By Mauricio Prinzlau | Follow on Twitter!
It’s a recognized fact, IT is an enabler for the contemporary enterprise. Every organization has an IT team that takes care of the intricate technicalities, finding better and productive solutions for the enterprise. Now, managing a team can be quite a task, with clash of ideas and differences of opinions. This is where a good project manager comes into the picture, who handles all the employees without compromising on the quality of output. Below are some useful tips and tricks that can enhance the productivity of your IT team, check them out!
Communication is the Key
If your team is only communicating via email then there are chances that the team is not effectively interacting. Set meetings to discuss the various milestones and important points of the project. Emails can get confusing and disorganized, if that’s the sole communication channel you rely on. Scheduling meetings or conferences once a week enhances productivity and improves employee relations. Phone calls and video calls are also other effective modes of communication. You can also resort to project management tools such as Project Insight’s social collaboration feature. Project Insight allows you and your team to collaborate with a social media look and feel while working, a great alternative for emails. Capture all project comments and updates in one place.
[VIDEO] Work better together with Project Insight’s Social Collaboration Feature!
Be Flexible in Your Approach
One smart way of boosting productivity is prioritizing your tasks. Every IT team has so much to do! From small menial tasks to important ones… every task contributes to the success of the project. However, in the rush to get everything done, the quality of the work is heavily compromised upon. The trick is to keep things balanced, be flexible in your approach and try completing the most important tasks first. This not only reduces the work pressure but also practically channels the works.
[VIDEO] Prioritize and score your projects!
Promote Transparency in Operation
The best way to encourage a team to give its best is by creating a transparent and clear framework. This includes taking a fair and unbiased approach in treating all team members. Also, ensure that all the information and important details regarding the project are effectively communicated to all teammates. Each member should get equal resources and growth opportunities. This promotes harmony and better coordination among members. Happy and satisfied employees work best and are most productive. Using a cloud based storage system further simplifies information sharing.
Related: Online Document Sharing with Box Integration
Effective Work Distribution
As an IT executive or team leader, it is your responsibility to distribute the different tasks among the members. Analyze their potential, their strengths, weaknesses and skills to ensure that each team member is qualified for the given task. A good project manager can instantly recognize the right person for the right job. Make sure that you don’t over allocate one team member while the others are under allocated. Equal and effective distribution of work is necessary for getting the optimum output from any team.
[VIDEO] Trouble managing the workloads of your resources?
Learn to Listen
There may be times when your team members have better and more productive solutions for a problem - something that you may have overlooked. Learn to accept and acknowledge suggestions from the team. Give everyone in the team a chance to voice their opinion and share ideas. This not only adds variety to the project but also promotes a healthy discussion. Don’t dictate the terms of the meetings - allow everyone to have a say.
Offer Lucrative Incentives
One way of increasing the productivity of your teammates is by taking care of their needs. Long hours of work without food or breaks can be pretty cumbersome. By offering tempting incentives you not only encourage them to do better, but it also adds on to the excitement of the work space. Provide the required tools and atmosphere that can enhance the performance. Special perks such as food and other facilities can really boost team performance.
Avoid Pressuring the Team
Don’t overwhelm team members with excessive workloads, instead try cutting the work and assigning work practically. Most people are unlikely to give 100% when subjected to pressure and endless deadlines. Adopt a calm and cool strategy in dealing with the employees to ensure that they are comfortable in the work space. Set achievable and realistic project deadlines that can be completed easily.
Finally, promote a healthy work-life balance by encouraging your team to take that paid time off they have been accumulating.
Instant and honest Feedback
A smart way of encouraging team members to perform better is by providing honest feedback. Appreciate and recognize their efforts, this solidifies the team’s trust in you. Instant feedback also improves the overall output as you can immediately point out the areas of improvement. Encourage team members to approach you with the issues or challenges they are facing - this allows you to stay informed and helps address rising issues. Real time feedback empowers employees and helps him or her improve.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Mauricio is the CEO of Cloudwards.net, a data and user feedback driven comparison engine for cloud apps and services. He enjoys writing and producing educational videos around the cloud to help people find the best cloud service for their needs.