---
reference_type: Performance Domain
reference_id: PD02
name: Team
version: "1.0.0"
status: Deprecated
edition: PMBOK7
pmbok8_source: "PMBOK8 Guide §2.2 — Team Performance Domain"
authority: PMI-derived
---

# PD02 — Team Performance Domain
**Type:** Performance Domain
**PMBOK8 Source:** PMBOK8 Guide §2.2 — Team Performance Domain
**Version:** 1.0.0

## Definition
The Team Performance Domain addresses the activities and functions associated with the people responsible for producing project outcomes (PMBOK8 §2.2). This domain covers team composition, roles and responsibilities, team development, leadership styles, performance management, conflict resolution, and the creation of conditions that enable high performance. Critically, the domain encompasses both the project manager's or leader's role in enabling the team AND the contributions of individual team members — it is not solely about managing people from a position of authority, but about cultivating a collaborative environment in which the team as a whole can deliver. PMBOK8 §2.2 reflects a values-based approach to team performance, emphasizing psychological safety, shared accountability, and servant leadership alongside structural clarity.

## Desired Outcomes
Per PMBOK8 §2.2, effective execution of the Team Performance Domain results in the following outcomes:

- **Shared ownership of project outcomes** — team members understand their collective responsibility for project success, not merely their individual task assignments.
- **A high-performing team** — the team demonstrates collaboration, trust, adaptability, and consistent delivery of quality work.
- **Leadership behaviors demonstrated by all team members** — leadership is not confined to the project manager; team members at all levels contribute initiative, problem-solving, and accountability.
- **Appropriate project leadership style applied** — the project manager or leader adapts their style to the team's development stage, the project context, and individual team member needs.
- **Team members have the skills, competencies, and experience necessary** — gaps are identified and addressed through development, coaching, or resource adjustment so the team is equipped for what the project requires.

## Key Activities and Considerations
Grounded in PMBOK8 §2.2, practitioners operating in this domain carry out the following:

- **Define team composition and roles** — Identify the skills, expertise, and capacity required for the project; establish clear roles and responsibilities so team members understand what is expected of them and of each other.
- **Develop the team** — Invest in building team cohesion, improving collaboration, and developing individual and collective competencies through training, coaching, mentoring, and structured team-building activities.
- **Apply appropriate leadership styles** — Recognize that no single leadership approach fits all situations; adapt between directive, facilitative, coaching, and servant leadership styles depending on team maturity and project context.
- **Manage team performance** — Monitor individual and team performance against expectations, recognize contributions, address performance gaps respectfully and constructively, and create feedback loops that support continuous improvement.
- **Resolve conflict** — Address interpersonal and role-based conflicts promptly using principled negotiation, mediation, or escalation as appropriate; unresolved conflict degrades team performance and project outcomes.
- **Foster psychological safety and inclusion** — Create an environment where team members feel safe to raise concerns, challenge assumptions, and contribute ideas without fear of negative consequences.
- **Manage distributed and virtual teams** — Apply additional deliberate effort to maintain communication, cohesion, and accountability in teams that are geographically dispersed or operate asynchronously.

## Relationship to Principles
| Principle | Connection |
|---|---|
| P02 — Team | This principle directly grounds the domain: project teams are composed of individuals who collectively deliver project outcomes. The domain operationalizes this principle by defining how teams are built, led, developed, and sustained. |
| P06 — Leadership | Leadership is central to the Team domain — not as a positional authority function but as a behavioral quality that the project manager models and that all team members are encouraged to demonstrate in their areas of contribution. |
| P03 — Stakeholders | Team members are internal stakeholders with their own needs, expectations, and engagement requirements. The Stakeholders principle reminds practitioners that the team itself must be engaged, not merely directed. |
| P10 — Quality | Team capability and collaboration directly influence quality outcomes. A high-performing team with clear roles, strong feedback practices, and a shared commitment to excellence is the foundation for producing quality deliverables. |

## Artifact Connections
| Artifact | Connection |
|---|---|
| A25 — Team Operating and Responsibility Record | The primary artifact of this domain. Documents team roles, responsibilities, operating agreements, decision rights, and behavioral norms. Establishes shared expectations and accountability structures within the team. |
| A26 — Resource Capacity and Acquisition Record | Tracks team resource availability, capacity constraints, and acquisition decisions. Informs staffing, onboarding, and the management of resource gaps or surpluses across the project. |
| A07 — Stakeholder Register | Team members are identified and documented as internal stakeholders in the Stakeholder Register. Engagement characteristics, interests, and communication preferences for team members are captured here alongside external stakeholders. |
| A14 — Integrated Project Management Plan | Incorporates the resource management plan and team development approach. The Team domain's decisions about composition, roles, and leadership style are reflected in the integrated plan and shape execution. |

## Skill Connections
| Skill ID | Skill Name | Connection |
|---|---|---|
| SKL-04-04 | Develop Team | The core developmental skill for this domain — builds team cohesion, competencies, and collaborative capability through structured activities, coaching, feedback, and learning opportunities. |
| SKL-04-05 | Manage Team | The operational performance skill — tracks team performance, addresses conflicts and issues, recognizes contributions, and adjusts team structures or assignments to maintain delivery capability. |
| SKL-03-12 | Plan Resource Management | The planning skill — determines how team resources will be identified, acquired, developed, managed, and released. Establishes the resource management framework within which the team operates. |

## Interaction with Other Domains
| Domain | Interaction |
|---|---|
| PD01 — Stakeholders | Team members are internal stakeholders; engagement, communication, and expectation alignment principles from the Stakeholders domain apply to the team. Conversely, how the team operates directly affects stakeholder relationships and project credibility. |
| PD05 — Project Work | The team is the primary agent of project work execution. Team capability, collaboration quality, and performance management directly determine how effectively project work is planned, coordinated, and delivered. |
| PD07 — Measurement | Team performance is a key measurement focus — velocity, quality metrics, schedule adherence, and issue resolution rates all reflect team health. Measurement results feed back into team development and leadership decisions. |

## Questions to Ask in Practice
1. Does every team member clearly understand their role, their accountability, and how their work connects to the project's objectives and value delivery?
2. What is the current team development stage, and is the leadership approach being applied appropriate to that stage?
3. Are there unresolved conflicts, capability gaps, or engagement issues within the team that are affecting performance or creating delivery risk?
4. Is the team environment psychologically safe — do team members feel empowered to raise concerns, propose alternatives, and hold each other accountable?

*Authority: PMBOK8 Guide §2.2 — Team Performance Domain · Source type: PMI-derived*
*Repository: https://github.com/fakhruldeen/PMOSkills*
