"This is a waste of time!"

 

Over the years I can't even count the number of times I've either said that, overheard that or had it said to me. Sometimes, what we were doing really was a waste of time. Other times, because of my lack of perspective, what I thought was a waste of time really had value. Most people, whether they are able to clearly articulate it or not, want to add maximum value to whatever they are doing. I think most of us would agree that those days when we go home and feel like we've accomplished something worthwhile are very satisfying. I like what I do, and those days when I really feel like I'm making a contribution to something worthwhile and not wasting my time are very rewarding.

I don't think I'm that unique. In fact, I believe that most of the time the members of project teams feel the same way. How often have you heard, "I hate wasting time on this," or "This is a waste of time," or "I don't feel like I've contributed anything worthwhile today"?

Regardless of how you manage projects or the project management tools you use, if we can better align people to the right work at the right time, we can help people enjoy their jobs, gain satisfaction from whatever they're doing and allow them to feel like they are really contributing to something bigger than themselves. What's more, that kind of environment fosters a culture of productivity, innovation and profitability of our organizations.

I'm not a fan of wasting time and I don't know too many people who are. The world talks a lot about conserving our natural resources, but we seldom talk about how organizations waste their most precious resource—their people. Here are six tips to help you avoid wasting team members:

1. Make sure everyone has a clear understanding of what they should be doing: I know this sounds simple, but sometimes it’s easier said than done. When people have to spend time figuring out what they should be doing, people are wasted.
2. Don’t make it difficult for people to find documents or other project resources: When people have to hunt for the document or other project asset they should be working on, people are wasted.
3. Don’t make it difficult for managers to see what their people are doing: When team leaders and managers have to spend time trying to figure out what their people are doing, people are wasted.
4. Don’t spend entire days in meetings simply talking about work: If all you do is talk about work and never get around to doing the work, people are wasted.
5. Keep people focused on those initiatives that provide the most business value: When people spend time working on initiatives that don’t provide the most value to the organization, people are wasted.
6. Streamline repetitive processes: When people spend time in repetitive process that could be streamlined or automated, people are wasted.

Project and work management practices or tools that don't help avoid these wasteful behaviors make it difficult to maximize the value people. As project leaders, we should be looking at the processes and methods we use to manage work to see if we are contributing to frustration and waste or encouraging efficiency and empowering team members.

What are you doing to reduce waste?