Honesty, openness and trust.2Lean organization that facilitatescommunication andspeeds up decision making.Anticipation and avoidance <strong>of</strong>issues rather than waiting forthem to turn into problems.4Mutual support and teamworkfor issue resolution, coaching,mentoring and development soteam members are authorized,empowered and enabled.Decisiveness and willingnessto make decisions based onjudgment when informationis limited.6A “no blame” culture. Thisis essential to encouragedecisiveness.Approved risk-taking so peoplemake bolder decisions.8Tolerance <strong>of</strong> other teammembers who think differentlyor creatively.Flexibility.10Nohidden agendas.
JERGEAS’S TOP 10 LISTCharacteristics <strong>of</strong> a successfulproject teamLeft: Construction <strong>of</strong> theinterchange at Glenmore Trailand 37th Street in southwestCalgary after construction.Photos by Keith Walker – PeakExperience Imagery, courtesy ISLEngineering and Land Serviceswhat we’re going to do about it isn’t going to work. So how canwe possibly succeed? We need to change the way we think orwe will continue making the same mistakes and ending up withthe same results.”He now wonders if there could be a biological factor holdingus back: the amygdala, the “fear” centre <strong>of</strong> the brain. It canexplain our reluctance to change the way we do things. Changeis associated with the unknown, with risk. And it <strong>of</strong>ten leads toan aversion or fear response. Hartman says the amygdala couldbe to blame for why we continue doing things the way they’vealways been done and why we tend to repeat the same mistakes.On the flipside, Hartman notes, there can be greatoutcomes when decisions are based solely on what we commonlyrefer to as “gut feelings.” Hartman calls this “pr<strong>of</strong>essionalintuition” and labels the result <strong>of</strong> this phenomenon “breakthroughperformance.”“Take an oil sands project, for example. Do you knowwhat oil prices are going to be in six years’ time when you startproduction? Do you know what labour costs are going to belike, the availability <strong>of</strong> operators, the tax and royalty situation,the political climate? No. You can’t know any <strong>of</strong> that forcertain but we <strong>of</strong>ten make decisions based on some intuitiveunderstanding that comes from years and years <strong>of</strong> experiencecombined with knowledge, intelligence and wisdom. It’s avoice that tells you this is the best decision right now. We’retrying to understand that process better.”Gut feelings can be powerful and <strong>of</strong>ten correct, but theycertainly can’t be used routinely to justify major decisions toinvestors and other stakeholders. <strong>The</strong>y can’t be measured either,so Hartman is turning to neuroscience to better understandthem. He leads a research program at the University <strong>of</strong> Calgaryand breakthrough performance is the focus <strong>of</strong> his team <strong>of</strong> PhDand master’s students and the subject <strong>of</strong> an upcoming book.<strong>The</strong> concept that effective project management goesbeyond tools and technical expertise is gaining acceptance,especially now that new methods have been tested on realprojects and delivered tangible success. George Jergeas, aresearcher and specialist in risk management at the <strong>Schulich</strong><strong>School</strong> <strong>of</strong> Engineering, believes the number one way to delivera successful project is to form an effective team.“In Alberta, we have lots <strong>of</strong> mega projects and if each<strong>of</strong> them were to overrun, then investors wouldn’t feel comfortablehere and they would go somewhere else,” explainsJergeas, a pr<strong>of</strong>essor in the Centre for Project ManagementExcellence at the University <strong>of</strong> Calgary. “So it’s very importantfor us as a community <strong>of</strong> project managers, companies andacademics to work together to improve how we do thingsand change how we look at risk.”Jergeas has seen more than his share <strong>of</strong> communicationblunders, cost overruns, project delays and lots <strong>of</strong> unhappypeople as a result. Like Hartman, he insists the human elementand the emphasis on s<strong>of</strong>t skills such as communication andteamwork are vital pieces <strong>of</strong> the puzzle.Jergeas and his team-building approach have made amark on major projects throughout Alberta: roads, bridges,buildings, oil sands operations. He’s been recognized by theProject Management Institute – Southern Alberta Chapterwith the award Distinguished Contribution by an Individual.His method has been tested on highly complex jobs and theconclusion is simple: choose the right people for the job andsuccess will follow.“We have highly skilled engineers working in industry inCalgary and across Canada,” says Jergeas. “<strong>The</strong> technical side<strong>of</strong> things doesn’t worry me. What we are trying to do is helpthem function even better.”<strong>The</strong> first step is getting clients and contractors on thesame page, aligned and working towards a common goal.At the start <strong>of</strong> a project, Jergeas leads a one-day team buildingworkshop to establish common ground on a number <strong>of</strong> things:project vision, a mechanism for dispute resolution, anticipatedproblems and a clear definition <strong>of</strong> each team member’s rolesand responsibilities.SCHULICH 29 ENGINEER
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