the success of any endeavour. Laying out the mission, creating goals, allocating responsibilities, and getting people on board are all part of the planning process. Checking in, identifying possible problems, making adjustments, and maintaining morale are all critical aspects of assessment.

Both of these issues are addressed by the Team Alignment Map. It's a straightforward chart that ensures that everyone is on the same page and that everyone has a say.

The main point is this: The Team Alignment Map helps to clarify things and sets SMART goals.

The TAM is a straightforward four-column graph with a heading. The Mission and Period are listed in the header. The purpose of the meeting or project should be stated in the Mission, while the Period should include a time period or deadline. Whether you're in the planning stage or having an evaluation meeting, the header is all about setting a clear direction and emphasis for the project.

Everyone in the team should agree on the mission, which should be motivating and important to them. They should be able to see what's being created or enhanced – and why it's significant – when they read the Mission statement. When people look at the Period, they should see a concrete time range that defines how long the project or a specific phase will last.

The four pillars of the TAM are laid out in four columns beneath the header. Joint Objectives is the first column. Joint Commitments is the next item on the list. The third category is Joint Resources. The fourth category is Joint Risks.

You answer two questions in the Joint Objectives column: What are we going to achieve together? What is the work that needs to be done, and what is the work that needs to be done? In other words, this is where you list not just the goals and end results, but also the actions, tasks, and activities that must be completed in order to achieve those goals. It's important to think in terms of SMART goals: Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, and Time-bound goals. Don't just set an objective of "more revenues." Instead, write, "By the end of the year, increase market share in China by 20% for the complete product range." Everyone will understand what your goal is and how you plan to achieve it.

We'll finish the map in the following insight by looking at the final three pillars.

3. The TAM gives team members more power and keeps track of potential issues.

Everyone should have a strong understanding of the project's purpose and how you plan to achieve that goal now that you've established your Mission and Joint Objectives. You can start breaking things down further in the next column, Joint Commitments, by determining who will do what.

The important message is that the TAM empowers team members while also keeping track of possible issues.

Joint Commitments are essentially opportunities for someone to step forward and join the team. Now that the goals have been established, you may invite folks to commit to achieving those goals.

You can either invite people to the board and enter their names next to objectives, or you can ask them to commit to a certain position. That person will then have to agree verbally in front of the entire meeting. In either case, this is a public declaration of intent, which is far more powerful than assigning duties from on high. It also removes unspoken commitments that can cause misunderstanding and bad morale.

As a result, the Joint Commitments column should be as simple and straightforward as possible while still being as explicit as possible. It's as simple as writing the person's name next to the main tasks and obligations they've agreed to take on.

Joint Resources is the third column. What do the team members require in order to achieve their goals? How much time do you have? How much money do you have? What about supplies, machinery, computers, and statistics? Are they going to need legal help along the way? All of these factors should be taken into account, and whatever is required should be written down completely.

Finally, there are Joint Risks to consider. Could there be any technical issues along the way? Is the equipment in good working order? Perhaps the client is in a different time zone, which could result in significant delays that must be considered. The danger of one team member is the risk of the entire team — an issue that affects one person can easily affect the entire team. As a result, these Joint Risks should be shown on the board for all to observe and assess.

These final two columns are also necessary for establishing new items in the Joint Objectives and Commitments sections, as we'll see in the next insight.

4. The TAM can assist you in detecting problems before they occur.

Let's run through a scenario and see how the TAM works. We'll look at the forward pass in this case, which is how we get from the heading to the Joint Risks. Then we'll see what's known as the backward pass, which occurs when the final two columns cause the objectives and commitments to be reconsidered.

The main point here is that using the TAM can assist you in detecting problems before they occur.

Assume you work for a communications firm and are tasked with developing a social media campaign for a client. You gather five team members — Tess, Lou, Matteo, Pablo, and Honora – to use the TAM to break down the project. The mission and the period come first. "Develop Social Media Strategy" and "Four Weeks" are written here.

