Group projects can be a great way for companies to get things done. Of course, this means that the team has to work together well. Here are a number of ways to help your group complete a project successfully.
Virtual Workspace
The internet has given us the ability to work together despite physical distance. Of course, this distance still makes collaboration more difficult unless you have an active and effective virtual workplace that makes working together easy for your employees. Give them tools to communicate and work on documents together. When you allow people to work together in different locations, you have a greater amount of talent to choose from and many perspectives.
Host Networking Events
Encourage people at your place of work to meet by hosting work events with networking as the main goal. Keep the event work-friendly and do your best to get people to connect over similar career goals with talking points or activities. Don’t forget the snacks!
Be a Role Model
If you want other people in your office to work together well, you need to set a good example. Always speak positively about the company and other coworkers, make a point to thank people in front of your team, and encourage employees to ask questions among each other. When people see someone demonstrating good collaborative behavior, they will learn by watching.
Team Building Exercises
There are a variety of activities and games that can encourage people to work together. First, have team members get to know each other with ice breaking activities. Next, try a trivia game related to your field, an obstacle course, or an escape room. This will force team members to work together toward a common goal. Ideally, team members will take these lessons and apply them to their project. Make teams and partners random or team up employees that don’t typically work together.
Assign Clear Roles
When people have to work together, it’s a good idea to set clear expectations and define roles. Divide the work evenly among the members of the team. You can either tell the group to divvy up the work themselves or you can assign the work to each team member to avoid arguments. When people are assigned specific work, you can hold the proper person responsible if a certain part of the project is not done or not done properly.
Set goals and deadlines
Get together with your team to set agreed upon goals and deadlines. Now everyone is on the same page. Put your agreement into writing in an email so that everyone is held accountable, and you should clarify everyone’s role in the same e-mail.
Celebrate Success!
When a team does an exceptional job, they should be rewarded together. Whether you and your team reward yourself or you’re a manager rewarding a job well done, it brings a team even closer together when they get to celebrate success together with a pizza party or a drink. The team will see the fruits of their labor and use the same tools that worked during the next team project. Do not celebrate if the job was not completely to company standards. A team that celebrates together must also face areas for improvement together.
Group projects allow you to work with people you might not normally work with. It also gives you the opportunity to socialize while working. Make the best of it by also accomplishing your goals! Use these tips to make it the best experience possible. Group projects don’t have to be frustrating. In fact, they can be quite fun and you can get more down when you work together.