Last time, I discussed how organization charts help define employees' roles and subsequently help employees understand their role within the big picture. Sometimes projects break the typical roles to combine the skills of employees from different branches in the company. As SmartDraw, I am part of some of these teams that are constructed from different branches in our company to complete projects. We often use team charts to help us understand what responsibilities we have in order to complete a project. Like the company as a whole, teams work more effectively when the roles and responsibilities of each member are clearly understood. Here is an example of a team that might be brought together to release a new project:
The person with overall responsibility for the project is the center. The other team members surround them, each with a set of their own responsibilities. Teams working on a specific project are often drawn from many different branches of the top-down organization; this is unimportant. Their role in a top-down organization is secondary to their role in the team. For example, in the product release team, Carlos Sanchez, the VP of Sales, is responsible for recruiting resellers under the direction of Jack Cheam, the VP of Marketing, who is leading the project—even though they are peers in the top-down organization. There may be other project teams where these roles are reversed.
How to Make a Team Chart
Step 1: Add a box for the team leader
Place the box for the team leader at the center of the page and type in the title and name of the person.
Step 2: Add the rest of the team
Add a box for each team member.
Step 3: Add responsibilities for each team member
Add a box for each responsibility to each team member.
While there is a specific template for creating org charts in SmartDraw, I usually just use the mind map template available to create a team chart. There are a variety of how-to videos on our YouTube channel, including how to make a mind map.
The next time you bring together a team for a project, make sure you are clear about the various roles of your team members. In my final post in this series, I will explain how project charts, also known as Gantt charts, can be critical to ensuring your projects are completed on time. If you would like to use the team chart I created for this blog post, you can download it using the link below. However, you will need a copy of SmartDraw on your deskop. If you do not already have SmartDraw, you can download a free trial here.
[Example] Project Release Team Chart and Responsibilities.sdr
Previous posts:
- How to Get Things Done and Go Home Early: Use Mind Maps
- How to Get Things Done and Go Home Early: Use Process Maps
- How to Get Things Done and Go Home Early: Use Org Charts
