Collaboration Options
When working in a team environment there are a lot of options available to us when we need to interact with another individual. This is an area where I really need to improve. If we use the tools efficiently we can be more productive ourselves, and allow others to be more productive as well. There are lots of blogs out there and presentations with personal time management techniques. I want to take a look at it from an interaction perspective.
I’m trying to categorize techniques of interaction based on the degree of interruption to others and the immediacy of the need.
- Urgent – There is a production problem we must solve ASAP
- Phone
- Personal Conversation
- Quick – I need to bring something to your attention quickly
- Text
- Instant Messaging
- Email – I need a response, but I can wait ½ day to 1 day for a response
- Use keywords in the subject line for the degree of importance for response
- Some email systems allow you to add a priority to your message as well
- Conference Room – I need a conversation with a group of people
- Schedule meetings when conversations are needed with more than one person
- Use a conference room when you have an ad hoc meeting with more than one person. Sometimes it is better to do this even with one other person depending on the dissruption to those around you
Most Instant Messaging programs have an away and busy setting. This is a great way to communicate with your team. Away is pretty clear letting others know that if they send an IM, they may not have an expectation as to when a response may occur. Busy is helpful too, when you are in deep concentration. That lets others know you may or may not response to an IM.
This is an area where I really need to improve personally. I like to talk and prefer verbal communication with others. However, if I can interact with someone quickly over IM I reduce the dissruption. If the IM does not provide good communication, I can use the IM coversation to establish a verbal meeting then, or at a later time if other priorities are more important. When you’re deep in concentration trying to solve a problem, you’ll be glad you had a triage process in place allowing you to focus.
In this fashion, the need for communication is prioritized within the entire team.
You are going to need to have time to just talk with folks. Not about work or project stuff. So, be sure to have a part of your day set aside where you can do that as well without disrupting others around you.
Those are my thoughts for now. Please leave your comments below with ways you have optimized communication where your work.
Cheers,
Ben