Establish and maintain the integrated team structure for the project.

Product requirements, cost, schedule, risk, resource projections, business processes, the project’s defined process, and organizational guidelines are evaluated to establish the basis for defining integrated teams and their responsibilities, authorities, and interrelationships.

A typical integrated team structure may be based on the product-oriented hierarchy found in the WBS. More complex structuring occurs when the WBS is not product oriented, product risks are not uniform, and resources are constrained.

The integrated team structure is a dynamic entity that is adjusted to changes in people, requirements, and the nature of tasks, and to tackle many difficulties. For small projects, the integrated team structure can treat the whole project as an integrated team. The integrated team structure should be continuously monitored to detect malfunctions, mismanaged interfaces, and mismatches of the work to the staff. Corrective action should be taken when performance does not meet expectations.

Refer to the Establish Rules and Guidelines for Integrated Teams specific practice in the Organizational Process Definition +IPPD process area for more information about establishing organizational rules and guidelines for structuring and forming integrated teams.

Typical Work Products

1.    Assessments of the product and product architectures, including risk and complexity

2.    Integrated team structure

Subpractices

1.    Establish an integrated team structure.

An integrated team structure is dependent on:

·   An assessment of product risk and complexity

·   Location and types of risks

·   Integration risks, including product component interfaces and inter-team communication

·   Resources, including availability of appropriately skilled people

·   Limitations on team size for effective collaboration

·   Need for team membership of stakeholders external to the project

·   Business processes

·   Organizational structure

The integrated team structure should be based on an understanding of the project’s defined process and shared vision, the organization’s standard processes, and the organizational process assets applicable to teams and team structures.

2.    Periodically evaluate and modify the integrated team structure to best meet project needs.

Changes to the product requirements or architecture could affect the team structure.

Continuously monitor the integrated team structure to detect problems such as mismanaged interfaces, and mismatches between the work assigned and the staff performing the work. Take corrective action, including assessing the deployed teams and structures, when performance does not meet expectations.

Changes in team structure can include the following:

·   Retiring a team for a period of time (e.g., while long-duration manufacturing or verifications are done)

·   Disbanding a team when it is no longer cost effective in serving the project

·   Combining teams to achieve operating efficiencies