Community. Team. What is the Difference?

Project Team (PT)

• A group of people working on a common project, where each has a role and assigned tasks, under the responsibility of a project manager, with the aim of producing a deliverable for which they are accountable and will be evaluated.
• The project team has a predetermined duration. It disintegrates when the objectives have been achieved.

Work Team (WT)

• A structured group of people where everyone has a role and defined tasks under the responsibility of a manager. The members are interdependent. The team has a clear planning and mandates. Each one is evaluated by the manager.
• The work team has no fixed term until the next reorganization.

Community of practice (CoP)

• A group of people who come together to share and learn from each other, face-to-face or virtually, about problems, experiences, models, tools and best practices. They interact on an ongoing basis.
• The community is defined by its domain of activity, in relation to the professional practice of its members. Membership is generally voluntary.
• It is not a work team or a project team. It is transversal to the company’s organization.
• It is organized, unlike an informal network.

How do I identify which is which?

• Interview the group to understand its working model
• Use an assessment grid