Interpersonal Skills for Portfolio, Program, and Project Manager

This report delves into the critical role of interpersonal skills for project managers, especially in the context of a virtual team. It addresses key aspects such as defining criteria for team effectiveness, structuring a team-based reward and recognition system, determining who should administer the system, and handling disagreements within the team. The report also explores the frequency of system reviews, compensation for short-term subject matter experts, and potential challenges in developing and implementing the system, such as the lack of video conferencing. The report emphasizes the importance of motivation, engagement, and timely project delivery. It also covers topics like performance reviews, employee morale, and team collaboration to achieve project goals. The project manager's role in fostering teamwork, communication, and ensuring the success of a project is highlighted throughout the report.

Running head: INTERPERSONAL SKILLS 1
INTERPERSONAL SKILLS FOR PORTFOLIO, PROGRAM, AND PROJECT
MANAGER
Student’s Name:
Institution’s Name:
Course Title:
Date of Submission:

INTERPERSONAL SKILLS 2
Interpersonal Skills for Portfolio, Program, and Project Manager
1. What criteria should be used to determine team effectiveness?
Being the manager of the virtual tam for the first time in my career I have been
overwhelmed by obtaining the support of the top management in transforming my endeavor of
introducing a reward system and transforming it into a reality. To help ensure that my project
succeeds, the top management has appointed a senior-level governance board to oversee the
entire project’s progress. The governance board would be meeting me on a monthly basis and I
am expected to consult with its members between meetings if any significant issues or risks
arise. But unfortunately due to economic constraints I have been prevented from having direct
interaction with my project team, which is made up of 25 members located on three different
continents. As my company does not have a video conferencing system, and as most
communication would be asynchronous except for occasional conference calls, I have to find out
ways to keep my team members motivated and engaged in the project in a thorough manner. The
virtual team has been established to complete a project which is the fifth highest priority in the
organization’s portfolio management system, which has 55 different programs and projects, and
that is the reason why it is receiving so much extensive attention from the management. The
project has been launched to develop and deliver a new product within a couple of years, and the
schedule is urgent because the company’s management wants to make sure that the product
makes into the marketplace before the competitors release a similar product of their own. So it
has become a sole responsibility for me to keep the team motivated to complete the project in a
timely manner. Being the project manager I am eager to ensure success for my team and to keep
them thoroughly engaged in the project. I want to keep them motivated and for doing so I have
planned for a reward and appraisal program. A team-based reward and recognition system would

INTERPERSONAL SKILLS 3
work for me and the team in the most effective manner, and I have been obliged by the
governance body by receiving the green signal in this regard. The governance body thinks that if
the reward system is ultimately deemed beneficial, it could then be applied to other programs and
projects in the organization as well. The supportiveness of the governance board has already
motivated me to introduce the team-based reward system and now it is time for me to
communicate the issue to the team members and to make them understand the importance of
getting involved into such a process. It is to fulfill this objective that during the teleconference, I
did use a nominal group technique by giving each team member an opportunity to respond with
ideas about the reward and recognition system. I then asked by team to formulate a draft plan for
the system and I had given one team member the responsibility of volunteering in respect of
leading the effort. Now it is my responsibility to choose the criteria that should be used to
determine my team’s effectiveness. It is now my duty to arrange how this team-based reward and
recognition system should be structured. Moreover, it is now my responsibility to decide that
who would determine how to administer the system – the team itself, the project manager, the
project sponsor, or the governance board? Again, it is me who has to determine the advantages
and disadvantages of involving each of groups listed above. Moreover, I will have to determine
that if a team member disagrees with the approach, can he or she opt out of the system without
fear of reprisal, or does everyone need to participate for the system to be effective.
It is important to establish criteria in order to evaluate any high performance team and
such allows the team manager to ensure optimal productivity by setting expectations that are
thoroughly appropriate. Such setting and meeting of criteria is directly related to improvement in
team processes and in communicating properly the mission and vision of the project effectively
to the team members. By assessing the team members on a regular basis the way for motivating

INTERPERSONAL SKILLS 4
them can be found out and this can also bring consistency in the level of performance of the team
members. Hence, to set up the criteria I have planned to include certain specific evaluation
processes like assessment of job-specific competencies, leadership competencies, employee
morale and employee productivity (Duggan, 2018). To make it sure that the team is functioning
at the highest level, I will have to measure each team member’s ability to complete the given job
tasks. For this I have to conduct regular performance reviews but through telecommunication and
thorough accessing and utilizing the electronic mailing system (as a mode of providing and
receiving feedback). The assessment would be meant to ensure that each team member has the
skills, knowledge and experience that are needed to perform on an optimal basis. I have planned
to set up a questionnaire and distribute it through email so as to get input from each employee’s
peers, superiors and subordinates (Duggan, 2018). This feedback would be used to create a
development plan for both the short- and long-run. If it is found through the evaluation process
that a team member is lacking some needed qualities then she would be encouraged to develop
the needed qualities through proper training modes and through proper coaching and mentoring.
In this regard high-performing team members and senior team members would be encouraged to
coach or mentor the concerned employee who is lagging behind.
2. How should this team-based reward and recognition system be structured?
The team-based reward and recognition system would be structured in a specific manner.
The team-based reward system would be in the form of an incentive system. I have planned for
administering a team-based incentive plan that would initiate and encourage and reward
exceptional levels of professional achievement. The incentive-oriented reward system would act
as a motivator for the team members who are working collectively to accomplish the project’s

