Question
I'm taking my first step in leadership by managing an internal project (I'm working as UX architect and agile project manager). We are will redesigning our company website and some internal tools. The company is small and has shallow hierarchy, although the general culture is not very fast faced.
I already built good rapport with dev and design team but they don't report to me.
I noticed this trend in previous jobs that I worked as a resource and would like to avoid:
1-if the project is super structured with a lot of pressure ,dates, and specific roles are given, production is faster, but people tend to burn out and creativity, innovation , risk taking diminish, authority starts to get questioned when people feel that tasks are being assigned add no value to improve the product. Projects with this approach have high quality (in terms of quality assurance) but low quality in terms of product.
2-On the opposite side, lack of structure and deadlines also diminish motivation, nothing is finished, people try new things but they tend to procrastinate and walk around the hard parts or just give up. The relationship between managers and production is usually good but the output is mediocre.
What is the best way to motivate people in agile development to achieve great success?
What I will try to do:
1-Give little structure by assigning roles to a multi disciplinary team, instead of distributing tasks. So for ex. one designer is responsible for both design and vision, so I'm giving him control over his work confined in his space
2-Allow people to fail and have regular meetings to discuss in group what is wrong with the project.
3-Get feedback from users for each sprint (3 weeks), even for low fidelity prototypes, to make sure it's not a one person (me) perspective or just our teams opinions, I got this from HCD methodology. We are doing internal and external qualitative interviews
4-celebrate and reward achievements or any behavior that adds value to the project (outside of the box or what was planned).
5-Do work team work building events (get the folks to a beer night which I already did and people told me that it was a very good practice)
Is there anything also that I do or avoid to make me more Successful?
Answer
Organizations assemble teams to complete projects on a temporary basis or as a permanent fixture in a department. The projects may include reducing scrap or waste, increasing safety, or developing a new process for the company. A team must have a leader to operate efficiently. The leader provides one voice that directs the activities of all members. While the group does work together to achieve the team goals, only one leader can guide the group toward that end. An efficient team requires short-term and long-term goals. Each member of the team must have a clear understanding of the group goals and the steps to achieve those goals. Team members must have feedback on their performance when completing tasks. Each team member can correct his performance only when he understands the areas that require improvement. The leader should evaluate the team and its performance as a group to work out problems as they occur. For example, a leader should address conflicts between team members as soon as possible to prevent damage to the morale of the group. A team with high morale works for the good of the group to accomplish the project goals.
Create a reasonable timeline for the project and offer rewards for meeting benchmarks. For example, a project manager for a software development team might divide the task into three phases: design, coding, and testing. You likely have a clear vision for how you want the project to proceed, but they might have important insights you lack. If you ignore the team’s opinions, the members will lose motivation as it becomes clear you are disconnected from their on-the-ground experiences. Be empathetic when you see the signs of exhaustion. While threats and intimidation might spur the team momentarily, tired and worn employees benefit more from a chance to recharge and regroup. Maintain a positive atmosphere by highlighting the significant progress already made and by encouraging your team to view the problems as temporary and fixable.
Besides if you do have any questions give me a call: https://clarity.fm/joy-brotonath
