4 Ways to Work Together on Projects

Thu Jan 26, 2012, 2:00 am | Leave Comment

As a project manager, one of your responsibilities is to inspire your team to collaborate on the project at hand by working together so you can deliver the project successfully, on time and within the allocated budget. Don’t let any of your team members rot in their cubicles. They must all be an integral part of the team. Everyone must know what others’ responsibilities are and what their progress so far has been.

Follow the old saying no man is an island. As a project manager, you must be able to have a cohesive team. It’s best for them to work together to achieve the common goal. Following are 4 ways to be successful in working together on your project:

1. Common Purpose

   Before you start working on the project, set the direction for it and put it in writing. That becomes your Project Charter which describes the scope of the project, the goals to be met and the time-frames for delivery. According to Wikipedia: “the Project Scope is the work that needs to be accomplished to deliver a product, service, or result with the specified features and functions.”

   Present your Project Charter to your team during the first meeting when you get together. Describe what has to be delivered and by when. Make sure everyone is on the same page. Remember, collaboration is nothing else but to bring your team members together so they can work on their common goal. If you are successful in this endeavor so far, then consider yourself to be on the right track.

2. Work Together in Pairs

   The next step is to write your Project Plan. You may assign multiple people to the same tasks where appropriate, pairing them up to work together. That way, your team has nowhere to go but to work together on common tasks. It will help them to overcome communication difficulties.

   You must make sure that your team members only work on tasks that are a part of the project plan. You must not let your team work in fragments with different directions appearing all over the place. All members must move forward in the same direction.

3. Right Tools

   Give your team incentive to work together by giving them a tool-set that allows them to:

   • Store all project files online in one place so everyone in the team has access to them.
   • When you have files in one place, it lets them see each others’ activity so they know what’s happening.
   • View tasks, calendars and plans online and all in one place.
   • Use chat rooms, email and other ways to message one-another when the team members need to.
   • Have frequently held meetings to discuss project tasks, issues and time-frames.

4. Promote Collaboration

   With the tool-set provided for the project, you also need to promote collaboration within your team personally. You may reward and recognize great collaboration behavior when you see it. If you see team members communicating effectively online, then reward them for it and do it in front of the team.

In a Nutshell
By giving your team a solid direction, the right tools at their disposal and reinforcing great behavior, you can take a disorganized group of individuals who may have always worked separately on projects and turn them into the high performing team that you have always desired. Be proud of what you have accomplished.

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