How to Implement and Maintain Effective Collaboration in Project Teams

When completing project-based work , especially for clients, being able to collaborate is an unparalleled strength that should be utilized when possible. Everybody has their own expertise to bring to the table, and any workplace project involving being able to successfully work together, communicate, share knowledge, and work together will allow for a more cohesive, and professional outcome.

Mitel’s Workplace Productivity and Communications Technology Report 2017 states that “employees spend over two-thirds of their time connecting and collaborating.” This shows how important collaboration and effective communication are in the workplace, even more so in a project environment.

Without collaboration, the effective completion of a project is impossible. However, collaboration is something that needs to be consciously implemented and maintained to ensure that everybody performs to their potential and the best outcome is achieved.

Most workplace projects are carried out by a combination of people with different skills coming together to work towards a goal, and a lack of collaboration between these people can lead to the failure of the project.

Ensuring that all of the team members are able to collaborate successfully is an important part of any workplace project.

Several strategies can be combined to aid collaboration in a workplace project situation, and by implementing some or all of these strategies, project managers can help to ensure the success of their workplace project.

Collaboration Tools

Before you think about anything else, it’s important that you have the best tools at hand to run the project. This facilitates the whole project and enables those who are involved to effectively contribute, plan, communicate, and deliver their goals and targets.

Software can be used to enable workers to work collaboratively from remote locations. Being able to share files, updates, and other information is essential, but there are other benefits to a project that can be gained through specialist collaboration tools .

According to leading infrastructure and cloud enablement company, Creative ITC , a collaboration platform can:

With cloud-based collaboration tools, you can allow remote workers to access systems and even contributors from other companies if necessary.

Businesses that run successful projects are keen to emphasize that a lot of this success is due to having the best project collaboration tools such as shared platforms .

Communication with the Project Team

Ensuring that you have good communication between the project team members that are taking part in the project is also key to creating an environment of good collaboration – and, consequently, the success of the project.

There are many ways that communication can be enhanced between project managers and their team, and between the separate members of the project team. In fact, there are a number of different perspectives that should be considered when you are managing a project:

There are some considerations that you should think about when you communicate with your project team:

Boost Team Performance with Transparency

When it comes to collaboration between the project team members, transparency is absolutely essential. This does not mean that every project team member should be given every piece of information. It’s necessary to have the option to filter what information is relevant to them to avoid getting inundated with information that is not useful to them, while also having the option to get information if they require it.

There are, of course, some exceptions. Personal information and sensitive information should be carefully considered before sharing it with project team members, for example.

Transparency is essential for making team members feel involved and included, and for helping you to get the most out of them and keep them motivated.

Be Encouraging

One of the main benefits of collaboration is allowing project team members to contribute ideas without fear of being shut down. Try to encourage everyone to get involved, make sure that you listen to everyone, and give value to everyone’s input. You should also seek to encourage project team members who use their initiative, implement changes, and take on suggestions that have been made if you feel them to be valuable.

Create a Barrier-Free Environment

Physical barriers can be damaging in a team environment and inhibit the ability of project team members to collaborate. They not only have a physical effect, but also a psychological effect. For the best collaboration, if your project team members are in the same space, try to reduce the physical barriers that are between them, even if it means just ensuring that office doors are left open and that project team members feel that they are able to go and speak to project managers at any time.

This not only allows project team members to communicate and collaborate easily but also breaks down the psychological barriers between you and them.

Make the Most of Project Team Meetings

As highlighted above, regular communication is essential for the success of a workplace project.  These give every project team member the opportunity to get up-to-date with the project’s progress, report on their own progress, and discuss the way forward. It is vital that all of your project team members can engage with your project team meetings, and there are several strategies that you can use to ensure that project team meetings are as effective and engaging as possible. These can include:

Look After Your Project Team

A happy and motivated workforce is, without a doubt, a productive and successful workforce. It is important that you look after your project team to ensure that you get the best from them. Some of the things that you should consider doing include:

When it comes to delivering a successful workplace project, effective collaboration is absolutely essential. It’s vital that communication is good both in face-to-face and remote circumstances, that all members of the collaborative project team are well-informed, and feel confident and motivated. Ensuring that engagement is high and that there is a feeling of teamwork is also vital for the workplace project that you are managing to be as successful as it can be.