Project World - page 12
The need to coordinate efforts of several employees or even of several teams sometimes makes us face the problem that organizational issues can take time. It would be great to reduce this time and put it to work. What can be done here? How to manage your employees effectively? This can be done if all your team players have enough information – what they are all currently doing, what they have already completed, or what they are going to do. In a modern world, information is king. It rules the world. And it rules your business.
The social web is far from a new concept. Even before social networks such as Facebook and Twitter made social popular to the mainstream, the knowledge management community have been utilising discussion forums and wikis within organisations for many years.
Whether your company provides services or manufactures goods, it still needs to communicate with other companies. This is two-way communication – you sell something and you buy something. In today’s topic, let’s leave aside the process of selling your goods and services to the customers and focus on the purchases by your company. And, as always, I’m going to review the invoice approval workflow using a real-life example.
When budgeting for household expenses, I make sure to allocate an amount for unexpected expenses – school projects, allergy medication and leaking roof, among others. If a high-ticket purchase needs to be accommodated, the husband and I sit down to talk about it.
Managers often have a complicated role. They’re in charge of both the big picture and the little details. Staying on top of everything is a big part of the job. Whether complicated or simple, project tracking requires the ability to see the forest as well as the trees. And staying informed is essential to having the right information when it’s needed.
Have you ever heard of the extreme collaboration (XC) concept? I am so ashamed that I actually learned about this only a few months ago. The concept itself was presented and successfully works since 2001.
Your project has its own goal and consists mainly of daily routine tasks. How do you coordinate your team effort efficiently to deliver a result? Probably, you start with any project management tool to set milestones. After that, you still have to distribute tasks manually. Can this be optimized as well?
Have you ever wished for the benefits of social media in an online collaboration tool? In today’s modern workforce, online networking is very common. People from all over the world stay connected through social media. Imagine increasing team efficiency by bringing the power of this tool to the workplace.
Motivating employees is the most important ability of any successful manager today. In several business areas (software development, for example) competition for experienced employees is very hot. And you cannot actually lure an experienced software developer to your company by only using traditional motivational methods such as a high salary, medical insurance, free lunches, etc.
Perfect planning? A worthy goal! As a manager, you know that planning is key. But even with the most perfect plan in place, work practices often need to change. Workflow change management is part of the job. How do you stay flexible and responsive to change without slowing down the work at hand?