10 Tips for Project Collaboration

1. Why collaborate at all?

You spent days, weeks, months or even years finding the best candidates for your team. They are bright, smart and want to succeed. Using their combined experience will provide a serious boost to your own management abilities. It is said that two brains are better than one, but we believe five, ten or twenty brains are even better. If you engage your team, they will feel empowered to do their job better. Project collaboration will engage and empower your team.

2. Collaborating is not the same as sharing

So you've decided to start collaborating with your team. Great. But now what? First of all, remember that collaboration is not the same as simply sharing. If all you do is go to a meeting to present your project plan, you won't see much feedback outside of that meeting. To truly collaborate and engage your team, it must be a continuous and perpetual process.

3. Be open to suggestions

Whenever we share something, a presentation or a project plan, we are vulnerable to critique. That is human nature. Before you can collaborate, you must try and set your personal feelings aside and concentrate on the greater good: A project delivered on time. The nature of collaboration is that everyone works together toward a common goal. The very essence of collaboration is to work together to eliminate errors, catch mistakes and to reach the best possible outcome. So don't be afraid to show your work and embrace the feedback you get. It will help you improve for the next project.

4. How to collaborate?

We usually can't just somehow "collaborate" and expect a great outcome. In terms of project management, it makes sense to have the manager be the ultimate authority. After all, the outcome of any project will affect your company's bottom line, and the manager has upper management to whom to report In reality, most people will find their own time to "collaborate,", for example browse a project plan, make a suggestion, etc. Often, we have ideas while eating or watching TV. It is important that you work with your team so that everyone can make suggestions at any time using the latest available information.

Use LiveProject to ensure team members have access to up-to-date data on which to base their input. There is nothing worse than making suggestions only to find they are obsolete because you were not informed of the latest developments.

5. Collaboration has to be done in a sincere spirit. Tell people what to expect.

"A fool with a tool is still a fool," a former manager once told me. Rolling out a new collaboration tool on your team and expecting them to start collaborating probably won't work. You need to let them know what your expectations are and how you will handle feedback. Be open and inclusive, and let them know that their opinions and input really matter. Ask them to help you create the best plan possible, and ensure them that all their suggestions will be taken into consideration. Reinforce this message frequently. When you start receiving changes to your plan, discuss each of them individually. Not all team members feel comfortable discussing their suggestions with everyone present.

6. Reject suggestions with an explanation.

When you reject someone's suggestion, make sure to explain exactly why. It may be discouraging to some to have a suggestion rejected. By continuously encouraging more suggestions and clearly explaining the rejected ones, you ensure that your team stays involved in the process.

7. Give Credit when due

From time to time, someone on your team will make a suggestion to a project plan that is essential. It could be a missed test case, a new identified risk or simply a large missing task. Make sure to give them credit for their input so they feel appreciated and influential. Only by positively reinforcing the process will your team grow to be a collaborating juggernaut.

8. Let time work its magic

There are times when a few team members don't appear to be contributing much. This can be attributed to many factors, such as:

• They were not properly recognized at their previous jobs, and therefore were discouraged.
• They may not feel comfortable making suggestions for fear of looking dumb even though they are not.
• They don't like to make suggestions that others can see.

To begin with, start praising the employees that make good suggestion, and keep encouraging the others. One way to include shy team members is to talk to them one-on-one. Ask their opinion. Often you will get their feedback that way. Then encourage them to use the tool to make their suggestions, and follow-up with praise. Soon they will be making suggestions all the time, as they get comfortable with the process.

9. Take all suggestions seriously

Never make jokes about a suggestion, no matter how small or unsuitable. Take all suggestions seriously and give a serious answer as to why it won't work. Chances are that the person who made the suggestion is inexperienced or really thought it was great. By explaining in detail what is wrong, you help your team grow without discouraging future feedback.

10. Collaboration is a continuous process

As you move toward full collaboration, your team dynamics may change. Some team members will take a more active role, as they learn how to make good suggestions. Consider making them mentors of other team members or delegating sub projects to them to handle. The key to success is to continuously embrace new ideas and change your process to better allow your team to grow.

Read more on how LiveProject can help you collaborate, and start collaborating today!.