The main goal most project managers have is taking the projects they are involved in from concept to completion in record time. Accomplishing this goal requires lots of hard work and the help of a competent and motivated group of employees. Having the right team working on a particular project can help you get the results you are after without having to micromanage every little thing.
In the past year, over 70% of the businesses in the United States have experienced the frustration and heartache that comes with a failed project. One of the main causes of these failures is employee mistakes and mismanagement. When trying to properly structure a new project, you need to let your team know how important accountability for their actions is to the overall success of this venture.
If you want to build team accountability and reap the rewards this can provide, then check out the tips below.
Show Team Members How Tasks Are Interconnected
Most projects are filled with interdependent tasks. These tasks generally have to happen in a particular sequence for the project at hand to be successful. If one team member flakes out or fails to handle their job, it can lead to a project failing. Instead of waiting until you are staring in the face of this failure to take action, you have to get out ahead of this problem. During the initial meeting for the project you are managing, talk with your team about the importance of accountability and how one mistake can lead to the project being unsuccessful.
Showing each team member how tasks are interconnected gives them more context regarding the project they are working on. If your team members know this information, they will hold each other accountable. When this type of team accountability occurs, you generally see an uptick in productivity and efficiency.
Seek Out Public Commitments From Your Team Members
Successful project managers realize just how important communication is to the overall success of the projects they work on. If you fail to engage and communicate with your team regularly, you run the risk of important tasks getting ignored. When trying to establish team accountability, you need to use public meetings to assign and track certain tasks.
When team members agree to handle certain tasks in your meetings, you need to document this and follow-up. By doing this, you can hold team members accountable for the tasks they fail to complete.
Don’t Ignore Poor Employee Performance
Confrontation in the workplace can be uncomfortable and difficult. However, if you have one or more team members who are not performing at the best of their abilities, you have to do something. Ignoring these problems and failing to hold team members responsible for their actions can be disastrous. When approaching a team member about their poor performance, be sure to have documentation to support these claims. You also need to avoid getting combative during this meeting to avoid making matters worse.
As you can see, team accountability is a crucial component of a successful project.