Teams need to be as efficient as possible for businesses to be able to excel. When teams are able to meet deadlines and surpass quotas, this allows for better customer relations as well as the ability to expand operations.
The majority of time lost among teams has to do with management not providing all of the productivity boosting essentials for their team. Through the use of several “tweaks”, it will be possible to turn an otherwise lacking team into one that is reliable and dependable.
#1. Designate a Team Leader
A team leader will be responsible for connecting team concerns with management. When a problem arises, the team leader will assess all avenues of remediation and consult with management to discuss the final solution. The goal of a team leader is to provide an avenue of communication that will be relied upon all throughout a project. Instead of multiple parties expressing their concerns, one member will take on the responsibility so that less productivity time is wasted. A senior employee or the team member with the most experience in management will be able to fit the role of a leader best.
#2. Provide Incentives
All too often incentives are left solely to upper management. The same productivity incentives that are given to managers and executives will be able to boost a team’s productivity greatly. This can be something as small as a company dinner for reaching a goal or a bonus at the end of the quarter. In either scenario, incentives will provide a goal that every employee wants to achieve.
Not only will this provide a sense of personal achievement, but it will be a milestone that any team will work towards. With just a little incentive, it is possible to entice every employee to do their utmost when trying to accomplish a task. A few popular incentives are:
- Gift cards
- Bonuses
- An extended lunch hour
- Free breakfast or lunch
#3. Boost Productivity with Software
Through the use of collaboration software it is possible to connect teams together that are thousands of miles apart. When team members are scattered around the world or are simply working from home, collaboration software can boost productivity by providing an office environment. This software will be able to provide:
- Video Chat: Instantly chat and connect with other members of a team face-to-face. Discuss current conflicts with a project or simply provide an overview to other members of the team.
- Document Sharing: Share documents among team members so that every member is up-to-date on current milestones. With document syncing, any updated documents can be provided to team members automatically.
- Real-time Chat: Discuss projects with all team members in a virtual chat room environment.
- Faxing: Document faxing will allow team members to send important copies to each other or clients with the click of a button.
Collaboration software ensures that with a click of a button, teams are connected regardless of their location. Through the use of these virtual environments, it is possible to produce the work environment needed to boost productivity.
#4. Invest in Newer Technology
Automation can change an under-performing team into one that is able to accomplish any task with ease. With newer technology being produced daily, it is essential to know what time-wasting tasks are able to be automated so that team members are able to focus on what is most important – deadlines. This technology will differ greatly from one operation to the next, but a full audit can be utilized to determine what is able to alleviate some of the tasks that employees do every day.
The following are always ripe with new, automated technology:
- Accounting and Organization: Many accounting or organizational tasks can be automated. Whether this be done by connecting software with invoices or using CRM software to increase productivity.
- Computer: Software updates or new software may remove time-wasting functions. Consulting with manufacturer to determine the best products to utilize is always a wise choice.
- Cloud Technologies: Some of the internal operations can now be offloaded to the cloud. This can alleviate networking, management and maintenance tasks for servers and software.
#5. Productivity Through Organization
Organization is always the key to productivity. A team that is organized will be able to perform their duties in a manner that is concise and structured. Every project should be started with an organized schedule put in place. Organization will need to include:
- Budget: The determination of a budget so that more team members can be added if needed or new equipment can be purchased.
- Time-frame: This will be a general time-frame that is needed to accomplish team objectives. This will include milestones, goals and mini-goals to track progress.
- Assignments: A team is only as productive as its members. Assigning certain members to their respective tasks will ensure members know what they are responsible for achieving.
Team productivity will always be able to be a little more efficient. Whether this be through new technology, better organization or collaboration tools, the team that is most efficient has everything at their disposal to accomplish their tasks. Through internal audits, it will be possible to boost productivity and profits.
Images: ”Creative sign with the message – Productivity / Shutterstock.com“
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