The Three Keys to Increased Team Participation and Work Management Success

 

Technology doesn't drive project success, people do.  In fact, enterprise work management success is all about people.  Regardless of the project management software, technology tends to treat people more like raw materials managers can push around a time-line like pawns on a chess board.  Don't get me wrong, I'm a firm believer in project software—I'm just suggesting that it's people that are actually responsible for getting things done.  The software doesn't write any code, manufacture any product, or create anything new—people do.  Which is why project management tools or any management approach that doesn't effectively engage the workforce in the project management process ultimately falls short.

However, understanding this only takes us part of the way there.  What are the drivers to increased participation among project team members?

1. Recognition: People take pride in their work and they care about what their superiors and peers think of them and their accomplishments.  Organizations that facilitate the recognition of individual team member accomplishments and contributions foster an environment where team members are more inclined to participate and provide the information needed by executives to make informed decisions.
2. Respect: People want empowerment, with ownership and flexibility regarding their deliverables and deadlines.  Enabling team members to contribute to the establishment of benchmarks and time-lines creates a greater sense of responsibility among team members.
3. Trust: People need to trust that the information being reported is accurate and timely.  Business leaders who leverage solutions that facilitate a free flow of information from the executive level to the project team level and back again, are able to see corporate objectives become the goals of management and the deliverables of project teams; in addition to capturing the accurate and timely information they need to make well-informed decisions.

In a nutshell, engaging project teams isn't rocket science.  Recognition for accomplishment, respecting what team members do to contribute to project success, and providing trustworthy information throughout all levels of the organization just makes sense.  Organizations who take that approach, and tools that facilitate that level of social interaction will be the best practice model of the future.

What are you doing to engage your project teams in the process?