Finding the right team size for a project can be challenging. You want to have enough people to complete the tasks efficiently and effectively, but not too many that cause communication problems, conflicts, or waste of resources. How can you optimize your team size for a project and balance these trade-offs? Here are some tips to help you make better decisions.
The first step is to understand the scope of the project, which includes the goals, deliverables, requirements, timeline, and budget. This will help you determine the level of complexity, uncertainty, and interdependence of the project, and how they affect the team size. Generally, the more complex, uncertain, and interdependent the project is, the smaller the team size should be, to avoid confusion, ambiguity, and coordination issues.
Be rational, genuine from worth go. Add every next resource, license & so on in parallel with optimal utilization & ensuring delivery isn't compromised. Have a reasonable KPIs that link people, process & profits! You might never need to optimize team!
To assess your project's scope, start by breaking down tasks and evaluating their complexity. For example, a simple project like setting up a new email campaign may need only a few skilled marketers, while developing a new software product could require a diverse team of developers, designers, and testers. Consider factors like deadlines and budget constraints. For instance, a tight deadline might mean needing more hands on deck, but always balance this with the risk of too many members leading to coordination issues. Remember, the right team size is crucial for efficiency and success.
Start small but start fast and maintain speed. It is better to adjust over time as you fully appreciate the challenge. Governance is key but leadership is even more important. Focus on decision-making and make sure you have the right leader.
Project Scope and Complexity Skill Sets and Expertise Workload and Work Distribution Resource Availability Risk Management Feedback and Iteration
The first step should be rightly assess the technical scope of the delivery. It should a holistic approach rather just see the scoped activity. Understand any non-functional scope which is still undocumented in the first level estimation. Try to understand the milestone is achievable with the Team competency or has any learning curve. This will give a holistic picture to plan the right resourcing for a project. Also - we need to understand the customer view - whether Timeline is much more important than the cost - then probably skilled resources at higher job stage can be planned with less numbers. So resource plan should be scenario based, expectation or project objective based.
The next step is to estimate the workload of the project, which means the amount of time and effort needed to complete the tasks. You can use different methods to estimate the workload, such as historical data, expert judgment, analogy, or bottom-up. The workload estimation will help you identify the skills, roles, and responsibilities of the team members, and how they are distributed across the project phases.
To estimate workload, break down the project into tasks and assign realistic hours to each. For example, if coding a feature takes 40 hours, ensure you have the right developer capacity. Regularly review progress to adjust estimates and team size. Try to keep it human, clear, and direct.
It would be useful to identify the common, standard tasks in each of the phases and try to see how efficiency can be brought in, how time and other resources can be optimized.
To Estimate workload, always use the agreed or standard rate card for the each work defined by the company. This will give us a good grip over the head count demand. Refer the similar project business cases completed earlier and understand the progress,approach, estimation, over heads seen. This will help us in estimating the workload. Based on that we can form a team with right number of people in each technical/delivery area.Initial phase of the work may be more than the expected. After settle down period we need to more focus on automation/repetitive work identification (for example data build for site integration. We will start reuse the site build once the golden data builds are ready)to be inline with delivery volume.
The third step is to apply a simple formula to calculate the optimal team size for the project. The formula is based on the idea that the number of communication channels in a team increases exponentially as the team size grows, which can create more challenges and inefficiencies. The formula is:
Team size = Square root of (2 x Workload)
For example, if the workload of the project is 100 person-hours, the optimal team size would be:
Team size = Square root of (2 x 100) = 14.14
You can round up or down the result depending on other factors, such as availability, experience, or preferences of the team members.
I'm not convinced this applies to all project teams. The number of communication channels grows exponentially in relation to the size of the team. A team of 14 people will have 91 communication channels. The overhead alone diminishes the benefit of having 14 people. On software projects, smaller teams can move faster than larger teams. Be cautious about the advice here.
What NOT to do to optimise your team size for a project… Don’t be tempted to add more people to a project team in an attempt to solve your issue of delivering a project on-time. If your project is running behind schedule, more team members, regardless of their skills, will NOT address the underlying cause of the delays and may create more issues for you later on. Brooke’s Law states that "Adding manpower to a late software project makes it later.” (Brookes, 1975). This may also be applicable to a range of projects. Adding new people to a team, (regardless of the questionable formula listed here), introduces new tasks to the project workload that require additional time, new risks to mitigate, as well as additional costs to the budget.
Not possible to apply formula if the tasks/outcomes are varied, complex, multimodal, multi-locational, etc. At times, building the formula itself could be expensive and time-consuming.
Sorry but an equation is not the appropriate approach to determining project team size, look at the processes involved , establish the disconnects been decide who may be best to represent each element, these SME’ s need not be 100% committed to the team but can provide input on the process to the decision makers.
