How can you ensure your team is using their time effectively?

Show to your team that you value their contribution and that you need them. Involve them and ask for their point of view. Do not be naive and also have 1 to 1 meetings for monitoring and feedback. In essence show them that you trust them and that you will be there for them , with a linear productivity in return.

SMARTE Ziele waren auch mein erster Gedanke. Die meisten Mitarbeiter:innen schieben ihre Arbeit vor sich hin, weil sie nicht wissen, was genau zu tun ist. Und das eben deshalb, weil unklar ist, wo sie am Ende ankommen sollen. Sobald Ziele konkret werden k?nnen sich Mitarbeiter:innen sehr gut in Beziehung setzen und sich dafür einsetzen, an dem Ziel mitzuwirken.

Set clear expectations and timelines, coach risk management and mitigation, provide tools to track time, encourage breaks and downtime, regular connect to provide feedback & support, lead by example and ensure you are just a ping or phone call away for any help.

In my experience, regularly reviewing the team's progress is key to efficiency. However, I can remember one time when despite clear goals, we weren't hitting targets. So we started bi-weekly review meetings. Here everyone shared updates and challenges. This not only helped us track our progress but also brought new solutions to light. We learned to adjust our strategies and timelines based on these insights, making us more flexible and efficient. This pivot didn't just help with one project but improved our overall work process, teaching me and the team the value of adaptability and continuous improvement.

Los objetivos específicos permiten, al equipo, tener una comprensión precisa de lo que se espera, mientras que los indicadores medibles ofrecen una forma objetiva de evaluar el real progreso. La factibilidad y relevancia aseguran que los objetivos estén alineados con las capacidades del equipo y sus metas más ambiciosas. Además, al fijar plazos, se insta a la acción inmediata y se fomenta la responsabilidad, dejando de lado el tiempo de pérdida, optimizando la productividad.

It is important to have line of sight of how you and your team contribute to the Company’s overall goals and then it is distilling this for your team so they focus on Covey’s “big rocks”, then “small pebbles” to add value. People tend to focus on what they are comfortable with; what is easy, namely Covey’s “sand and water”, not necessarily what adds value. It is also not about extending your working day, but working smarter as other people have said and cut out interruptions; put planning time in your diary.

I find using a Kanban board really helps with planning and prioritising. For example, when we had lots of tasks on one projecet, we put them all on the board to see which ones were most urgent. This made it clear what we needed to do first and what could wait. We also decided who would do each task and when. The Kanban board kept everyone on the same page and focused on the important stuff. It made managing our work much easier and helped us finish the project on time. I am a big fan of a Kanban board to visually organise tasks. It enhances planning by allowing teams to see their workload and progress at a glance. This clarity improves focus, efficiency, and collaboration, leading to a more effective plan.

After prioritising, regularly check and re-prioritse to ensure Business is least interrupted while deadlines result in valuable outcomes

Asegurar la efectividad en el uso del tiempo es fundamental para el rendimiento del equipo. La clave radica en la habilidad para priorizar y planificar de manera estratégica las actividades. El líder debe fomentar una cultura donde la claridad en las prioridades sea la norma. Primero, identificar y comunicar claramente las tareas clave, lo que permite a cada miembro del equipo comprender la importancia de sus contribuciones. Luego, la planificación cuidadosa, asignando tiempo específico a cada tarea y estableciendo plazos realistas, evitando así la dispersión de esfuerzos.

When each team member has well-defined responsibilities and tasks, it naturally leads to more effective use of time. This clarity cuts through potential confusion and aligns efforts with team objectives. In my experience, accountability plays a pivotal role in this process. It not only fosters a sense of personal responsibility but also drives us to prioritize tasks more effectively. By knowing exactly what is expected and being answerable for our contributions, we can focus on urgent and important tasks, delegate appropriately, and avoid unnecessary or low-value activities.

In my experience team members should learn about each other job’s roles and responsibilities in details, share and communicate about tasks regularly. This way everyone will gain an understanding of the work load and be helpful to one another. Setting clear goals and getting everyone involved in planning and creating the vision can give a sense of ownership.

I like to encourage open communication in my team meetings. I like to start by asking each member to share a recent success and a challenge they're facing. It's a simple routine, but it does wonders. When we talk about our successes, it boosts morale and gives everyone a sense of achievement. Discussing challenges, on the other hand, opens the floor for advice and support from the team. This not only helps solve problems but also strengthens our bond as a team. It's amazing how these small sharing moments can really make us feel more connected and work more effectively together.

In my experience, it is important to harness the potential of differences between team members. You need to make sure and demonstrate that you see differences in your team members' ideas and thoughts as an opportunity rather than a threat to collaboration. Especially in the beginning of innovation projects, consensus building should not be the main goal. Even if it seems to speed up the process, it really doesn't. Creating space for different perspectives and encouraging individual team members to not immediately conform to the ideas of other group members is crucial, in my opinion. When forming a team, you can proactively influence this by looking for team members with different expertise and beliefs.

