Efficient Team Management: The Importance of Tracking Tasks
As a team leader or manager, you are responsible for ensuring that your team is working efficiently and effectively towards achieving their goals. However, keeping track of all the tasks and projects your team is working on can be a daunting task. Without a clear view of what has been accomplished and what is yet to come, it can be challenging to assess your team's performance and give feedback accordingly.
In fact, according to a study by Wellingtone, 55% of project managers say that a lack of clear goals and objectives is the primary cause of project failure. In this article, we will discuss the importance of having a constantly updated view of all the projects and tasks your team is working on, and provide some tips on how to achieve this.
The Importance of Tracking Tasks and Projects
As a manager or team leader, having a clear picture of all the tasks and projects your team is working on is key to delivering projects on time and improving collaboration within the team. It allows you to identify any bottlenecks or delays and take corrective action before they become major issues. It also empowers team members to own their projects and timelines and communicate on them transparently and proactively. By having a regular review of all tasks in a simple and clear way, you can reduce the risk of delays and prevent micro-management.
According to a study by the Project Management Institute, 89% of high-performing organizations value project management, and 81% of these organizations believe that effective project management is critical to business success.
Creating the Right Tracker
When it comes to tracking tasks, there are a variety of personal methods that individuals may use to keep themselves organized. Some prefer the old-fashioned approach of writing reminders on post-it notes or in a physical planner, while others prefer digital tools like Trello or virtual notes on their desktops. Some even send themselves emails or set up reminders on their calendars to stay on top of their to-do lists. While these personal methods may work for individuals, they lack transparency and collaboration, making it difficult for team members to communicate and work together effectively. Without transparency, there can be a lack of efficiency and progress can suffer. It is important for teams to use a shared project management tool that provides visibility into everyone's tasks and progress.
Having the right tools to track everything is crucial. You need a tool that is easy to use, simple to update, transparent, and has clear visualization. While you can buy external fancy tools, a good Google Sheets can do the work just fine. However, beyond just having the tracker, having it directly integrated in your Google Slides presentations and dashboard makes a big difference, both saving time and making it easy to use.
Encouraging Team Communication and Collaboration
Communication and collaboration are key to respecting deadlines and delivering projects on time. Having a regular review of all projects collectively encourages teamwork, prevents duplicate work, and enables members to share ideas and knowledge. Personally, I meet with my team once a week to review their progress, new tasks recently added, what has been accomplished, etc. This helps making sure everyone in the team is aware of what others are working on, preventing duplicate work and encouraging collaboration.
To help you easily apply all the learnings discussed in this article, I have selected a great template for team efforts tracking that allows you to update everything easily in Google Sheets and display the updated view on Google Slides. This template reinforces team collaboration and gives managers better control over their team's performance and projects' timelines.
As a team leader or manager, keeping track of all the tasks and projects your team is working on is crucial. It enables you to assess your team's performance and give feedback accordingly, as well as identify any bottlenecks or delays and take corrective action before they become major issues. By having the right tools, encouraging team communication and collaboration, and having a regular review of all projects collectively, you can improve teamwork, respect deadlines, and deliver projects on time. Download the template today and start mastering project management!
Last update: 2024-10-11 Tags: tasks management team management todo list