In this talk we'll focus on Tuckman's model of group development, which argues that groups go through five stages in a cyclic fashion: forming -> storming -> norming -> performing -> adjourning. In each of these stages the dynamics and needs of the team are different. Successful teams move through these stages, and spend most of their time in "performaing" - working well together to accompish goals. Teams that feel tough are often stuck in storming, where it's unclear who's responsible for what and thing's don't "click".

If you can learn to identify what stage your team is at, you can help nudge it in the right direction to move towards performing. As a team leader you can have significant influence on these transitions, but even as team members our actions and input can help steer the whole team in useful directions.

We'll work through common scenarios you might experience (for example, a brand new team starting up, a new developer joining an existing team, a change in manager, team member leaving), look at what's happening in the team in each case. We'll share strategies for how both team leaders and team members can use the group development model to help the group work through change and get back to being a fun, effective team as quickly as possible.