7 Team Management Skills You Can Build with Orangescrum!

Team Management and leadership are fundamental to running a sustainable business. They are required and tested at every level across the organization whether big or small.

Although there is no right or wrong leadership style, there are certain team management attributes that have proven to be successful.

Let us take a look at some of these attributes that have stood the test of time and the rapidly changing business landscape.

What is Team Management?

It is more about accountability than authority.

(Source: workboard.com)

But an overwhelming 90% of the first time leaders fail to understand this.

You might be a star performer, the go-to man for knowledge and expertise, one who always puts in long hours of work – that great! But it is not enough to become a great leader.

Team Management and leadership is all about emotional intelligence than just functional expertise.

It is about influence and impact. Not the authority that comes with the position.

Consider this – you’ve just been promoted to a leadership position which gives the added authority and responsibility over other team members. There will be many young learners and interns working with you.

If they start disobeying or show dissatisfaction, it’s your cue that there is something you aren’t doing right and it is time to change and adjust yourself.

Now why would that happen?

For starters, the team obeys you due to the new found authority and out of choice because they haven’t seen your leadership abilities yet to trust them.

Building trust

It is the stepping stone to how you grow further as an acceptable leader across the board and how you build an environment of team spirit and inspire their confidence in you.

(Source: projectmanager.com)

Do note that you become a leader only when your team is willing to follow you!

Understand fully that team dynamics will change the moment you are in a management role.

And the key to striking the balance between your previous and current self is maintaining transparency and treating your team members with respect.

You do that by ensuring well defined roles and responsibilities of the team across the project.

Tip: Share the project plan with visual Gantt Charts and let them know of the inter-dependencies among each of their tasks. Join them at the hip so they know, no one is alone nor can he do it all alone!

Value Your Team Members

See your team members’ value and not just as resources. Each and every team member brings certain skills and value to the team and the project.

Identify, understand and value them for what they are.

As a team leader, project manager or supervisor, it is your key responsibility to appoint the right person for the right tasks.

Successful leaders have the uncanny ability to spot the right skill in their team and help them deliver & excel in the tasks assigned to them.

Also, this is one of the per-requisite to keep your projects on track and deliver them on time.

When you have confidence in your team’s ability, you secure the project execution and the deadlines. Your project estimation improves over time and so do your profits.

Tip: With better estimated vs spent hours visibility, you ensure optimal resource utilization and resource workloads too! A.k.a. Happy team members!

Impact Through Influence

These are 3 golden words to be followed at all times if you really want to be a successful leader and a leader of choice.

Remember the saying – “You can take a horse to the lake but can’t make it drink!” You can have all the authority you need, but you won’t get things done if people aren’t motivated.

One has to have a positive influence on the team to lead them to successful deliveries and accomplish project goals.

You can influence positively only when you listen, understand and help the team to arrive at logical conclusions. Just handing over a solution will not cut it.

For the simple reason that, you did not trust them enough or accord enough importance to listen to their points.

Patience and transparency are crucial in conflict resolution as well as enabling teams to fight and win their own battles.

Tip: Conduct efficient project status review meetings with interactive Kanban. Give the team a forum to voice out their issues and resolve them with absolute transparency.

Be a Servant Leader!

Agile Project Management Methodology has a very high focus on people and their leadership style.

(Source: tech.domain.com.au)

Being a Servant Leader is critical to fulfilling your role as a Scrum Master!

Servant Leaders motivate, inspire, coach and help the teams pave their way to success. They are there to ensure the team understands their problems, mentor them to help reach the best solution, implement them and excel.

They do not tell them what to do! They coach and mentor.

Tip: Well-defined project overview dashboard shows the team their true performance. What has been achieved, what they could have achieved and why they did not is there to see for all!

Take Ownership!

As a leader, your team’s success is theirs and their failure is that of your own!

Never throw them under the bus or be the one with all authority but no accountability.

By owning up to the team’s failure, you demonstrate that you are there for them when the tide isn’t favorable.

The teams are further motivated to stay on top of things and ensure they do not fail you!

Which also means greater project success rate, quality deliverables and a sense of ownership towards the project and your customer’s desired outcomes.

Tip: Insightful executive dashboard and reporting helps you present the true state of affairs to your customers, PMO and management. Highlight risks and issues that need their immediate focus and take full ownership of the project status.

Offer Clarity & Transparency

As project leaders, your top most priority is to ensure the team understands the project goals and the project scope.

Provide the team with a platform where all pertinent information about the project is readily available at all times.

Be it the task due dates, the assignee, who is doing what, visibility to the overall project schedule, timelines involved and access to the relevant project documents.

