Every team will have guidance in the form of a ‘project’ coach.
Coaching
The goal of project coaching is to help the team work together better to achieve the goals of the game. Coaching is different from being a regular project manager or team leader. Instead, it focuses on helping the team learn and improve, with the aim of ensuring the project’s success.
The coach’s main job is to support the team’s learning process and help team members grow. This includes making sure everyone is aware of their progress and focusing on achieving the project’s goals.
The team decides together what standards they need to meet, which encourages everyone to take responsibility. If needed, the coach will intervene with an intervention.
Intervention
An intervention is an action intended to encourage individuals or groups to pause and reconsider their approach to a problem, exploring alternatives. In most cases, coaching interventions involve asking questions. Here are some examples of coaching questions relevant to a team:
- Clarity of objectives: Is the goal clear?
- Stakeholders: What do different stakeholders expect from the team?
- Articulating the challenge: How will this project challenge and stimulate us?
- Team rules: What behavior is expected of us when interacting with each other?
- Communication: How will team members communicate and engage with project stakeholders?
- Conflict management: How will we handle conflicts within the team?
- Reflection: How will we recognize what we have learned from this experience?
These questions help the team consciously reflect on various aspects of their collaboration and learn from their experiences.
Behavioral norms
When a new team begins, there aren’t any set rules for how they should behave. Studies on group dynamics suggest that most new teams will follow the behavior they see around them to fit in with the group.
The coach’s job is to help the team figure out how they want to behave and to make sure everyone sticks to those rules. They also make sure to hold team members responsible if they don’t follow the agreed-upon norms.
More information about the details from your coach and the details on their role in the game and the assessment, can be found on this page