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Team Development Cycle: The 5 Key Stages from Forming to Performing
Table of contents
The team development cycle is a process that a team goes through to learn to work together. Whether you’re forming a new team or refining an existing one, this team development model applies universally. It is composed of 5 stages:
Forming, Storming, Norming, Performing, and Adjourning.
Teams are essential to projects. A great team will ensure your project is completed well and on time. In contrast, an okay team can mean delays, loss of quality, and a lot of additional work. So, understanding the stages of team development helps managers address challenges and drive growth.
In many cases, the difference between such teams is the amount of time they have been working together and at what stage of team development they are.
While most teams progress through the development cycle naturally, by knowing what it is you can actually help them get out of sticky situations. So keep on reading to learn more about the team development cycle or scroll down for a visual infographic on the topic.
Looking for a way to manage your team’s workload? Check out our Workload management guide for great tips.
What Is Team Development Cycle
The team development cycle is a structured process that outlines the stages a team goes through to grow, collaborate effectively, and achieve shared goals.
Each time a new group of people is gathered to perform as a team, they have to find a way of communicating, define goals and learn to work together effectively. This is what we call team development. Depending on the team and amount of different personalities in the group, this process can be rather easy or quite difficult.
However, by recognizing the team development stages, we can help our teams solve issues and progress. By going through the development cycle, teams stop being a group of individuals and become a unit, all working together towards the same goal.
What Are Team Development Stages
An educational psychologist Bruce Tuckman described 5 stages of team development – forming, storming, norming, performing, and adjourning. These team building stages—forming, storming, norming, performing, and adjourning—are now foundational in organizational psychology. The last stage was added a few years after the initial definition, as Tuckman felt there was a need to describe the deconstruction of the team as well as the beginning.
As they stand, the five stages represent a team development cycle. In an ideal case, the team linearly goes through each of them. However, if circumstances change, teams can go back and forth between stages instead of moving forward.
Team Development Stages: A Side-by-Side Comparison
To quickly compare Tuckman’s 5 stages, let’s breakdown of key behaviors, challenges, and leadership strategies at each phase.
| Stage | Key Traits | Leadership Focus | Quick Support Tips |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forming | Polite, uncertain, dependent | Provide structure | Icebreakers, clear goals |
| Storming | Conflicts, power struggles | Mediate disputes | Set conflict rules, align goals |
| Norming | Growing trust, roles clear | Support ownership | Recognize work, strengthen norms |
| Performing | Autonomous, efficient | Empower team | Rotate roles, spark innovation |
| Adjourning | Task done, mixed feelings | Celebrate success | Retrospective, document learnings |
Let’s explore each stage in detail to understand the team behaviors, leadership strategies, and practical tips for optimal development.
1. Team Is Forming
The first stage of the team development cycle is Forming, and it talks about a new team getting acquainted.
This first stage of the team development cycle brings a lot of uncertainty. The team members must get to know each other and determine what they are trying to achieve and how they will start doing that. Thus, most team interactions in the Forming stage are social, helping the team get acquainted.
As the work process is not yet decided, the team is making little progress, and their progress is often riddled with errors. They must learn to work together before creating any true value. As such, the Forming stage is filled with uncertainty, and most team members seek guidance. If one or a couple of team members are willing to take on this responsibility, they are the most likely candidates for becoming the group leaders at the following stages.
What might be happening during forming stage:
| Activity | Description | Best Practices | Potential Pitfalls |
|---|---|---|---|
| Introduction & Icebreaking | Team members share backgrounds, skills, and experiences through facilitated introductions. | – Use fun icebreaker questions (e.g., “Two truths and a lie”) – Encourage non-work-related sharing | – Awkward silence if not guided – Dominating speakers overshadowing others |
| Goal Clarification | Leader outlines project goals, timelines, and alignment with company strategy. | – Use visuals (e.g., roadmap slides) – Allow Q&A time | – Vague objectives – Misalignment if not discussed openly |
| Role Assignment | Roles/responsibilities assigned based on skills; team members suggest preferences. | – Match strengths to tasks – Document roles clearly | – Unclear expectations – Resentment if roles feel unfair |
| Communication Channels | Team agrees on protocols (meeting frequency, tools, response times). | – Use collaborative tools (Teamhood, Asana, etc.) – Set “core hours” for availability | – Over-reliance on meetings – Tool overload |
| Building Trust | Informal conversations and team-building activities foster rapport. | – Virtual coffee chats – Personality tests (e.g., MBTI) | – Forced bonding activities – Lack of psychological safety |
| Forming Norms | Team establishes rules for decision-making, conflict resolution, and accountability. | – Co-create norms democratically – Document in a “team charter” | – Unspoken assumptions – Rigid norms stifling flexibility |
Tip: Pro tip: Accelerate this team building stage by pairing icebreakers with role clarity exercises. Collaboratively establish goals, timelines, and ground rules.
2. Team Is Storming
Once the team members get to know each other, they move on to the second stage. Storming is the most difficult of the five stages, as the team has to learn how to work together despite their individual personalities.
