There’s tons to be written on projects and teams, and the “correct” way to manage them changes like the seasons.
But more important is to do a project and to be a team. Applying any methodology requires making it your own, balancing its principles with the team’s needs. Merely reading the recipe is not enough, any methodology requires diversion and adaptation that occurs in practice. Teams should thus look the deeper layer underneath the processes, towards the principles, and make those work for them. Crossovers like the Lean Process Model go beyond Agile or Design Thinking and implement the best things both have to offer.
But even the best methodology is nothing without a great team to implement it, and a great team is a balanced one. Balanced between structure and autonomy, between skill and challenge, and between familiarity and variety. Great teamwork – obviously – requires everyone to work together. It requires adaptive leadership focused on emotional intelligence and honesty.
It takes time to tune the team – and there’s no skipping stages. Accepting that there will be tough moments, mistakes, and do-overs is the first step towards eliminating them.