The Joint Objectives are the next step. Everyone believes that a keyword analysis should be carried out and documented in a report. In addition, client interviews must be undertaken. Someone also needs to conduct a competitor analysis.

After you've decided on your goals, you may move on to making commitments. Matteo agrees to write the report, and Honora agrees to undertake the keyword analysis. Everyone agrees to help with the client interviews, and Pablo, Tess, and Lou agree to do the competitor analysis.

So, what kind of collaborative resources are required? Honora and Matteo require an analytics program. To compile the customer interviews, everyone will need database access. Tess will also need to take some time available on her calendar.

Finally, there are the Joint Risks to consider. Honora points out that the client has said that they will not be available at all times. And, as Pablo points out, this endeavour runs the risk of being overly reliant on data.

The forward pass is now complete. It's now time for the reverse pass. Is there anything in the last two columns that could be turned into goals right now? What about access to databases? Let's shift this from Joint Resources to Joint Objectives, where it will be renamed "Grant Database Access" and Honora will accept the responsibility.

When it comes to the client's absence, this is also shifted to Joint Objectives, under the heading "Schedule Interview Meetings Ahead of Time." Matteo agrees to take up the challenge.

The map can now be validated by the team. That's fine because the analytics software is available. Tess may alter her schedule to make time, and everyone agrees to keep the possible problem in mind while working on their tasks — being overly reliant on data. The route has been determined. Take a photo of the completed map that you can share with everyone, and then get to work!

5. Rapid assessments can help you spot and fix problems.

The TAM isn't just a useful planning tool, as we indicated up top. It's also excellent for doing tests.

The importance of assessments in keeping projects on schedule cannot be overstated. Too frequently, there isn't a structure in place for checking in, and members can waste time travelling in the wrong direction; they believe they've got it all figured out, but they're actually heading in the wrong direction. The TAM allows you to do fast assessments without having to hold long, drawn-out discussions.

The main point here is to use rapid evaluations to spot and fix problems.

The same TAM approach that we discussed before can be used to do quick assessments. All you have to do now is draw two horizontal lines across the four columns, dividing each part into a top third, middle third, and bottom third.

The top third should be labelled Clear, the centre Neutral, and the bottom Unclear in the Joint Objectives column.

Starting at the top, the Joint Commitments column reads Explicit, Neutral, and Implicit.

It's Available, Neutral, and Missing for Joint Resources.

Under Control, Neutral, and Underestimated for Joint Risks.

Now, when you start the assessment, you may put the project name in the Mission area of the TAM heading – or you can focus on a particular target. In any case, once the matter has been clarified, each team member is given the opportunity to vote on how things are going. If it makes people feel more at ease, this can be done anonymously.

This is how it works: each team member is given four markers, one for each column. They then use their markers to express their feelings about each aspect of the project. Their first two markers may suggest that they are unsure about the Joint Objectives and are ambivalent about the Joint Commitments (meaning they believe some responsibilities have been well discussed while others have not). The last two indicators could imply that they don't have the resources they need to execute their job, while the risks are still being underestimated.

You'll have an excellent visual depiction of where things stand once everyone has voted. After that, the team can begin to interpret, think on, and discuss the difficulties. A simple chat can sometimes help to clarify matters and move marks to the top of the map. At other times, fresh goals and commitments will be required. The goal is for a second vote to be conducted at the end of the evaluation, and for all of the markers to be in the top section of each category. That indicates a green signal.

6. In meetings, the TAM provides structure, engagement, and ownership.

Meetings can be excruciatingly inefficient. They don't have to be, though. The TAM can assist you here as well.

Even if you've had bad luck with meetings in the past, you shouldn't underestimate the value of getting together and talking things out face to face. It continues to be one of the most effective collaboration tools we have. When meetings are disorganized and chaotic — when too many questions go unanswered – problems arise. Fortunately, these are issues that can be resolved quickly.

The main lesson here is that the TAM gives meetings structure, engagement, and ownership.

Setting a specific length of time for your meetings, whether it's 30, 60, or 90 minutes, is always a smart idea. It's also a good idea to prepare and share an agenda ahead of time. A good agenda would include a 10-minute introduction to the topic, 30 minutes to complete the TAM, and 25 minutes to answer questions.