INTERPERSONAL SKILLS 5
objectives and goals. The objective of the team incentive-oriented reward system would be to
encourage team goal setting, collaboration and teamwork (McQuerrey, 2018). The profit sharing
process would be employed if needed in this case. Profit sharing “is a team-based incentive plan
in which you pay your employees a percentage of your company’s overall profits. Profit sharing
builds a sense of ownership among employees and encourages greater team performance levels”
(McQuerrey, 2018). Team members would know that the better their performance, the greater
are their chances to better the business’ financial picture so as to benefit themselves. And this
would pave the way for obtaining potential cash rewards. I might also indulge in implementing
the gain sharing plan. Gain sharing, just like profit-sharing is a team incentive plan in which
employee groups are rewarded for measurable, non-financial achievements in some pre-
establishes areas (McQuerrey, 2018). In this respect a bonus might come to play an important
role. This type of incentive-based reward program usually motivates the team members to
recognize their role in the process of continually moving the project forward to accomplish the
key areas and objectives. I might also go for goal-based incentives in which the employees
would be rewarded for reaching specific goals (McQuerrey, 2018). In this respect it must be
noted that “The approach encourages teamwork and gives employees a firm target to aim for”
(McQuerrey, 2018). The team would give collective effort and this would be beneficial for the
project’s success in both the short- and long-run. Moreover, I might also go for a merit-based
incentive-oriented reward system. I might plan to reward employee teams for effort, regardless
of outcome (McQuerrey, 2018). It must be noted that “Because of the discretionary element of
this type of incentive, it can be a challenge for employees to know what they aiming for or how
they will know when their efforts or actions are viewed as “good enough” to merit reward”
(McQuerrey, 2018).

INTERPERSONAL SKILLS 6
3. Who should determine how to administer the system—e.g., the team itself, the project
manager, the project sponsor, the governance board? What are the advantages and
disadvantages of involving each of groups listed?
It has been decided that the project manager would administer the system. This is
primarily because; unlike the governance board, the project manager would frequently be in link
with the project team and hence, she would gain the most opportunities to evaluate the team
members’ individual performance. The team manager would be in a position to evaluate the
performance of each member in a better way and she would also be in a good position to receive
and provide feedback in a timely manner. The team itself should not be given the responsibility
to determine the course of the process because this might entail and give rise to biasness in terms
of judging and evaluating each team member’s actions, progress and performance. Hence, it is
better to hand over the task to the team manager. Also, the governance board has less frequent
chances of meeting or connecting with the team members and so it would not be possible for the
governance board to receive and deliver feedback on a timely manner. And that is one primary
reason why the team manager has been deemed suitable for the concerned position.
4. If a team member disagrees with the approach, can he or she opt out of the system
without fear of reprisal, or does everyone need to participate for the system to be
effective?
It must be noted that the reward and recognition program would only succeed if it
becomes a team effort. Hence, it would be mandatory for each and every team member to
participate in the said program. A team member might disagree with the approach but she cannot
opt out of the system. She would be counseled in this respect and she would be coached and
mentored in this respect if needed. If one team member is allowed leave the program then the
trend could be followed by others, jeopardizing the entire reward and recognition system. Hence,
in this reward and recognition program individual participation is a must and mandatory.

INTERPERSONAL SKILLS 7
5. How often would a review of the system be conducted to ensure it’s effective? Who
would conduct this review, and how would the review be done?
The team performance review would be conducted on a weekly basis and the team
manager would be responsible to conduct the review. A 360 degree feedback procedure would
be implemented to make the review and evaluation process a success. This has been deemed
suitable as the review system would involve all the team members, the governance board, and
the management and the team manager, and this would give the process a complete and cohesive
structure that would motivate the employees even more to give their cent percent effort to the
team’s progress and to the project’s success.
6. How would a subject matter expert who is part of the project for only two or three
months be compensated by the reward and recognition system?
A subject matter expert who would be a part of the project for only two or three months
would be compensated partially by the company’s remuneration rules and regulations and
partially by through the reward and recognition program in specific.
7. What other problems could influence the development and implementation of this
system?
As it has been discussed earlier, the void of video-conferencing system would affect the
team’s performance to a certain degree. This would be a problem in terms of evaluating and
assessing the team member’s performance on a daily basis. But this barrier would be overcome
through the implementation of feedback processes that would be continued through the
application of telecommunication and email-based exchanges.
References

INTERPERSONAL SKILLS 8
Duggan, T. (2018). Evaluation Criteria for High Performance Teams. Chron. Retrieved January
24, 2018, from http://smallbusiness.chron.com/evaluation-criteria-high-performance-
teams-57312.html
McQuerrey, L. (2018). Types of Team Based Incentive Plans. Chron. Retrieved January 24,
2018, from http://smallbusiness.chron.com/types-team-based-incentive-plans-59545.html