Working in a team is not easy, no matter what others might tell you or the kind of philosophy they promote. Admittedly, teamwork is essential for productivity and reaching goals, but every so often, disagreements will arise that, if not addressed immediately, can hinder progress and have long-term consequences for the business.
Here is how to bridge the gap between project managers and programmers in order to boost productivity and efficiency while eliminating setbacks.
Let people do their job
If you are a project manager, your job is team coordination and you have a lot of responsibilities on your hands. Admittedly, a large number of responsibilities is very hard to handle without stress and a need to control, monitor and influence every part of the project.
While it is true that you are the shepherd of the flock that is your team, you should respect the competence of the programmers and remind yourself that they know what they’re doing. This will make your life easier and it will let the programmers become more productive and confident with their work.
Never neglect emotions
People take pride in being able to separate emotions from work, but emotions are the driving force of humanity. Emotion is passion for the things you do, emotion is empathy for the fellow colleague and without it, there can be no progress.
Be mindful and invest yourself in other’s lives and the various factors that shape their behavior and actions. You will find out valuable details that will help you better understand your colleagues and find the right approach for any situation.
Develop trust
Trust is earned and deserved, it’s not inherent. Do not expect a programmer to trust your decision simply because you’re the boss, and don’t expect the boss to trust your skills simply because you come with high recommendations. They might listen, but they won’t trust you. Trust is imperative for productivity, a sense of comradery and the development of a common passion and driving force behind every step you make as a team.
In order to earn a colleague’s trust, you have to prove yourself. This doesn’t mean being the best, rather constantly wanting to improve and doing your best. Tell it like it is, ask for help when you need it, own up to your mistakes and always be honest ‒ it will pay off and people will respect you for it.
Communication is key
Communication entails a great deal of factors such as transparency, means and methods, hierarchy, planning and scheduling. Because of the complexity of the science of communication, people tend to neglect all of these factors and avoid implementing rules and regulations that could significantly increase productivity and decrease “noise”.
If you want to establish a productive line of communication with your manager or with a programmer, you need to implement a clear set of communication rules and guidelines that will enforce transparency, brevity and succinctness. All information should be passed along in a timely manner, imposing reasonable deadlines as well as reaching the right person.
Meeting deadlines and legal support
Being a fairly unregulated field, programming is susceptible to legal disputes, and it is imperative to protect the business with proper loss management. Working on meeting deadlines is important for keeping the stakeholders happy and a competent project manager will ensure that they are all met, while making sure that the company doesn’t fall into any legal disputes over copyright infringements.
Track, analyze, and improve
Success is measured by tracking improvement. This means that true success doesn’t lie in trying to achieve an end, but trying to create a sustainable, evolving mechanism of result achievement and process improvement. So what should you do to create a result-making machine?
You need to track your progress, analyze weak areas and implement changes that will increase efficiency when and where needed. It might sound daunting, but it can actually be simpler than trying to develop a whole new system of operation from scratch.
There are numerous ways project managers and programmers can establish a productive relationship, and it all starts with trust and proper communication. Competence and understanding from both parties is a must for building a thriving working environment.
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