Help the team be efficient with the desired

Tip: Custom Task status workflows, subtasks, task types & labels, task linking and reminders do it for you! The team has a logical flow of tasks from start to finish, added categorization of the tasks at hand, a robust task breakdown structure and reminders to ensure nothing ever falls through the cracks. Anything else?

Collaborate. Collaborate. Collaborate.

A robust online project collaboration platform is your best friend when it comes to leading large complex projects.

We live in a digital world and in a highly dispersed era.

Secondly, we are a highly impatient species and want everything at the tip of a thumb. And our customers are no different.

Hence, real time collaboration is a must. It helps the team in quicker issue resolution, get answers at a lightning speed, prevent delays and deliver even faster.

Tip: Real time alerts, email notifications, daily catch-up, native mobile app and in-app chat make for a powerhouse collaboration club. Deploy all of them to take control and stay in charge of your projects.

In case you didn’t notice!

Orangescrum Open Source Enterprise edition is your one stop shop for all your task management and enterprise collaboration needs.

An online and on premise open source project management software that saves your time and money with all the tools you need to run your projects successfully.

You are a product development team, a creative agency or an IT Enterprise – Orangescrum Enterprise Task Management software is the preferred solution for your project management, time management and resource management challenges.

10 Best Practices to Effectively Manage Project Teams

Managing a project team effectively is crucial for the success of any project. A well-managed team can deliver high-quality results on time and within budget.

Here are 10 best practices to help you manage your project teams more effectively:

1. Define Clear Goals and Objectives

• Set SMART Goals: Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound goals provide a clear direction and benchmarks for the team. Clearly defined goals help team members understand their roles and responsibilities within the project.
• Communicate Objectives: Regularly communicate the project objectives to the team to ensure everyone is aligned and understands the end goals. This helps in maintaining focus and motivation throughout the project.

2. Foster Open Communication

• Create a Communication Plan: Establish clear communication channels and protocols. Regular meetings, status updates, and an open-door policy encourage transparency and timely information sharing.
• Use Collaboration Tools: Utilize project management and collaboration tools like Slack, Microsoft Teams, or Trello to facilitate seamless communication and collaboration among team members.

3. Build a Strong Team Culture

• Encourage Team Bonding: Organize team-building activities to build trust and camaraderie among team members. A strong team culture promotes collaboration and reduces conflicts.
• Recognize and Reward Achievements: Acknowledge and celebrate the achievements and milestones of the team. Recognition boosts morale and motivates team members to perform at their best.

4. Assign Roles and Responsibilities Clearly

• Define Roles and Responsibilities: Clearly outline each team member’s role and responsibilities within the project. This clarity prevents overlaps and gaps in tasks, ensuring accountability.
• Match Skills to Tasks: Assign tasks based on the strengths and skills of team members. When people work on tasks that align with their expertise, productivity and job satisfaction increase.

5. Set Realistic Deadlines

• Plan Effectively: Break down the project into manageable tasks and set realistic deadlines for each. Consider the availability and capacity of team members when planning timelines.
• Monitor Progress: Regularly review the progress of tasks against the deadlines. This allows you to identify potential delays early and take corrective actions to keep the project on track.

6. Encourage Feedback and Continuous Improvement

• Foster a Feedback Culture: Encourage team members to provide feedback on processes, tools, and team dynamics. Constructive feedback helps in identifying areas for improvement.
• Conduct Retrospectives: Regularly hold retrospective meetings to reflect on what went well, what didn’t, and how processes can be improved. Continuous improvement leads to more efficient project execution.

7. Manage Conflict Effectively

• Address Conflicts Early: Don’t ignore conflicts. Address them promptly and fairly to prevent them from escalating. Create a safe environment where team members feel comfortable voicing their concerns.
• Promote Collaboration: Encourage team members to collaborate and find mutually agreeable solutions. Effective conflict resolution strengthens team relationships and fosters a collaborative work environment.

8. Provide Training and Development Opportunities

• Identify Training Needs: Assess the skills and competencies of your team and identify any gaps. Provide training and development opportunities to enhance their skills.
• Encourage Continuous Learning: Promote a culture of continuous learning and development. When team members improve their skills, they contribute more effectively to the project.

9. Monitor and Manage Workload

• Track Workload: Use project management tools to monitor the workload of each team member. Ensure that tasks are evenly distributed and no one is overburdened.
• Adjust as Needed: Be flexible and ready to reassign tasks or adjust timelines if necessary. A balanced workload prevents burnout and maintains productivity.

10. Lead by Example

• Demonstrate Leadership: Show commitment, integrity, and a strong work ethic. Your behavior sets the standard for the team.
• Be Accessible and Supportive: Make yourself available to support your team. Provide guidance, resources, and encouragement to help them overcome challenges and achieve their goals.

Plan. Manage. Execute and Win with Orangescrum Enterprise!

Let us know of any other project management needs in the comments below or just Contact Us!