Project Team Management
What you must know
Team management covers how the architect organizes, directs, and communicates with the project team and consultants. Candidates should understand organizational structures (functional, projectized, matrix), the RACI model (Responsible, Accountable, Consulted, Informed), and lines of communication (n(n−1)/2). Know Tuckman's stages (forming, storming, norming, performing, adjourning), motivation concepts, and conflict resolution modes (collaborating, compromising, accommodating, avoiding, forcing). Understand consultant coordination and the architect's role as team leader under typical owner-architect agreements.
Traps in questions
- Confusing Accountable (one person, owns the outcome) with Responsible (does the work). Only one A per task.
- Assuming a matrix organization gives the PM full authority - it usually shares authority with functional managers.
- Choosing forcing or avoiding when collaborating is the best long-term resolution.
- Miscounting communication channels by forgetting to divide by two.
Worked rule of thumb
Communication channels: with 6 team members, channels = 6(6−1)/2 = 15. Adding one member raises it to 21 - a 40% increase in channels for a 17% increase in people. This is why large teams need structured communication plans.
For RACI, ask: who does the work (R), who signs off (A), who must be asked (C), who is told (I)? If two people are marked A, the question is testing whether you catch the error.
Key habit: match the conflict mode to the situation - collaborating for important, long-term issues; forcing only for emergencies or safety.