Are members of your team disengaging from the project? Are they losing concentration and providing incomplete requirements? Neglecting testing tasks? Throwing in the towel right before launch?
If this is happening to you, just do it yourself! It’s so much easier to work through each task by yourself because you know what the project needs. You can move through the process more quickly by working directly with the development team. You can even ensure that testing is complete by wrapping up the project with end-to-end testing.
There are days during the lifecycle where strong team members feel like giving up and working alone. Is it worth it?
No!
So, how do you keep your team engaged in the process? Go back to basics to reinvigorate the team. In some cases, it may even be a good idea to have another kick off meeting to refocus attention on the project goals. Here are a few suggestions for guiding your project team through the storm and launching the project as a cohesive team.
- Provide regular updates to the full team, including the Executive Sponsor.
- Outline where the project stands in the overall timeline.
- Highlight upcoming tasks and the team member’s role for each area, as roles may change during the project.
- If staff resources are strained, ask the Executive Sponsor to provide additional support or reinforce priorities.
- As the project approaches launch, ask team members to demonstrate new functionality to peers in their department so they can learn about new features in advance. They’ll also be more invested in the project, since you’ve asked for their input.
- Create teams with an interesting mix of staff and supporting partners.
- Invite new players to the project team instead of recycling the same group over and over.
- Invite subject matter experts to participate in the appropriate phases of the project without requiring their participation for the entire life of the project.
- Find the quiet gems within departments who are experts in key areas, but may not be the first to raise their hands.
- Develop a common language.
- What are ground rules for email exchanges, document sharing, and meetings? A good example is to agree that all requirement and testing feedback is stored in a document that can be accessed by the team, rather than hiding it in someone’s inbox.
- What tools will be used to manage the project?
- What is a requirement? Test plan? Use case? Make sure everyone understand the purpose and value of these mechanisms.
- Mix it up; adult learners need a variety of tools and opportunities to impart and absorb information.
- Ask the same question several ways and more than one time to ensure a rich level of comprehension.
- Research and use facilitator methods to gather information – colored post-it notes, index cards, large sheets of paper to diagram processes, etc.
- Press team members to articulate why a requirement is important and how it is used.
- During requirements meetings, steer the discussion to “why” instead of “how.”
- During testing, suggest the use of a buddy system. Ask one person to read the test item and document while the other person navigates the system.
- Build in rest time; give people a break to catch their breath.
- Celebrate! Not just the finale, but all the milestones along the way.
- Circle back.
- Continue to personally check in with members of project team and host regular stand-up meetings in the weeks immediately before and after launch.
- 30-60 days after launch, don’t forget to have a “lessons learned” meeting and document information shared in the meeting for use during the next project.
- Don’t give up!