Project Management Tips for Teams

Managing a team can be challenging. Making sure everything goes smoothly takes a lot of planning and supervising. This article offers some tips that will help.

Think about your last experience managing a team. Was it a pleasant one? It’s always challenging to figure out how to interact with team members and make sure they stay motivated. In order to be productive and effective, a team must keep an open line of communication and set clear common goals. Managing a project together can lead to tension and conflict between team members. Learning how to solve conflict when it arises and cooperate successfully will save all team members a lot of frustration.

When starting a new project, managers must choose team members carefully. Focus on driven and motivated individuals that have the ability to work well in a team environment. However, even if the selection process goes smoothly, you can never make sure that there won’t be any bumps down the road. Ego clashes, lack of communication and conflict can affect the team’s ability to function well. We have some tips on how you can avoid these dreadful situations, below.

Communicate

Keeping an open line of communication between team members will ensure they will deliver timely results. Create an environment where they can share information and ask questions if something is unclear. Make sure everyone knows their responsibilities. Clearly define roles and try to keep them from overlapping. Offer feedback, support and guidance when necessary.

Set clear goals and milestones

Consider breaking the project up into milestones. Set deadlines for every task, after consulting with the team. Team members will be able to manage their time more effectively this way. Hold them accountable when they don’t finish tasks on time.

Avoid risk

Make a project risk assessment plan before starting. Knowing possible issues that could occur and how to deal with them will save you a lot of stress. Consider what you would do in case an important team member suddenly becomes unavailable. Think about a plan in case any equipment you need breaks down.

Resolve conflict

Conflict is pretty much inevitable when you work with others. Ignoring a tense situation will only make it worse. Do your best to understand and appreciate the various viewpoints involved in the conflict. Negotiation and compromise can resolve tough situations, but reaching an agreement will take patience and respect.

Hold regular meetings

Regular meeting are necessary to track the team’s results. Always have an agenda and stay on track, so that the meeting doesn’t seem dull and never-ending. You can distribute information and solicit feedback in only a few minutes. Keep it short and informative. Encourage team members to speak up during these meetings in case there are any problems or misunderstandings.

Figuring out how to effectively manage a team will take time and observation. Don’t worry if you don’t have it all figured out right away. Good luck!

Theresa is a guitar player from Michigan. She started her own band a couple of years ago and regularly plays clubs from all across the state. Writing is her second biggest passion after music.