I was asked recently on Facebook, what tips I had for a team working from their homes, across different locations. The person enquiring mentioned that they all had communication problems. I thought to myself, “What tool would help them?”
Well, turns out there isn’t an answer to that - as me and a group of professional project managers chimed in. Because, we don't know what communication problems you are having. It’s always easy to think technology is the answer, but if you don't truly know what your problem is, you’re unlikely to solve it just by spending money on a top notch app you might not even need!
Collaboration and communication is so important for project teams. And technology does have an impact in information sharing, building a trusted community and getting work done together. The irony that this discussion happened on Facebook is not lost on me..
So, how do you start thinking about collaboration in your team, and improve it? Here are 3 tips about boosting collaboration in your team:
1. Know Where You Are Starting From
Firstly, think about how you work right now. If you all sit in the same office, there’s no doubt around collaboration. Since we’re in our third lockdown and are all working from home, the lack of communication needs to be made up for - regular meetings throughout the day via video call and collaboration on online worksheets.
Ask yourself the question about what feels wrong with how you are working now. The answers may surprise you, but they will definitely shape how you approach fixing the collaboration issues in the team.
2. Make It Easy
One of the biggest challenges is sharing documents across multiple departments. There is no central repository for information. Unless you have access to correct shared network drive, like in the office, you have to send documentation via email. And it doesn't take much experience of any workplace to know that filling up people’s inboxes with files is neither welcomed nor productive.
Online collaboration tools work best when it’s easy to do. When you don’t have to spend the first five minutes of a Zoom call checking if everyone is looking at the printouts of the version you sent around the night before, not an earlier version.
Online document sharing, in a way that manages version control and facilitates sharing links to current versions, takes away the need to email files.
You can extrapolate the ‘make it easy’ rule to anything. Whatever task you are trying to get done, if it’s easy to do in a collaborative way, people will do it. If it’s harder to use the tool or process you’ve implemented, they will go back to doing it the old way, even if that means less collaboration takes place.
3. Keep the Conversation Going
As project managers, we need to be conscious of where people are. And be there, with them. If collaboration and communication slow down, think about how you can influence it. Can you ask a question to get people talking? Share something from your own experience? Keep people engaged with the collaboration channels so they stay present. It’s amazing how quickly you can lose the habit of working in a particular way, when no one else seems to be interested.
Working collaboratively is so important these days, but some days it feels harder than it needs to be. Think about what collaborative working means for you and your project team, and then consider what you can do to build that collaborative culture. It’s likely to require the right technology, but start with your problems and what you want your future state to look like, and then find tools that help you bridge the gap.