The fourth step is to adjust the team size dynamically throughout the project, as the project scope, workload, or circumstances may change. You can use agile methods, such as Scrum or Kanban, to monitor the progress, performance, and feedback of the team, and make adjustments accordingly. You can also use tools, such as Gantt charts or dashboards, to track the schedule, budget, and quality of the project, and identify any gaps or risks that may require changes in the team size.
To ensure your team size adapts to project needs, monitor progress and workload. If tasks increase, consider adding members with the required skills. Conversely, if the workload decreases, downsize to stay efficient. For example, a sudden client request might mean temporarily increasing the team. Regular reviews keep your team aligned with current demands.
Frequent changes could be a challenge, de-motivational for the team, and making the entire project highly transactional. Further, the resources freed from a project may not have immediate deployment, or be easily available at the time of sudden spike. Too much dynamics could be an adverse approach.
Team dynamics play a vital role in the success of any project. When determining the team size, it is important to evaluate the compatibility and dynamics of the team members involved. A team consisting of individuals with complementary skills, experiences, and personalities can contribute to a productive and collaborative work environment. On the other hand, a team with conflicting personalities or a lack of cohesion can lead to inefficiencies and hinder project progress.
The final step is to communicate and collaborate effectively with the team members, regardless of the team size. You can use various strategies, such as setting clear expectations, establishing norms and rules, providing feedback and recognition, resolving conflicts, and fostering trust and cohesion. You can also use technology, such as video conferencing, chat platforms, or cloud-based software, to facilitate communication and collaboration among remote or distributed teams.
By following these steps, you can optimize your team size for a project and achieve better results. Remember that there is no one-size-fits-all solution for team size, and you need to consider the specific context and characteristics of each project and team.
To optimize your team for a project, assess the workload and apply the team size formula: Team size = √(2 x Workload). Then, adjust as needed. Communicate clearly, set rules, and use tech to collaborate. Keep teams small enough to avoid confusion but large enough to cover all tasks.
In my experience, setting up communication in the form of a 3 layered sphere is most effective. The First Layer - this is the core and consists of communication between your project team. Ideally, this is a group of 3-6 people where minor decisions are made and rapid feedback loops speed things along. The Middle Layer - is where the key decision-makers reside, such as department heads. This group interacts with the first layer through two-way communication to help unblock the team when issues arise and may be available for any escalations, etc. The Outer Layer - Your team’s interaction with the wider stakeholder group. Communication at this level should be mostly one way (inside out) and help maintain wider alignment.
The cognitive load on individual team members is one critical aspect that seems to be frequently disregarded in such discussions. When scaling a team based on workload and communication channels, we must also consider the cognitive capacity of each team member, which varies based on the complexity of tasks and the number of concurrent responsibilities. A single overloaded team member can become a bottleneck for the entire project leading to decreased productivity and increased error rates. This underscores the necessity of not just balancing the quantitative aspects of team size but also considering qualitative factors such as individual capabilities, and mental bandwidth of the team.
Effective collaboration and communication are essential in any project. When determining the ideal team size, it is important to consider the necessary collaboration and communication needs. If team members need to regularly interact and exchange ideas, a smaller team may be more efficient, as it promotes better coordination and reduced communication barriers. Conversely, if extensive collaboration is necessary or multiple stakeholders are involved, a larger team may be better suited to facilitate effective communication.
There are probably two, possibly three modes of communication required when running a project that involves change, 1) The stakeholders, they are important, they effectively rubber stamp that allows any changes. 2) The workforce, if they are involved in any project that means change communication is vital, as they are indeed the people at the coal face , and can provide positive feedback. 3) Any changes may mean positive and in some cases negative impact, clear and precise information should be provided when updating progress .
2 keys things you consider while making a team, What can a person bring to the table 'strongly ' taking accountability Where he can shoulder the 'other' responsibility so that he plays the supporting role. Just 1 leader for that action
Here is what I recommend - To optimize team size, consider your team's adaptability. For example, a project's demands may change, necessitating flexible team scaling. Ensure roles are clear to avoid overlap and underutilization. Regularly review team performance and adjust as needed for efficiency. Communication is key.
Optimizing team size for a project involves aligning skills with tasks and maintaining efficiency. Begin by clearly defining project objectives and required skill sets. Assess workload and break down tasks into manageable components. Consider team members' expertise and bandwidth. Aim for a balance that ensures each member contributes meaningfully without causing unnecessary overlap. Regularly reassess workload distribution and team dynamics throughout the project lifecycle. Striking the right balance between expertise, workload, and collaboration enhances productivity, fosters effective communication, and ensures the team operates at an optimal size for project success.