Bob Stolk
·
Mar 3, 2023
Effective teamwork has the potential to make or break the success of a business. Whether your team is under the same roof or you’re managing a remote team, building a team that works efficiently is crucial.
The good news is that there are steps you can take to create an environment that cultivates a thriving team. There’s no shortage of technology—like project management tools—and business principles to help get your team working together and reaching your goals.
What Defines Effective Teamwork to You?
The first question you need to ask yourself (and your team) is, “what does effective teamwork mean to us?” Depending on your industry, business goals, or desired team culture, the answer may sound different from one business to another.
For example, you may be looking for efficiency, but not at the cost of burnout. Or maybe creating an effective team looks more like a highly collaborative and innovative environment. Every organization has different values and philosophies, so it’s important that you start with what teamwork means to you.
7 Strategies for Effective Teamwork
Let’s talk about the building blocks to creating and cultivating an effective team. Based on what effective teamwork looks like to you, you may add to this list, but we’re providing basic strategies to get your team on the same page and moving toward your project goals with ease!
Have clearly defined goals (start with the big picture).
A group of people working together toward a common goal is powerful. Your projects should have an end goal, and that end goal should fit neatly into the bigger picture for your business. When a project has been clearly defined, everyone involved knows that their work makes a difference, not only to the project, but for the bottom line of the company.
Humans want to be a part of something bigger than themselves. When they know that their role is contributing to the greater good of the organization, they’re more likely to be motivated (and stay motivated) to work hard and enjoy what they do. They have a purpose!
Assign clear roles and responsibilities.
After the goals of a project have been defined and communicated, it’s time to assign clear roles and responsibilities to the project members. In encouraging effective teamwork, establishing expectations is critical. And bonus, this helps with team morale as well. When employees know what’s expected of them, they can meet those expectations and beyond!
Have an effective project management system.
When it comes to project management software, we believe that simple is best. That’s the foundation and philosophy of Hello Ivy. When deciding on a project management tool for your organization, we believe it should be:
● Simple and visually pleasing.
● Allow for easy communication and team collaboration in real time.
● Be user-friendly.
● Workflows that make sense (and have as few as possible clicks to get to your goal).
● Have effective and helpful integrations.
● Save you time, not waste more of it.
One thing is for sure though … having a project management system is necessary in order for a team to work efficiently and effectively.
Prioritize communication and team collaboration.
Effective communication results in effective teamwork. What are some ways to promote team collaboration? Here are few ideas:
● Encourage feedback from all team members (transparency is key)!
● Allow team members to give input and be innovative.
● Let’s revisit “assigning clear roles and responsibilities.” When everyone knows what role they play, accountability becomes easier. When communication is upfront, it eliminates setbacks down the road.
● Implement team building activities! You don’t have to be all business … have some fun and boost morale!
● Streamline your collaboration and communication strategy within your project management software. This will help reduce unnecessary meetings and emails.
Create organized and clutter-free work spaces.
We’re not just talking about your desk space. Online project management tools have the tendency to get messy and overcomplicated. That’s why Hello Ivy created a clean, simple, and decluttered interface. We’re giving you a head start on creating a simple workspace and eliminating overwhelm. But here are some bonus tips on ways to ensure a simple work space:
● Utilize the overview feature to communicate clear project objectives, milestones, and goals.
● Look for opportunities to create templates for repetitive and recurring projects and tasks.
● Utilize subtasks in order to reduce the need for excess tasks within a project.
● Streamline your task management by always assigning due dates and a person to each task (and even subtask if necessary).
● And again, communicate within your project management system to eliminate the need for meetings and emails.
Create standard operating procedures
Having procedures written out is critical. No process should only live in someone’s head. This is the fastest way to create bottlenecks in your business. Not to mention, when new members join your team, you’ll want them to be able to jump right in with a clear direction and role.
This will only help your team be more effective in the long run.
Celebrate wins!
Don’t forget to celebrate! Whether your team has reached a milestone within a project, someone thinks of a creative “out of the box” idea along the way to the finish line, or the project is complete, celebrating is important! No one wants to work in an environment where hard work goes unnoticed and unappreciated.
Teamwork thrives within a positive and uplifting team culture.
Build a Foundation for Effective Teamwork
This is just the beginning. As you continue to work together as a team to accomplish goals, both big and small, you will refine your systems and become more efficient and effective. Remember that it takes time, trial and error, and a lot of communication in order to create a well-oiled teamwork machine. However, building a strong foundation will only make it easier.
