Trust and Communication at work place

My three problems are solved by Trust and Communication

Why are we talking about trust?

Trust is only factor which binds humans as well as animals together.   To achieve your defined success in an environment, it is important to build trust. In this article I’ll share my encounter with “Trust”.

Why are we talking about communication?
If we have a trust, it has to be communicated with team. Your trust in your team has to be visible from your actions.

Trust and Communication solved my below three issues.

1. Your team member does not deliver what is expected (Time, Quality, and Scope)
My take:
a. Gather thoughts from team member before allocating assignment or commitment on an end date.
b. Get team's inputs (ideally team should come up with Time, Quality, Scope metrics ), trust their inputs and communicate them the adjusted estimates and delivery timelines.
Outcome:Your team will have commitment to a delivery and you do not have to run around and follow-up.

2. You are contradicted in a team meeting by one or two members of your team
My take:
a. Teams should always know what is being presented in a meeting (especially during: Iteration review and Retrospective). Which will mean that a brainstorming is already done before we present ideas or facts in iteration or retrospective meetings.
b. Highlight views as “team views” and not your own. Stop taking credit of your team work.
c. Do not break a news/ideas in a team meeting, no one like surprises. Always have a conversation with key stakeholders before hand.
Outcome:Your meeting will have fewer roadblocks from your own internal stakeholders. Increased confidence in meetings/workshops or fusions.

3. Team member misrepresent a status of task assigned
My take:
a. Gather thoughts from team on definition of “Done”, communicate this to all members and trust when status is reported.
b. Gather inputs on “how as a team we gather status of task”. Formalize the process and communicate. Re look and adjust the process as we progress.
Outcome:Get near agreed status on assigned tasks and deliverable.
     

Feel free to add details and comment!

Daily Team meeting challenges

Daily Team  meeting challenges [Morning meetings, Stand up meeting, SCRUM, Status Meeting, Check points]

In this article meeting refers to every day team connect, you might be calling them differently (Morning meetings, Stand up meeting, SCRUM, Status Meeting, Check points...)

This article have references from
a. Best practices defined by Scrumalliance.
b. Techniques and Strategies implemented by me and few of my colleagues and friends .

Lot of gyan is available online and I am adding to what is useful to me.

World is global now!

World is global now! Be it Software application development, Digital Infrastructure, Manufacturing, Sports, Education or Tourism. Many of our colleagues, partners, and vendors are situated either few miles or thousands of miles away. This global environment adds to the existing challenges of our daily team meetings

Challenges in meetings

Daily meeting play’s an important role in every day activity. Let me jot down practical issues and approach to resolve them. This list is a running list, feel free to add on the details in comments section and we can add them in here.

Your reason for every day issue can be with in this wagon wheel or it can be outside.  

#1. Infection 1: Silent Meetings - one or more team members do not report correct status

a. Team member need a COACHING and a MENTOR.

b. Sense of OWNERSHIP and ACCOUNTABILITY has to be developed.

c. Re access interest level in assignment/project/work and take corrective action

# Infection 2: A leader in my team meeting, One person provides an update for all other team members

Drug Composition 

a. This person has to shut up and let others speak. Enforce RULES and power of AUTHORITY.

# Infection: 3: A team member hesitates to speak up in meetings

Drug Composition 

a. This team member needs a COACHING and a MENTOR. 

# Infection 4: Not able to understand virtual team member(s) BODY LANGUAGE

Drug Composition 

a. TRUST is the key, believe in the answer of  team member(s)

b. Use video tools like Skype, Movi, Lyncs and other video conferencing tools

c.  Cultivate a habit of providing and getting a   Loud and clear updates (ask to repeat an answer or comments if not heard properly) 

# Infection 5: Daily Meetings do not START on time

Drug Composition 

a. Agreement from WHOLE team on the date, time and venue of the meeting.

b. A sense of ownership and responsibility has to be cultivated.

c. Provide flexibility to join the meeting (Mode of attendance – Audio, Physical or Audio- Video).

d. Respect personal time and have an appropriate meeting time (based on geographical location).

#Infection 6:  Daily Meeting do not FINISH on time

Drug Composition 

a. Topics and announcement should be published in advance. Utilize collaborative tools like JIRA, Google excel sheets, Shared Excel, SharePoint, etc...

b. New topics and announcements should be taken care either in next meeting or after daily morning meetings (schedule a separate meeting with only required team members).

c.  Implement scrum meeting guidelines. Answer the below listed 3Q

                 Q1. What did you accomplish since the last meeting?

                 Q2. What are you working on until the next meeting?

                 Q3. What is getting in your way or keeping you from doing your job?

#Infection 7: Multiple speakers suggesting a solution after a team member's status of the day

Drug Composition 

a.  Raise a STOP flag, solutions and participants to meet after daily meetings

b. Implement a RULE - One person speaks at a TIME

#Infection 8: Have to spend long hours to send Meeting Notes

Drug Composition

a.  No meeting notes for daily team meetings

b. Update of task and activities are done during the meeting on an online tools like Kanban board, JIRA, Excel sheet with task

#Infection 9:  Meeting time postponed at 11th hour

Drug Composition

a.  Big No. All should meet same time, same place and using same mode of communication. This cultivates indiscipline. If host is unavailable they should make sure some one else moderate a meeting.

Special Thanks to

Shravani  Srikonda, Lead Consultant for Commodity markets with a leading services provider

Sarat K Singh, Manager  Engineering with leading Entertainment and Communication industry