Tag: team performance

Reasons to use a gantt chart

Reasons to Use a Gantt Chart

Shannon Cassidy Leave a comment

 

Imagine juggling several balls at once, keeping your eyes on all of them. To drop one is to spoil the entire performance. In order to accomplish this, you must be a skilled juggler. A project manager’s job is like this, keeping all the parts of the moving project working and going forward.

But there is a wonderful tool that help with the juggling – the Gantt Chart. Even though Henry Gantt invented it in 1910, it is relevant and extremely useful today, especially with all the Gantt Chart software.

Patrick Hankinson of Hello Focus explains:

Put simply, a Gantt Chart is a way to visualize a project schedule. At first glance a Gantt Chart might not look substantially different from a horizontal bar chart. However, by plotting progress (either completed or expected) against project elements, Gantt Charts create a visual timeline that is coherent and easy to interpret. 

Reasons to Use a Gantt Chart:

  1. You can have a chart that is visual and flexible. The chart will be an evolving document that can tell you and your team the exact progress you’re making on individual aspects of the project and the project as a whole.
  2. You can manage jobs effectively. By using a Gantt Chart, you can break the project down into manageable tasks. It all boils down to manageability. Gantt Charts help you break down big projects into small chunks so that tasks can be delegated and responsibilities shared. As part of this process, you’ll work out who will be responsible for each task, how long each task will take, and what problems your team may encounter. This detailed thinking helps you ensure that the schedule is workable, the right people are assigned to each task, and that you have workarounds for potential problems before you start.
  3. You can set accurate deadlines. Make it a habit to schedule or reschedule tasks for a project directly on your Gantt Chart. By doing so, you’ll see how every tiny change affects the timing of the entire project — which means more precise planning and accurate deadlines.
  4. You can define dependencies. One of the best reasons to use a Gantt Chart is to determine out the total amount of time it will take to accomplish a project (what project managers like to call the Critical Path). This can be done by defining dependencies — those tasks which depend on other tasks before they can be started or completed.

According to the editorial team and Mind Tools:

In Gantt charts, there are three main relationships between sequential tasks:

Finish to Start (FS) – FS tasks can’t start before a previous (and related) task is finished. However, they can start later. Start to Start (SS) – SS tasks can’t start until a preceding task starts. However, they can start later. Finish to Finish (FF) – FF tasks can’t end before a preceding task ends. However, they can end later.

  1. You can display the progress of your project. You can use these charts to keep your team and your sponsors informed of progress. Simply update the chart to show schedule changes and their implications, or use it to communicate that key tasks have been completed.

Do you utilize Gantt charts?

 

Sources:

https://www.smartdraw.com/gantt-chart/gantt-chart-tips.htm

http://hellofocus.com/what-is-gantt-chart

https://www.wrike.com/blog/project-management-basics-beginners-guide-to-gantt-charts/

https://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newPPM_03.htm

 

 

To add exceptional team members, ask great interview questions

To Add Exceptional Team Members, Ask Great Interview Questions

Shannon Cassidy Leave a comment

You’ve pored over dozens of resumes, scoured social media accounts and, finally, narrowed the field to just a few candidates for an important open position in your company. Next comes the most critical step in the process: the interviews.

Managers and human resources professionals can only tell so much about candidates by reviewing their credentials. Candidates who look great “on paper” can turn out in real life to be a poor fit for your company, and interviews provide the all-important face time.

The in-person interviews with your top candidates provide you with important visual cues about how an individual may perform. How is the candidate dressed? Does she seem nervous or evasive? How does he interact with your team? When you’ve identified several candidates with similar skills, education and work experience, the interview can provide important missing information you need to make a final selection.

With interviews carrying so much weight in the hiring process, it’s critical to ask compelling questions that get your candidates talking openly. As Entrepreneur notes, asking the right questions can help you identify individuals with high levels of emotional intelligence, which includes traits like self-control, persistence and the ability to get along with others. Employees with high EI are said to be able to adjust better to change, to be flexible and to work as part of teams.

Here are eight of the top questions that encourage your candidates to provide honest, open answers that can help you predict future success.

Envision that it’s a year from now; what has our team achieved?

This question gives the candidate a chance to express her strategic vision and knowledge of your company. A thoughtful answer demonstrates that she’s taken the time to learn about your challenges and to brainstorm solutions.

Who do you consider a role model, and why?

Choice of role model can tell you a lot about your candidate’s level of introspection, and it can potentially give you an idea about what behaviors to expect, as Inc. notes. It also reveals the character and attributes your candidate wishes to emulate.

If you launched a new business, what would you want to be its three top values?

This question provides you with insights into a candidate’s priorities, notes Entrepreneur. Understanding that candidates may be surprisingly candid in interviews, you want to hear answers like “trust,” “integrity,” “empathy” and “fair play.” Values that wouldn’t be a fit with your corporate culture and ethics should give you pause.

What aspects of your past jobs have you not enjoyed?

All candidates expect to be asked about their strengths and weaknesses. But asking specifically about parts of their current or previous jobs that they didn’t like can result in honest answers. No one enjoys everything about any job, despite what applicants will say in interviews. Understanding your candidate’s likes and dislikes will help you determine if the individual will be a good fit for your specific job opening.

Tell me about a lasting friendship you’ve developed in a job

Building relationships only happens over time and with sustained effort, and it is a marker for high emotional intelligence. With this question, you learn how much your candidate values other employees as people, and it can give you an idea of your candidate’s level of commitment to team members.

What skill or expertise should you develop?

No one has mastered every possible skill, and you want to hear that your candidate is curious and has a desire to continue learning and improving in his field. If an individual doesn’t have an answer, you can take it as a sign that he doesn’t feel he has anything left to learn.

Describe a time in a job when things didn’t go the way you’d hoped

By asking about something that didn’t go well, you can gather information about your candidate’s tendencies as a self-starter and whether she views challenges as permanent setbacks or opportunities for growth. You also may learn whether your candidate is a team player or would point a finger of blame at colleagues.

What are your questions for me?

Providing your candidate with an opportunity to ask you questions can tell you how much she prepared in advance or how well she thinks on her feet. It also can give you an idea of the innovative — or potentially disruptive — ideas your new employee will bring to the table.

To uncover valuable information, ask the right interview questions

Few decisions are as important to your organization as the employees you hire. By asking compelling, open-ended questions, you can uncover your candidates’ emotional intelligence levels and improve your chances of adding strong team members.

5 Traits of Highly Effective Work Teams

Shannon Cassidy Leave a comment

strong team

Work teams are an integral part of so many businesses today.  It is important that teams work well together to innovate, problem solve, and ultimately move a company toward success.  To develop a strong team, strive to adopt the following 5 traits, common in highly effective work teams:

Clear Goals – Effective teams define what success is, and commit to achieving specific, attainable goals necessary to reach that success within a given time frame.  All members of the team know, understand, and strive to reach that end.

Commitment – In truly effective teams, every single member is committed to the purpose and success of an organization and the team itself.  Team members not only commit to their individual roles, but they also support and cheer on other members until team objectives are met.

Strong Communication – Effective teams exemplify clear, two-way communication.  Regardless of personality style, each member is listened to and offers consistent, valuable feedback.

Trust – Trust is a crucial characteristic of strong work teams.  People who feel valued and trusted keep themselves accountable and are encouraged and empowered to take on greater responsibilities, produce, and innovate.

Purpose – Effective teams are driven to succeed when they maintain a strong sense of purpose. Leaders of these teams deliver a strong mission that motivates and inspires people to complete their individual tasks in order to benefit a greater cause.