As a manager, when your team isn’t completing as much work as they should be and you’re feeling the pressure from those higher up, it can be difficult to know what to do. The whole team is stressed and productivity is taking a huge drop. When this happens it’s time to take a step back and assess where the issue lies. Here’s how to increase the productivity of your IT team.
Have clear goals and roles
At the start of every project have a meeting with everyone involved. Explain the vision and the end goal. Then break down each stage, activity and task. Giving background information can also help to create a more engaged team.
Make sure everyone knows their role and what part they will play in the completion of the entire project. Having everyone working towards a common goal can help to increase productivity alone.
Have meaningful perks
Perks and benefits can increase productivity if they are implemented in an effective manner. Think about what your team can actually use to make things easier. If your team is in the office late into the night, offering things like a laundry service will save them time while their off.
Provide tools and resources that promote efficiency
It’s often said that an IT team is only as effective as the systems and resources they use day-to-day. Investing in the proper tools will help ensure your team can collaborate and work as efficiently as possible. Technology that allows for communication and visibility across departments and office locations can help increase accountability and productivity.
Cloud document management systems are great for sharing project status and information updates as well as allowing users to sync important work files so they can access them from anywhere at anytime.
Hold regular team meetings
While you should hold regular meetings, you must ensure that each meeting has a purpose and isn’t wasting any time. Ensure that only those who are directly involved are in the meeting. The meeting should have a clear goal and it should finish with everyone knowing what the next steps are.
Make sure you use this time to ask important questions and encourage anyone to voice any concerns or issues. Be careful not to fall into the trap of excessive or unnecessary meetings. Schedule meetings in advance and make sure everyone confirms they can attend.
Provide real time feedback
Productivity should be encouraged by publicly recognising achievements and accomplishments. Your team is much more likely to strive to get work done if it’s acknowledged in real time. On the other hand, if there’s issues or part of the team is lagging, take them aside and address the problems privately and as soon as possible.
Real time feedback allows your team to take ownership of their work, empowering them to take action when needed while also building trust. Your team will know where they stand and how they’re progressing at all times.
Offer career development opportunities
As a way of rewarding those doing a good job, give employees a chance to take on more responsibilities or a new challenge. If your team isn’t extremely busy, you can offer training opportunities in the form of online courses. Not only does this help the professional development of the individual, but it shows the entire team that hard work is rewarded by meaningful advancement opportunities.
When your team’s productivity takes a hit, it can result in a stressful period where your staff’s emotional well-being suffers and in turn they become even less productive. However, setting clear goals, having open communication, the right tools and meaningful perks can help you get the most out of your IT team.
