April 30, 2004
A: FROM MENTOR KRISTIN TAGHON IN IL
Hi, Amanda,

At Lucent, team work is such a big part of the job. Alot of things go into
developing good team work. I have worked on great teams and bad ones. I don't
think the company really had a set model. We had to take that responsibility
ourselves.

Here are tips that I think make a good team:

Get to know each other well enough that you understand where each person is
coming from. It's important to do this because you will understand why each
person reacts a particular way to criticism or praise. Also, you will learn how
to praise and criticize each other so that no one takes it personally. You will
learn what each person finds important in their lives and understand how they
work. For example, you may learn that one person is a morning person and they
like to get in early and get very tired later in the day. So, approach this
person in the morning when they are more able to focus on what you need.

Let each one speak. Do not interrupt. LISTEN. If they do not stop talking,
then you need to figure out a way that each of you can say what you need to say
on each topic. Never "diss" what someone says. Give it careful consideration
because they may be getting at something that you haven't thought of.

When you brainstorm, treat every contribution the same. Write them all down.
Even if you disagree, it may lead to something great!

Respect each person. This comes from getting to know each other. Learn the
cultures of each person so you can relate to them better. They will treat you
better if you try to understand.

Make sure each person has responsibilities and never underestimate someone.
Believe they can do the job and they will. People perform better if others
believe in them and expect good things from them. Make sure each person feels
like they are contributing to the goals and have a say in the goals and the
outcome.

Those are a few. I'm sure others have more to say, from their own experiences.
********************
A: FROM MENTOR BETSY NORTON-MIDDAUGH IN WA
Amanda -
Well functioning teams are critical to success in software development.
To work well together we need to share clear goals and understanding of
what our users are trying to do, and we need to respect each other. My
team works in what we call "a team of peers." There are people in the
team with different roles and different areas of expertise. Together we
can make better software than we could alone. The teams include
developers (programmers), testers, user education experts, product
managers, production support analysts, user representatives, and program
managers. The program manager acts as the team coordinator and manages
the project schedule. Our skills and experience complement each other
and we are expected to both work together and make sure that due
consideration is given to each area.

Probably the hardest part of working as a team is making sure that we
are all communicating clearly. What seems obvious to you (because you
are a program manager, for example) may not be at all obvious to the
developers in the team and you need to be constantly checking to make
sure you understand and are understood so you can continue to work well
together. Paraphrasing is one way to do this. Keep in mind that you
are trying to solve a problem together. Focus on the problem and not on
your own need to be right all the time and you will work better
together. Again, mutual respect for each other's differences helps
here. If you don't have respect and communication, it doesn't matter
what team model you are using.