When it comes to project management, there are process people and there are culture people. But unfortunately, many times those people aren’t one and the same. When you have someone who’s good at processes and bad with people, employee retention rates plummet. On the other hand, if you have someone who’s good with people but lets the processes fall through, productivity suffers. I have 15 years of bringing together the right people and processes to improve productivity and workplace culture using the following method:
Understanding Culture—I take time to get to know how things work and why the process and culture have developed the way they have. This helps me to identify the immediate pain points and determine how to approach stakeholders in addressing the issues at hand.
Goals and Objectives—I work with the team to determine their short-term needs for the first year in order to keep things moving forward. Then I map out their overall goals and objectives—things that need to happen in the long term to attain stability and growth.
Implementation—Starting with an annual kickoff meeting to discuss the objective for the year, I identify the team leaders who will spearhead the milestones that will help us achieve our goals over time. I keep my eye on the big picture while empowering them to utilize their expertise in accomplishing day-to-day projects.
Communication—I establish a regular weekly meeting with team leaders to keep on top of their progress and hold a larger team meeting every 6 months. I make sure we’re all heading in the same direction and if course corrections are needed, we make changes early to overcome the obstacles. I encourage an open discourse in challenging my direction and ideas regardless of your position within the company to make sure that every view point is heard.
It goes without saying that being miserable at work ruins productivity. My method for ensuring a good workplace culture is by improving processes and procedures through collaboration and communication. When employees understand and even help create the goals and objectives and when accountability is visible from the top down, they are more engaged in their work and productivity increases.
