With the world rapidly shifting its focus from physical presence to online team collaboration modules, work processes and experiences have altered their course in a significant way.
In fact, most new startups and small businesses operate entirely online without any physical presence.
No matter the industry, companies need to maintain a strong virtual presence to progress. Even within an organization, teams depend on strong virtual collaboration and communication to get work done.
Alongside evolving research and statistics, professionals are discovering and developing new methods of saving time and cost. Completing work over the internet provides a standard, transparent platform for a more disciplined approach with minimum human error as well.
This brings us to online team collaboration tools and their use. No project is completed without effective collaboration and teamwork, and the same rule applies to online or remote teams.
However, the struggle of smooth online transactions and communications still prevails. About 86% of workers, educators, and executives blame lack of collaboration for workplace failures.
Here at nTask, we understand how critical successful online collaboration is. Read on for a few team collaboration tips to help you along the way in your online collaboration journey.
Organize Work and Responsibilities
Take the necessary time to plan your projects. It is important to layout a project plan in a manner that doesn’t need much clarification or constant affirmation. A recent study showed that 58% of employees spend at least an hour daily looking for information.
One good practice to this effect is to break down your projects down into smaller tasks and activities. Assign tasks according to each team member’s skill level and experience.
Having responsibilities clearly defined and communicated eliminates the chances of confusion and error.
Use Online Collaboration Tools
A reliable project management software or task-tracking tool is a requirement for any successful team. This is especially true for younger workers; 49% of millennial workers support their use.
Invest in one of the many excellent management tools to make project management and team management both simple and effective.
Communicate Proactively through Online Collaboration Tools of Your Choice
Communication is all about speaking up at the right time in the right manner. A lack of face-to-face interaction can be difficult for team members to find clarity in working methods.
Therefore, it is important to never wait to be asked by your team or manager. Using clear and concise statements, inform your team about the work you have done. The same goes for the issues that you are currently facing at your workplace.
Timely informing of project details makes it easier for the rest of the team to understand the project’s status.
Hold Regular Meetings
While online collaboration is popular and can be very effective, meetings still hold significant importance. Scheduling and maintaining regular meetings can keep order to ascertain projects to maintain their flow.
It helps to know that your online team is more than a name. Getting to know your team personally will help understand individual skillset and aptitudes better.
Also, it will help promote a comfortable environment and improve critical elements such as trust and team spirit.
Work with Realistic Deadlines
Mismanaged deadlines can be frightening and can lead to unsuccessful projects. According to KPMG’s 2015 Global Construction Survey, most projects failed to come within 10% of their expected budget (69%) and scheduled deadlines (75%).
For this reason, it is crucial to take time to set manageable project timelines and deadlines.
Deadlines that are too short come with the risk of producing unsatisfied customers and can lead teams toward a more laid-back approach, which is detrimental to productivity.
Make use of a task-tracking tool in order to intelligently assess the project development cycle through timeline and resources.
Do you have any experiences regarding online team collaboration tips? Share with us in the comments below.