Filling out the map jointly can be a really simple and collaborative approach to organize the meeting, given how the TAM is set up. Before the conference ends, make sure you schedule a time to do a backward pass. After that, you can wrap up the meeting by conducting a quick assessment to identify any remaining questions or issues. This will also ensure that everyone feels confident and clear about all of the meeting's goals.

There are a variety of strategies to improve meeting involvement, morale, and ownership. To begin, ensure that each team member gets two to five minutes during the forward pass to express themselves, address their issues, and make commitments.

Stepping aside is another excellent technique to handle a meeting. If you're a team leader or project manager, participate in the introduction and mission statement, but then leave the room for 30 minutes and let the team run the forward pass. Fill out the Joint Objectives, Joint Commitments, Joint Resources, and Joint Risks forms to help them figure out "how." After that, you can all engage in the backward pass and rapid assessment when you return.

Giving your team members a voice and ownership over the project can go a long way toward assuring the project's success. We'll look at some more strategies to create trust and lay the groundwork for a safe team environment in the final insight.

7. A team contract will reduce conflict and promote a safe working environment.

Putting together a team entails bringing together people with various personality types and expectations for communication and relationships. As any seasoned team leader can confirm, this can lead to some major squabbles. So why not try to prevent disagreements from arising in the first place by drafting a team contract?

The main point here is that a team contract will reduce conflict and promote a safe atmosphere.

A team contract is initially shown as a large, rectangular poster with a giant circle in the centre. IN is inside the circle, and OUT is outside the circle. The question is, what attitudes and behaviours do you want to see on the team, and what do you want to avoid seeing? This should apply not only to general attitudes and communication styles but also to challenges such as sharing resources. It's a good idea to give everyone time to consider their responses before you start working on the contract, so ask this question of the team before you begin.

Then call a meeting and invite everyone to bring their answers scribbled on Post-its. Each member of the team should be given a few minutes to discuss their INs and OUTs, as well as why they chose them. Put something like "Not speaking up when there's an issue" as an OUT and "Listening to each other" as an IN to get the conversation started. Spend about 20 minutes going around the room, eliciting reactions, and consolidating the contract once everyone has put their suggestions to the board. To validate the contract, everyone must vote in agreement at the conclusion.

Breaking the contract will result in a meeting where occurrences will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis, which everyone must agree on. While it's better not to set automatic penalties in advance, it's a good idea to let everyone be aware that serious infractions may result in the person being removed from the team.

A team contract will establish psychological safety and trust. Use the Respect Card to reinforce this excellent team climate even more. This is a two-column chart in essence. A collection of suggestions for demonstrating respect for others can be seen on the left. Tips on how to show that you value others can be found on the right. Asking questions rather than giving instructions is one of them, as does urging people to be positive rather than blatantly critical.

You should be able to turn your meetings into hotbeds of productivity and alignment using these tools. They should also assist in the creation of safe spaces where individuals are not hesitant to raise concerns before they become full-fledged disasters.

The primary message in this summary is that: Managing a project comes with more than a few difficulties. When you bring together a team, you also bring together distinct personalities and power dynamics. People often feel uncomfortable speaking up if something’s unclear or if they’re pointing out a potential problem. However, if such problems go unaddressed, they will only get worse. As a result, the Team Alignment Map is an excellent tool for any project. It's a simple and flexible approach for team members to become more active in the planning and evaluation phases – and it allows them to take control of their jobs. It also has a feature that allows you to spot possible issues before they arise and ensure that everyone is on the same page in terms of duties and objectives.

Here's some additional advice that you can put into practice:

Create a TAM using online boards if your team can't be in the same room.

In the last few years, the way we work has changed dramatically. If your team members are unable to communicate face-to-face, video conferencing may be required. In that situation, you can make an online version of the TAM that everyone can view using internet boards like Mural or Miro. You can also do assessments and gather individual votes on whether things are clear, neutral, or ambiguous using online survey tools.