Are You Coordinating Your Teams In The Most Effective Way?

The COVID-19 worldwide pandemic has greatly changed the way we work. Before the start of the pandemic, approximately 20% of employees worked from home. According to a Pew Research study, the number of employees working from home rose to 71% in 2020 due to the pandemic. While some companies prepared ahead of time for this change, many companies did not. There was a scramble to provide the technology for employees and teams to perform their jobs efficiently. Now, in 2021, well over a year into the pandemic, most of these remote workers have not returned to the office. While some companies plan to reopen and bring their primary workforce back to the office, many will keep employees working remotely. This shift continues to impact the future of work and how teams collaborate to manage projects. With these challenges, how are Project Managers coordinating their teams in the most effective way?  

The New Way Of Working

With the new way of working remotely, small businesses, in particular, are faced with new challenges. As a business owner, you may have had to make adjustments in order to keep everyone on track with coordinating projects and the usual tasks. Your remote workers may have had to learn new skills in technology and the use of project management software to collaborate with their teams. Gone are the days of having an impromptu meeting amongst the cubicles. Instead, we hop on a Zoom call for real-time discussions. Even still, Zoom meetings must be scheduled. With everyone working remotely, sometimes multiple Zoom calls in one day can lead to a lack of availability, so not all team members can attend. 

According to a recent Asana study, workers spend 60% of their time on work coordination rather than the jobs companies hired them to do! The study also found that employees missed over one-quarter of their deadlines each week. Each week, teams are spending 30% more time on duplicate work, as well. Add to those statistics a rise in workload and unnecessary meetings each week, and it’s no wonder that burnout is on the rise. 

One thing we learned is that everyone must become more flexible when working remotely. While businesses closed and people were sent home to work, the same happened with schools. Suddenly parents had to learn how to manage work while caring for young children and assisting them with online school. Flexible work hours allowed parents to work in shifts they might not have worked in the office. While you may still prefer to work the 9:00 to 5:00 workday, some may start work later in the morning and into the evening to accommodate their family’s schedule. Or perhaps they preferred to start work earlier in the morning and devote the afternoons to their family’s needs. This results in even more of a challenge to schedule Zoom meetings or coordinate project work in general. 

I understand these challenges your small business is facing with working virtually. As an Online Business Manager, I also manage teams remotely. I understand the communication needs and the use of new technology needed to coordinate teams effectively. 

Coordinating Your Teams Effectively 

With all of these changes, Project Managers face the challenge of coordinating everyone’s work efficiently. Teams no longer have to sit together in a conference room to collaborate on projects. These are just a few examples of project management software that Project Managers can use to coordinate their teams effectively.

• monday.com is one of the top software programs that allows teams to plan and execute projects while delivering the results on time. You can easily onboard new team members, customize workflows, and assign tasks to each team member. Everyone can work independently while tracking each other’s work.
• Asana allows you to see and track work from every angle. You can get real-time insight into your team’s work and gauge their progress. It integrates with over one hundred other programs, such as Google apps, Dropbox, Slack, and many more. 
• Trello uses lists and cards to organize work on a board. You can assign tasks, use productivity metrics and timelines, calendar, and more. You can also integrate your other programs and apps for easy access to your files and email.
• ClickUp allows you to automatically import files from your other productivity apps and keep them all together in one place. It allows your teams to see what everyone is doing so everyone knows what to do next. It’s customizable so each team member can work together and also work in their own space.

While these tools and software allow your teams to work together efficiently, it’s important to find ways to have fun and keep the teamwork initiative. When working remotely, it’s easy to feel lonely and isolated, which leads to boredom. Teams that get along usually work well together. Try to check in and “chat” with each other daily. Ask each other about your families and weekend plans like you would if you were face-to-face in the office. The more normalcy you keep while working remotely, the more at home everyone will truly feel.

How have your teams adapted to the new way of working remotely?