Tips And Advice To Promote Team Work

There are strategies, software tools and best practices that ease the work of project managers and enable teams to get the work done efficiently. If you are a project manager, the following tips might prove to be useful in your daily work.

1. Have A Vision Of Effective Teamwork
A team isn't a team without a clear vision of the bigger goals everyone should be aiming for. Effective teams are built on common goals and on a shared vision that has to be reinforced by the team leaders and project managers. Each and every employee needs to be aware of his or her role in the big scheme of things. They need to know that by doing their daily work they contribute to moving toward the bigger goals of their company.

By having clear action plans and schedules, project managers can motivate the team members by showing them step by step what needs to be done, for what reasons and with what expected results. The objectives should always be specific, measurable, achievable and timely. The team leader is responsible for setting the stage for a successful project.

2. Hiring Should Go Hand In Hand With Team Building
A company that takes its employees seriously should have a meaningful hiring process. All businesses would like to recruit experienced and educated specialists, so that they can contribute to creating value for the company. Nonetheless, business managers should make sure they only hire people who can make good additions to the existing team.

By simply asking smarter questions during the interview, a manager can significantly improve the selection process. You should always include questions about the experience with working as part of a team, if you want to pick the right people. The new person should fit in with the overall spirit of your team, as this is something you won't be able to teach them later on. Careers at IFDS have a great blog on this area.

3. Make Roles And Responsibilities Clear
Confusion is one of the biggest enemies of smooth work and cooperation. When team members aren't clear about their roles and responsibilities, they may start conflicts with other team members. This is why you should assign each member of your team a clear role in the project, as well as specific duties and responsibilities. Deadlines and work schedules should also be provided to all team members. This is how they can feel in charge with their little piece of the big puzzle that is your project.

4. Encourage Collaboration An Communication
Once the members of your team know their responsibilities and their duties, they still need to work together as a team and communicate their ideas and their various issues and challenges. There are several methods to make your team members to talk to each other and to contribute to creating a constructive work atmosphere:

• Each team member should understand how the various roles fit in together and how they rely on the work done by others.
  
• Employees should be encouraged to ask questions, to ask for advice and to give advice whenever appropriate.
  
• You should use collaborative tools that ease information sharing and feedback.
  
• Effective teamwork requires that all workers trust each other and do their best to have their job done.
  

5. Hold Everyone Accountable
You should do everything in your power to provide honest feedback to beach member of your team. Constructive criticism is good, but you need to be also ready to address various problems and failures. Don't criticize people on a personal level, but make it clear that they are all accountable for the success of your project.

A true leader knows how to keep an eye on the results of each member of the team. Whenever someone falls behind on an assigned duty, the project manager should be able to find the best solution to bring things on the right track.

---

Other News