La efectividad dentro de un equipo se logra a través de una comunicación fluida y una colaboración activa. La clave es establecer un entorno donde la comunicación sea abierta y efectiva, alentando a los miembros del equipo a compartir ideas y visiones regularmente. La colaboración va de la mano con la comunicación, ya que impulsa la eficiencia al aprovechar las fortalezas individuales. Al fomentar la colaboración, se facilita la resolución de problemas, se minimiza la duplicidad de esfuerzos y se maximiza la productividad del equipo.

Have team meetings to plan as a team. It is essential that every team segment is aware of the activities of other segments so as to create synergies and have one common front. Have team meetings to update each other on the performance status of each segment of the team. Communication among team members is critical in identifying imminent challenges and staying focused on the team goals and objectives.

In my experience, minimising distractions has been crucial for any team's focus. We have implemented 'focus hours' where we minimise interruptions by silencing notifications and holding off on non-urgent communications. This practice has noticeably increased our productivity, as it allows uninterrupted time for deep work. Additionally, we encourage short, regular breaks to manage energy levels, helping to maintain high concentration throughout the day. These simple changes have made a significant difference in our overall efficiency. In some teams I have worked in it took a while for it to become a habit. But with time and practice, it can be a natural part of the day.

Garantizar que un equipo utilice su tiempo de manera efectiva implica la eliminación de todo tipo de distracciones y la gestión de interrupciones. Los líderes de los equipos deben cultivar un entorno de trabajo que disminuya los factores distractivos, permitiendo que los cada miembro se enfoque en sus tareas y responsabilidades. Eliminar distracciones va más allá de lo físico. Esta tarea también implica establecer expectativas claras sobre el uso de herramientas digitales y fomentar la disciplina en la gestión del tiempo. Además, es crucial abordar interrupciones, ya sea a través de políticas de puertas abiertas o estableciendo momentos designados para discusiones y reuniones.

Lead by example and ensure you discuss with your team your expectations regarding responding to your emails. Too often I’ve sat with teams who complain they’re too busy responding to emails and when I suggest they schedule times to read emails they say “but I need to respond to my boss” even though they’ve not had a conversation about it!

Create an environment where there is a low chance of interruptions. Consider having everyone place their phones on Do Not Disturb mode and having a no-open laptop rule. This encourages everyone to be engaged in the meeting at hand.

Looking back on my team experiences, I've learned that the key to using time effectively often lies in the less obvious details. For example, after a particularly challenging project, we took time to reflect on our workflow. We realised that although our major strategies were solid, it was the smaller, day-to-day operations that needed tweaking. Adjusting things like the frequency of our check-ins and the format of our reports made a surprising difference. I learnt that sometimes, the most impactful changes come from refining the small routines rather than overhauling the big strategies.

La eficacia en el uso del tiempo requiere de una constante revisión y mejora continua. El equipo debe comprender la importancia de evaluar regularmente sus prácticas de gestión del tiempo. Revisar implica analizar el rendimiento pasado, identificando áreas de oportunidad y reconocer patrones de éxito. La mejora continua implica implementar ajustes basados en estas revisiones, ya sea mediante la optimización de procesos, la capacitación en gestión del tiempo o la introducción de herramientas eficientes. Esto no solo aumenta la eficiencia operativa, sino que también fomenta una cultura de aprendizaje y adaptabilidad. Así, el equipo prioriza la revisión y mejora constante, para evolucionar y alcanzar niveles más altos de rendimiento.

Be sure, if you are Manager, to feedback your team members about your vision of the results or kpi situation. Written feedback would be useful to recheck after and to contribute with evidence to your quality system. Management review !

Ensure that everyone understands what needs to be accomplished and the expected outcomes. Set realistic timelines for projects and tasks, and ensure that team members are aware of these deadlines. Effective delegation ensures that work is distributed evenly and that team members can use their time efficiently. Encourage team members to express any concerns or challenges they may face that could impact their productivity. Ensure that meetings have clear agendas, defined outcomes to make the most of everyone's time. Promote the use of time management techniques. Cultivate a work environment that values work-life balance and employee well-being. Ensure that team members have access to the necessary tools, resources.

Time management is vital and one of the major resource waste areas which affects the development of the team and any take delivery The most significant element in time management is setting a daily plan with small sprints and identifying your tasks priority so you can plan their timing properly and efficiently

A crucial aspect often overlooked in team efficiency is the role of individual well-being. In my experience, a team's productivity is significantly influenced by each member's mental and physical health. I've seen first hand how stress or burnout can derail even the most efficient teams. So it's important to foster an environment where self-care is encouraged, and work-life balance is respected. This might mean advocating for flexible working hours, ensuring no one is overloaded with tasks, or simply creating a culture where it's okay to take a break when needed. Remember, a healthy team is an efficient team.

Ensuring your team uses their time effectively requires a multifaceted approach, central to which is the tracking and analysis of time spent on various tasks, such as meetings, emails, and direct messages. Implementing a robust time tracking system allows both managers and team members to gain insights into where their time is going, highlighting areas of inefficiency or overload. Encourage regular review sessions where these insights can be discussed, enabling the team to identify patterns of productivity and time wastage. From there, set clear priorities and objectives, ensuring that time allocation aligns with these goals.

It’s also good to review mission, vision, and culture on a regular basis to ensure the team is aligned and know how they benefit. Building a foundation using the six keys to a winning team also increases the likelihood of higher performance.