Brazil out of the 2014 soccer world cup. What are the lessons for your project team?

Brazil was beaten 7-1 by Germany in the semi-finals of the 2014 soccer world cup. This was the biggest semi-final defeat in the history of the world cup and was devastating for Brazil as the host nation.

So what went wrong? Some of Brazil's star players were unable to play, while others performed poorly. Germany exploited these weaknesses with devastating effect.

Are there lessons for your project team?

Most project teams are similar to a soccer team. Different members with different skills and responsibilities. Some of these will be stars, while others may just be average. As much as we would like to have a team consisting only of stars, this isn't always possible, and in most cases isn't always necessary. After all stars often demand more money and aren't always happy to do the ordinary everyday tasks. It's therefore important to organise the various team members in such away that people are used to their best abilities.

So what happens when one of your star players leaves, is sick or performs badly? Well make sure you implement a contingency plan to cope with the situation. You also need to be continually training the next generation of stars who can step up as replacements. Where necessary you need to look after your stars - this may even include not overworking them and allowing them time off so others can step up into their positions.

Of course like every soccer team you cannot let complacency set in. You also need to be continually training and honing the team's skills and setting new targets.