Project managers are concerned about their employees' productivity. You probably would like to improve your team's efficiency and productivity no matter how long you've been managing projects. We all want to satisfy results for our clients, and we want each member of our team to reach their full potential.
Productivity refers to how efficiently a team operates and is a standard indicator of how well, we're performing in each of those areas. In leadership, productivity rises when you improve as an individual first.
We'll look at these strategic strategies to assist your team be more productive at work, followed by seven easy but effective ways to boost your own workplace productivity.
Increasing Team Productivity
Set Realistic Goals
This is something we can't stress enough. You, your team, and your entire company all require clear and realistic objectives. According to one Project Management Institute report, a lack of well-defined goals and measures is a major cause to project failure, accounting for 37 percent of unsuccessful projects.
Good goals are realistic, measurable, and practical. Ask yourself the following questions to see if your goals are good:
- Is it possible to achieve this goal by the time, resources, and project management skills we have now? (Does it make sense?)
- Do we have a clear understanding of what we're being asked to do? (Does this make sense?)
- Are there any concrete indications that we may use to assess our progress toward each goal? (Is it measurable?)
Of course, the goals you set for your team will vary from your own ones. (Do you have some crazy personal goals?) Don't forget to ask your team's feedback on what their goals should be as a group and as individuals during the project plan.
Transform the Motivation Killer
Motivation and productivity are likely the same. The answer is simple: Employees who are motivated are more productive. As a result, you must make your employees stay motivated and avoid "motivation killers" if you want them to be as productive as possible.
After you've recognized the issues, you may begin taking efforts to address them. Can you figure out what's troubling someone and offer help if they're being very negative and bringing their coworkers down? Can you ensure that you correctly acknowledge and reward employees who perform well?
Keep Track of Your Progress
You set key performance indicators (KPIs) in the form of, as you plan your project.
- Budgets
- Project Timelines
- Quality Expectations
You should monitor your KPIs and keep track of project progress on a regular schedule during the course of your project so that you may catch problems early and solve them. Having effective reporting tools improves the accuracy and ease of monitoring greatly. When your KPIs show that the team has met the target, don't forget to celebrate.
Hold Standing Meetings
Avoid meetings that are not necessary. Consider arranging a standing meeting for when you really need to bring a number of people together to talk about something. A standing meeting, sometimes known as a "standup," is simply that: a meeting in which everyone is standing.
A standing meeting has the advantage of reducing time wasting. You're more likely to chit-chat and go off on tangents if everyone is seated around a conference table. Everyone in a standing meeting has the impression that the discussion will be brief (which it is), and they will stick to the topic at hand.
Make your Workplace a Healthy Place to Work
A happy workplace environment boosts productivity in a lot of ways, all of which lead to increased productivity. When your employees are pleased, they are more likely to think creatively, take strategic risks, support one another, and stay organized at work. Clean your office regularly. We suggest that you should call a professional cleaning service to help you clean and sanitize your workplace properly.
Provide the Necessary Tools to Your Staff
Your team members can benefit from having good tools on their behalf, regardless of how happy, committed, or skillful they are. Over the last few years, project management software has advanced significantly, and you should take use of it. Kanban boards and built-in communication capabilities are features of the best project management software that may help you stay organized and increase efficiency.
Share these Ideas with Your Coworkers
Why should you keep useful information to yourself? Share the above productivity tips with your employees to educate them. Maybe have a doodling contest during breaks or see who can go the longest without checking his phone to make your team's productivity at work.
Let's talk about how to be more productive at work as an individual now that you've discovered how to increase the productivity of your team.
Increasing Individual Productivity at Work
Prioritize
People who are good at getting things done usually end up as project managers. Then you get promoted to project manager and are suddenly expected to be achieved more in the same amount of time. What aspects do you consider while deciding which project to take on first? The Eisenhower Matrix is a basic technique for prioritizing.
The Urgent-Important Matrix is a strategy for prioritizing tasks based on their urgency and importance. Tasks are divided into four categories:
- Urgent and important
- Unurgent but important
- Unimportant but urgent
- Unurgent and Unimportant
By developing a simple chart, you may visualize your Eisenhower Matrix. Make the Eisenhower Matrix a part of your daily routine, and commit to using the insights you learn.
Schedule Your Day Strategically
Some people are overflowing with enthusiasm when they walk into the office, while others require an hour and a cup of coffee to properly activate their minds. Make a note of when you're most effective at work, and plan your most difficult tasks around those times.
If you always have a post-lunch slump, use that time to check emails or visit a coworker's office (just make sure you don't interrupt her most productive period in the process!)
Delegate
Realizing that you can't do it all is one of the most difficult aspects of project management. You might have been promoted to project manager because you're a great at getting things done.
That is fantastic! But now you're in charge of a lot more stuff. If you have a pile of work, determine which ones must be handled by you and which ones can be delegated.
Avoid Distractions
We live in a world full of distractions, and whether we recognize it or not, those distractions are draining us of our productivity. So, turn off your email notifications, put your phone on silent mode, and put a “do not disturb” sign on your door.
If you can't concentrate in your own office, schedule time elsewhere each day, whether it's a nearby coffee shop or an unused conference room.
Avoid Multitasking
Multitasking is a hoax. Multitasking is essentially moving quickly between tasks, according to scientific studies, and each switch costs us time and energy. So, rather than completing two (or more) things at once, use task management to target your to-do list one task at a time and don't proceed on until each one is finished.
Take Breaks
While it may appear that taking breaks is counterproductive, studies have shown that taking breaks can increase performance. Breaks are also beneficial to your physical and emotional health, and can help you re-energize for the next task.
It's important not to interrupt yourself when you're in a state of 'flow,' which is a condition of effortless productivity. Otherwise, take a walk, grab a cup of coffee, and water your workplace plants, this can make you refresh your energy.
Even if you only use a few of these strategies, as long as you use the them into your daily routine, you'll see a huge increase in work productivity.
