By Shauna O’Toole, CFRE, GPC

You encountered inefficiency, frustration, or even conflict when working with a group to develop a grant proposal. Most teams flounder before they begin performing at their peak. The Stages of Group Development framework, developed by Bruce Tuckman (1965), describes how a group coalesces around an objective.

Forming: Team members come together to establish a common goal. This stage is characterized by questions and politeness. 

Storming: The team begins to take action. Discrepancies between individual expectations and the actual team dynamics emerge. The team must explicitly define its strategy. This stage is characterized by inefficiency and confrontation.

Norming: With a clear strategy in mind, the team will develop effective processes to meet milestones and clarify responsibilities. This stage is characterized by growing cohesion. 

Performing: Now that time isn’t wasted deciding how the team will work, the group makes significant progress toward their goals. This stage is characterized by trust and increased output. 

Adjourning: The team completes its deliverables and evaluates the project. This stage is characterized by a celebration (or other ritual) and reflection.  

Sometimes a grant professional is overlooked as a leader because their work tends to be task-based and independent. Grant pros who understand the stages of group development can utilize this process to lead and successfully navigate teams through projects.

Forming: The grant project team is selected. The group will determine the scope and amount of the proposal. This is the stage when work plans are developed, and a meeting cadence is established. The team members are excited, and maybe a bit intimidated, about applying for the grant.

Storming: As the first milestones approach, the team encounters misunderstandings and flaws in the logic or timing of the work plan. Some common challenges at this stage are missed milestones and inaccurate data or narrative. The team cannot exit the storming phase until all stakeholders have “bought in” to the process. 

Norming: A skilled grant professional will convene the team, identify barriers, revise the work plan, and clarify roles. Once people have bought in, this can happen quickly — sometimes within a single meeting. It is a good idea to document anything that may have previously been assumed or implied so everyone can refer back to the working norms. 

Performing: Each member of the team knows their responsibilities and gets to work on their tasks. As team members observe their peers delivering on commitments, they may become increasingly motivated to contribute their portion of the work. By the end of this stage, the proposal will be written and approved.  

Adjourning: The team finalizes its proposal and submits the grant. The appropriate personnel close the project by documenting the work and saving final copies for posterity. Usually, a grant professional will hustle off to the next project. Don’t miss the opportunity to do a post-mortem on the process, ideally with the whole team. What worked well? What can the team do better next time? 

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Shauna O’Toole, CFRE, GPC, is a grants specialist with Assel Grant Services in Lees Summit, Missouri. Her email is shauna.otoole@asselgrantservices.com

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Source From Non Profit Times