Collaboration is a great way to help teams get more done together. Is it possible to have too many good things?
Lisa Bodell, a TEDx speaker, describes thinking as “a daring action” because companies often value doing more than thinking. This drive to “do”, leads to email overload and meeting overload, which can hinder meaningful work.
Research supports her assertion: Many workers in companies claim that meetings, phone calls, emails consume 80% of their time per week. This leaves only one day per week for work that actually makes a difference!
Something has to change.
Lisa believes that simplification is the key to innovation. We couldn’t agree more. TeamGantt believes that doing more with less is the way to get started.
Back in the day, Nathan Gilmore and John Correlli had only 4 hours per week to build TeamGantt. Collaboration is key to making progress.
TeamGantt’s core principle of creating space for work is still guiding our team today. This is the only way TeamGantt was able to scale to service thousands of customers with a small team, no investment money and a small team. We’ve discussed why this is so important for helping your team achieve work-life harmony. This is how you can put it into action and allow for innovation.
Reduce waste
Meetings are the crux of collaborative work. They are essential for your daily life. They are essential to your existence.
You can reduce waste and make meetings more productive for your team. These meeting tips will help you score a few quick wins.
Plan your meeting time
Meetings can sneakily build up without anyone realizing. How can you stop calendar creep?
Michael Mankins suggests that you create a zero-based budget to fund your team’s meetings. You limit the time you have available for meetings each week. If a new meeting is added, the schedule must be updated.
TeamGantt loves the creative power that constraints bring to the table. Our team is encouraged to find time-efficient ways of working together by limiting meeting time. They are empowered to say no to unnecessary meetings.
Nix unproductive meetings
A meeting may feel important, but it doesn’t necessarily mean it is. Before you put a meeting on your calendar, think about the value it provides to your team.
Will the meeting make a difference?
Is it worth everyone’s time?
Are you able to achieve the meeting’s goals more easily?
These questions are not limited to new meetings. To ensure that your team isn’t suffering from unneeded stress, challenge yourself to evaluate recurring meetings using the same standard.
Set the stage for action
It is not fun to waste time in meetings that end up in the same place they started. Make sure you are able to have productive conversations right away.
Clarify your goals. You can share the meeting’s goals before everyone gathers at your table. This will save you valuable time and allow you to focus on the reason they are there.
Limit invites. Invite only people who are willing to contribute to the conversation. Meeting notes will suffice for FYI.
Pay attention to the time. To ensure that the discussion continues on track and on time, keep the agenda and meeting goals handy.
Don’t leave empty-handed. You should always leave every meeting with something to do or a decision.
Reward efficiency
Why not encourage people to finish early if a meeting is a must? John Correlli, cofounder of TeamGantt, recently moved TeamGantt’s biweekly sprint planning meetings to the afternoon.
“The coolest twist I added to it is that sprint planning is done when we’re done with the day. John explains that we don’t need any more work.
This reward has motivated his team to reduce side chatter and make decisions faster. “We were able to cover the same ground, plus an additional
