Managing tasks and teams to guarantee a foolproof project execution is probably the most important and strategic thing a manager would like to do on a day to day basis to experience continuous success.
But when it comes to big teams and even bigger list of tasks that a manager have to assign to and deal with, it gets heftier to deal with such kind of work pressure. To ease managers in their daily routines, I have come up with few effective tips that will allow effective management of teams and tasks, all in the same time.
Turn off distractions
You must have noticed that the most productive time of the day is in the morning. Work is done in the best way if you take all your meetings to the second half and just concentrate on working in the first half of the day. Emails and alerts distract you and can sabotage your performance that eventually makes you achieve less than you could have achieved if the day would be distraction free.
Move from task to task
Swinging from one task to another is another factor that fosters an unproductive day. Always make sure to complete your tasks in a chain-manner. Focus on one task and move to the next only when the first task is done completely. One of the free task management tools that is developed keeping this principle in mind is TaskQue. It have a unique feature that only displays one task at a time in front of the resource, so that the resource performs with optimal focus keeping other thoughts away from mind. This in return fosters productivity and maximum concentration.
Use the Pomodoro technique
The Pomodoro technique is a technique that maintains a balance between productivity and rewards. The Pomodoro technique also comes in the form of a productivity app, asks you to use a timer to break up your day in small chunks of 25 minutes each. With a break time of 5 minutes in between every tasks, if you manage to complete a given number of tasks you will receive a reward. The reward can be in form of a longer break or a free meal or what so ever.
The Pomodoro technique works wonders to create an environment of healthy competition among team members, who strive to achieve more in a stipulated time. The winner claims the reward.
Don’t forget to track delegated tasks
Another important aspect of effective team management is to keep track of the tasks that were already delegated to team members. Running a business is a collective game and when every team member plays on optimal pace is when the business will thrive. Tracking already delegated tasks not only allow you to understand the sill set of your resources but also informs you about the kind of workload they have on their shoulders. For example, you have two resources who are continuously working the entire day and yet their tasks are not completed, simply means that they are overworked and new resources needs to be added to the team. The role of a free task management tool comes in here again, as it allow you to keep track of the tasks assigned and also provide analytics through graphs and reports that involved number of tasks completed by a resource along with the time spent on each task to assess collective productivity.
In the end I would only like to emphasize on a fact that humans cannot possibly work like robots. Honor yourself and your team by organizing appreciation meetings on specific intervals. Appreciation is real-time motivator for resources working in a team environment and work wonders in boosting the productivity and morale of the entire team, be it for a specific project or for general work purposes only.