As the team members already know about everyone’s individual skills and backgrounds, they must start searching for a way to collaborate and progress. In this stage, it is common for teams to have several divided groups, each of them with its own informal leader. Such groups are normally formed around different working methods or overall goals. However, the whole team must find a consensus on both to progress further.
Due to the contesting views, the team productivity either stays the same as in the Forming stage or decreases. It is important the team solves all the underlying issues so that it can improve productivity and avoid long-term problems in the future.
Tip: Help your team in the Storming stage by letting everyone have a say. Listen to all sides of each conflict and facilitate a middle ground that allows the team to move forward. Define the communication rules to help your team with any conflicts in the future and establish collaboration tools to facilitate the change.
3. Team Is Norming
As the team works out the majority or all of their issues, they form a sense of unity and a common goal, thus entering the Norming stage.
With most of the issues being solved, the team starts to standardize their work practices and solidify roles. There are no more groups within the team and instead, they all work in a unit with a clear leader. Due to this, work efficiency increases and becomes the highest since the beginning of the team development cycle.
The Norming stage is the first indication that the team is going in the right direction, but the unity at this stage is still very fragile. The Storming stage is characterized by conflicts, power struggles, and a lack of clarity, which can significantly impact productivity and team dynamics. If new issues arise and the team fails to solve them, they can return to the Storming stage and thus reduce their productivity again.
Tip: Help your team in the Norming stage by setting individual roles for the team members and defining tools to deal with sticky situations. Recognize the value of everyone on the team. This requires open and honest communication, active problem-solving, and a commitment to resolving conflicts constructively.
Looking to learn more about project management? We have a guide prepared exactly for this purpose.
4. Team Is Performing
As the team continues to work efficiently and is not anymore threatened by the appearance of new issues, they enter the Performing stage.
A team reaches this stage of the team development cycle as it matures. At this point, everyone is working together towards a common goal and producing predictable results regularly. If new issues arise, they no longer threaten the team’s performance but are dealt with constructively.
This is the golden age of any team and the goal of what you should aim for. Here, high-performing team strategies like role rotation and innovation sprints yield the best results. There is no saying how long it will take for each team to get here, but you can certainly help your team move through the stages with previous advice.
Tip: Assist your team in continuing the great work by mixing the team roles. A high-performing team is made up of strong professionals that can share valuable insight into the process. Thus, do not be afraid to mix up their roles occasionally. For example, ask someone else to run the weekly meeting to get a different perspective and fresh ideas.
This can lead to new insights, improved problem-solving, and increased creativity within the team. Additionally, it gives the person who takes on the new role an opportunity to enhance their leadership and facilitation skills.
5. Team Is Adjourning
At one point or another, every team reaches the endpoint and enters the Adjourning stage.
For teams that were gathered for a specific purpose, this final stage will begin as the goals will be reached and work will start winding down. Others may continue working but could lose several members, thus changing the overall team dynamics. Either way, this is a point in the team development lifecycle that the team as we know it ceases to exist.
Tip: Help your team navigate this transition by appropriately marking this stage. The Adjourning stage is often a bittersweet time for the team. While it marks the end of their collaboration, it’s also an opportunity to reflect on their successes and growth.
Therefore, consider holding an event or at least a short meeting to gather everyone from the team one last time and thank them for the job that has been done. By doing this, you will send them onto new projects with new energy and motivation.
Team Development Cycle: A Handy Infographic
So now you know all about team development and the 5 team development stages it follows. However, remembering all the information and advice may not be just that easy. For this purpose, we have prepared an infographic outlining 5 phases of team development. Save and consult it any time you need a reference in the future.
From Team Development to High Performance
The team development cycle shows how teams grow over time, but the end goal is to become and stay a high-performing team. A high-performing team isn’t just a group that gets along; it’s a group that consistently delivers great results, works together smoothly, and adapts to change.
To get to that level:
- Set clear goals and roles: Make sure everyone knows what success looks like and what they need to do.
- Map your team’s progress against Tuckman’s stages of group development to identify gaps
- Use data to inform your decisions: Track performance, skills, and how team members work together to make smarter choices.
- Create a safe space for feedback and growth: Encourage open communication, trying new things, and learning from mistakes.
- Help your team keep growing: Offer chances for development, training in new areas, and shared leadership.
Just like teams go from forming to performing, keeping your team performing at a high level takes work and the right tools to keep things moving. If your team is just reaching the Performing stage, now’s the perfect time to take it to the next level and turn them into a high-performing team.
Ready to implement this new knowledge with the team? Check out the best Workload management tools to pick out the best solution for you.
Additional resources:
- Proactive work management
- Asynchronous communication
- Remote team management
- Building a high-performing team
Looking for a way to manage your team's workload?
Take the first step towards better team collaboration
Team development cycle FAQ
Do teams always follow the team development cycle?
Most teams do. This cycle is a description of a natural team development progression and if a team continues to work together they inevitably will follow all of these stages.
Can a team go back and forth between stages?
Yes. In fact, most teams do. It is natural for teams to go back and forth between the storming, norming and performing stages. It is the team managers job to understand the push backs and help them advance instead of regress.
Is it possible for a team to not reach the end of a cycle?
Yes. If a team is poorly managed, have changing team members, or is disbanded early in the process, they will never go through all of the 5 stages.
