From big and complex, to the smallest projects, collaboration is crucial for success. But sometimes we forget the importance of the collaboration also when it comes to managing the project. This is why we’re focusing on the importance of collaboration in project management today.
Why is the collaboration so important?
Collaboration promotes self-analysis, brainstorming, team spirit and equal partaking. It brings added value, look at the bigger picture and helps develop professional and personal skills.
Furthermore, as companies grow, employees can happen to work not only with their colleagues sitting nearby, but with people from different cities, or even countries, reporting to a different manager and so on. When an organization has tens or hundreds of projects underway at any given time, project teams will typically be both large and decentralized.
This also means: as companies grow, collaboration is becoming more important and at the same time, more difficult. When it comes to the role of collaboration in project management, there is a special type of managing the project that is based on collaboration.
Collaborative Project Management
Collaborative Project Management is the type of project management built around actively participating and involving all the members of a project in both participating and planning, connecting each of them through project management, communication, and collaboration. This means that management of a task or an activity is not assigned only to a certain manager or managers, but that it is important for all the members in the project.
Collaborative Project management breaks projects into various smaller parts that are given to members of departments that are participating in the project. Who is it useful for? Some of the typical examples are companies with different departments, offices, and customers spread across different countries, IT companies with multiple projects, engineering and developing companies with complex products, institutions or organizations involved in cross-border cooperation (e.g. EU projects).
How you can nurture collaboration – whether it’s a two-people team or an international organization
Of course, you don’t have to be an international corporation to use collaborative tools and techniques to get better results in your day to day work.
Here are some tips to help you nurture collaboration and venture on it.
These 5 tips can help in the classroom for teachers and students; in communication and work with clients for lawyers, accountants, and bookkeepers; and in any other workplace, from small, family companies to international companies.
1) Integrate collaboration into daily work
Make collaborating a natural part of your daily work, and your team members. Collaboration is a way to do things, not just something we do in meetings, for the sake of doing it.
2) Create a collaborative workplace and a safe atmosphere
There is no good collaboration without the conditions for it, regardless of if we’re speaking about a workplace or a classroom.
3) Reward collaboration and lead by an example
Some competitiveness is always good, but try to focus on collaboration and reward team spirit and teamwork as well.
4) Align with a shared purpose and avoid micromanaging
It’s easier to work together when we have a sense of direction, and a common goal ahead. Avoid micromanaging, as it drains resources and as it doesn’t leave the space for team members work together and collaborate on finding solutions.
5) Use technology that can be helpful
Tools like CollaboraZon can help you work across location-independently, share files and comment, exchange feedback, create events and much more.