George LewisProgram/Project Manager| DXC Technology CompanyHeredia, Costa Rica
How to solve communication problems with your Internal Team? Saving Changes...
Edward DanielsProject Manager| IndependentGlen Burnie, Md, United States
Hi George,
Is there a particular scenario, you can share?
Your internal team should cover your 6 at all times but in the past, i have had issues with team members who thought i was too young, inexperienced or just plain incompetent to lead a team they are assigned. They made completing tasks and reporting difficult. I learnt to remain professional at all times, assigingn tasks and deadlines to everyone as stated in our project management plan. I have dealt with those folks by letting their tasks fail.
As a PM, we coordinate activities and if someone on my team takes it on himself/herself to not adhere to the organization's project management initiatives, i let them explain their actions or inaction to senior management. My job is to coordinate activities and if they refuse to communicate issues they are having with me, it is on them.
Communication is not a one-way street, if they don't understand their assignments, they need to ping the PM and ask for clarification. If they are not going to meet a deadline, they should give a heads up as soon as possible so the PM can find a solution. We all have a role to play and no one works for free. Since you and I have no power to fire without just cause. I guess we will just have to wait for the JUST CAUSE. Saving Changes...
Ed Tsyitee JrConsultant | Consultant Tucson, Az, United States
One of the best ways to handle this is to establish a communication platform/foundation from the get go. We all know the communication model formula, so be sure to utilize that to determine how many communication channels are needed.
Most of the communication problems stem from misunderstanding and misinterpretation, so allow time for clarification and feedback. If the problem still persists, maybe it's a team member that needs to be removed. Saving Changes...
Deepesh RammoorthyICT Project Manager ( PMP®AgilePM®Certified ScrumMaster® (CSM®))| Australian Red Cross Blood ServiceTarneit, Vic, Australia
Encourage participation from all team members during team meetings . Create templates for reporting that are easy to understand and everyone can follow the same template to give you their status reports.
If there is a team member that is lagging behind in their task, it's best to have a one on one with them and try and understand if they have any issues or require additional training or assistance.
Make use of daily upstanding if the team is collocated. Short and sharp. What did I do yesterday? what were my issues ? what am i working on ? When will i finish this current task?
always recognize good efforts of a team or it's members during a team meeting and provide some words of encouragement to everyone in closing every team meeting Saving Changes...
Prashant SonwaneSr. Program Manager| Winjit Technologies Pvt LtdNashik, Maharashtra, India
Actually active communication between team should be innate but if the team doesn't know the value of communication then may be in their KRA we could add a rating for "Effective Internal Communication". Ultimately these rating should be aligned with their Performance matrix and appraisals. Saving Changes...
I love what Edward says "your team should have your 6 at all times" in other words, have your back. I agree and say that in order for them to have your back, you have to have theirs. Your #1 job as a team lead is to act as your teams shield. You don't ever throw them under the bus, and they should treat you the same. Building this trust is one of many ways to help keep the wheels of communication lubricated and open. Saving Changes...
Few ways by which team will start working closely and will reduce communication issues ultimately are-
1. Promote pair programming
2. QA performing testing on development environment - this will improve quality of work and communication
3. Conduct peer reviews - code reviews and test cases reviews
4. Cross functional reviews
5. Retrospective sessions Saving Changes...
SUNNY HELWANDEBUSINESS LEAD| ExxonMobil Services Private LimitedDombivli, Maharashtra, India
Different methodologies need to be incorportated to come out of communication problem within team. Some of them can be as below.
1. Regular team building activities
2. Having regular informal communication within your team.
3. Actively listening to your team members concerns, opinions and suggestions.
4. Encouraging them to participate in decision making process..
And so on..
Goal is building a feeling of team spirit and common objevtive of attainment of progrect success in your team Saving Changes...
Lots of methods are there to communicate with your internal team. 1. Communication with your team regularly. 2. Listen to your team members. 3. Ask your doubts as without any hesitation. 4. Motivate yourself that I can do it. Make a goal and achieve it with your hardwork. Regards, Saving Changes...
Sometimes it happens when you didn't correctly communicate with your internal team. But these strategies are very useful if you will try. Thanks for discussing these types of issues. Saving Changes...