Effective teamwork has the potential to make or break the success of a business. Whether your team is under the same roof or you’re managing a remote team, building a team that works efficiently is crucial.
The good news is that there are steps you can take to create an environment that cultivates a thriving team. There’s no shortage of technology—like project management tools—and business principles to help get your team working together and reaching your goals.
What Defines Effective Teamwork to You?
The first question you need to ask yourself (and your team) is, “what does effective teamwork mean to us?” Depending on your industry, business goals, or desired team culture, the answer may sound different from one business to another.
For example, you may be looking for efficiency, but not at the cost of burnout. Or maybe creating an effective team looks more like a highly collaborative and innovative environment. Every organization has different values and philosophies, so it’s important that you start with what teamwork means to you.
7 Strategies for Effective Teamwork
Let’s talk about the building blocks to creating and cultivating an effective team. Based on what effective teamwork looks like to you, you may add to this list, but we’re providing basic strategies to get your team on the same page and moving toward your project goals with ease!
Have clearly defined goals (start with the big picture).
A group of people working together toward a common goal is powerful. Your projects should have an end goal, and that end goal should fit neatly into the bigger picture for your business. When a project has been clearly defined, everyone involved knows that their work makes a difference, not only to the project, but for the bottom line of the company.
Humans want to be a part of something bigger than themselves. When they know that their role is contributing to the greater good of the organization, they’re more likely to be motivated (and stay motivated) to work hard and enjoy what they do. They have a purpose!
Assign clear roles and responsibilities.
After the goals of a project have been defined and communicated, it’s time to assign clear roles and responsibilities to the project members. In encouraging effective teamwork, establishing expectations is critical. And bonus, this helps with team morale as well. When employees know what’s expected of them, they can meet those expectations and beyond!
Have an effective project management system.
When it comes to project management software, we believe that simple is best. That’s the foundation and philosophy of Hello Ivy. When deciding on a project management tool for your organization, we believe it should be:
● Simple and visually pleasing.
● Allow for easy communication and team collaboration in real time.
● Be user-friendly.
● Workflows that make sense (and have as few as possible clicks to get to your goal).
● Have effective and helpful integrations.
● Save you time, not waste more of it.
One thing is for sure though … having a project management system is necessary in order for a team to work efficiently and effectively.
Prioritize communication and team collaboration.
Effective communication results in effective teamwork. What are some ways to promote team collaboration? Here are few ideas:
● Encourage feedback from all team members (transparency is key)!
● Allow team members to give input and be innovative.
● Let’s revisit “assigning clear roles and responsibilities.” When everyone knows what role they play, accountability becomes easier. When communication is upfront, it eliminates setbacks down the road.
● Implement team building activities! You don’t have to be all business … have some fun and boost morale!
● Streamline your collaboration and communication strategy within your project management software. This will help reduce unnecessary meetings and emails.
Create organized and clutter-free work spaces.
We’re not just talking about your desk space. Online project management tools have the tendency to get messy and overcomplicated. That’s why Hello Ivy created a clean, simple, and decluttered interface. We’re giving you a head start on creating a simple workspace and eliminating overwhelm. But here are some bonus tips on ways to ensure a simple work space:
● Utilize the overview feature to communicate clear project objectives, milestones, and goals.
● Look for opportunities to create templates for repetitive and recurring projects and tasks.
● Utilize subtasks in order to reduce the need for excess tasks within a project.
● Streamline your task management by always assigning due dates and a person to each task (and even subtask if necessary).
● And again, communicate within your project management system to eliminate the need for meetings and emails.
Create standard operating procedures
Having procedures written out is critical. No process should only live in someone’s head. This is the fastest way to create bottlenecks in your business. Not to mention, when new members join your team, you’ll want them to be able to jump right in with a clear direction and role.
This will only help your team be more effective in the long run.
Celebrate wins!
Don’t forget to celebrate! Whether your team has reached a milestone within a project, someone thinks of a creative “out of the box” idea along the way to the finish line, or the project is complete, celebrating is important! No one wants to work in an environment where hard work goes unnoticed and unappreciated.
Teamwork thrives within a positive and uplifting team culture.
Build a Foundation for Effective Teamwork
This is just the beginning. As you continue to work together as a team to accomplish goals, both big and small, you will refine your systems and become more efficient and effective. Remember that it takes time, trial and error, and a lot of communication in order to create a well-oiled teamwork machine. However, building a strong foundation will only make it easier.
Compare PM tools
Compare PM tools
Compare PM tools