How well is your tech team really doing? You may have met quotas and deadlines, but does that mean you’re getting the most out of your staff? And do you have any measures in place to help you spot when productivity is on the rise or on the decline? If not, it’s impossible to make any definitive statements about performance. Use these strategies to get a deeper, more accurate perspective.
Define Your Objectives Clearly
Did you get what you asked for when you asked for it? You can’t know unless you defined your objectives carefully. Make it clear to everyone involved exactly what you want done, when you expect it to be completed, and who you want to be involved. When the project is concluded, compare your expectations against what was delivered.
Add Visibility
It can be a challenge to track progress/productivity when everyone is working discreetly. The simple solution is to use collaboration tools that let you easily view, share, and modify the work of others. That way, if someone/something is lagging behind you can spot the problem before it affects the entire project.
Keep a Dialogue Going
The wrong time to spot productivity problems is at the end of the project. Keep a close eye on progress by meeting with your team regularly, asking for updates, listening to concerns, and responding to roadblocks. The closer you examine the workflows you have in place, the better equipped you are to spot redundancies and inefficiencies.
Collect Data
In most instances productivity can be expressed in the form of metrics. Follow these metrics closely, and use comparison tools to help you spot peaks and valleys. Over time trends will emerge allowing you to make strategic changes that have a direct impact on how much your tech team produces.
Engage Remote Workers
If remote workers make up any part of your tech team, you need to take extra steps to monitor their productivity. Keep in touch with these workers through video conferencing, instant messaging, calls, email, etc., and make sure you’re available if they have problems or questions.
Be BYOD Friendly
Encouraging a BYOD-friendly strategy gives you new tools to track and connect with your team. When it’s easy to stay in touch from anywhere at any time you get a better picture of how your team spends its time and when individual team members are more/less productive.
As a final caution, remember that while most teams could be doing more, you can’t be unreasonable in your expectations. Push your staff too hard or too fast and you risk a catastrophe. For more tips about optimizing your tech workforce, contact the experts at RennerBrown.