You’re struggling to keep your team on the same page. What are the best team planning tools for you?

Team collaboration and transparency is key to any team success in my opinion. Although there are many tools out there, I feel like they’re all slightly limited with their features. We built our own team collaboration app using Caspio (low code app development platform), which allows us to create/assign goals, track progress, and even add attachments and message directly in the app which triggers an email notification. This has been a game changer for us, and we can keep adding features to it as we see fit.

Aside from the typical PM´s tools, we need to have in consideration the following good practices: - Regular communication through routine meetings. - Clearly define goals, timelines, and responsibilities. - Document decisions, action items, and updates. - Utilize collaborative platforms for shared information. - Conduct regular reviews for feedback and improvement. - Foster ownership and accountability among team members. - Remain flexible and adaptable to address challenges effectively. These are 101 to keep a healty team, ready to accomplish everything that need to be done.

I love Smartsheet. Smartsheet really changed the way we were able to collaborate as a team where projects where concerned but also allowed us to set up workflows that helped manage visibility to certain actions and steps that needed to be taken.

I am a firm believer in simple, clear, and repetitive communication. Leaders should stop relying on tools and revert to getting back to being human. Take the time and communicate, listen and seek agreement. You reap what you sow

La construcción de equipos de en gerencias de proyectos es fundamental. Modelos de excelencia como DICAR de la filosofía Lean Power Management son perfectos para lograr objetivos

La comunicación debe ser siempre directa, simple, con un lenguaje que todos entiendan, se deben abrir espacios para que las ideas fluyan !

In my experience communication is the number one challenge for an organization. Therefore it requires tools of course but moreover it requires a human understanding and ability to communicate clearly and effectively with your superior, peers and subordinates. In other words, you must be able to communicate at all levels adapting yourself to accommodate the person trying to establish communication with you. Remember this very powerful saying “treat people the way you want to be treated” and this is the very first rule in communication.

Communication and collaboration are important, but don't occur if the team doesn't share the same goal/s and doesn't see the same path forward. Spending time early on setting the path, with backups so that teammates can take care of themselves and their lives, and regularly revisiting the path are essential. Also, creating a healthy feedback culture is important, one which follows the known balance of 6 positive feedbacks to 1 negative, makes for a better team and help to keep the team on track. Knowing what's working gets more of what works. Just knowing what not to do leaves too much space with no direction.

Less about communication tools, more about a communication strategy and benchmark. You can have the best communication tool in the market but if you’re team aren’t utilising it then it becomes obsolete. Taking the time to create and embed a communication framework so everyone knows what information they should be sharing and when will help drive you forward with everyone on the same page.

Have a weekly standup and use a 4 x 3 matrix (I have to admit I started with 3 x 3 which sounded more cool), the rows are the stakeholders, which could be a person or a team. The columns are 3 bullets for the scope items the team delivered or developed that week, 3 bullet points for highlights, 3 bullet points for lowlights, red flags or risks, and 3 bullet points for the planned activities for next week. While it might seem simple, plan to setup at least an hour of meeting.

Elevate collaboration with Miro, a digital whiteboard platform that sparks creativity by facilitating real-time brainstorming, allowing your team to ideate and iterate collectively. Cultivate innovation using Stormboard, a visual collaboration tool that enables your team to brainstorm, organize ideas, and strategize in a dynamic and engaging virtual space. Inspire creativity with MindMeister, a mind mapping tool that enhances collaboration by visually capturing and connecting ideas, fostering a shared understanding among team members. Drive strategic thinking with Ideaboardz, a user-friendly tool that promotes collaborative brainstorming, helping your team generate, prioritize, and develop creative solutions for projects.

Understanding the Root Cause: Before recommending tools, it's crucial to understand why the team struggles with alignment. Communication Issues: Are team members unclear about goals, expectations, or project updates? Collaboration Obstacles: Do they lack centralized platforms for sharing information and progress? Process Inconsistency: Is there a lack of structure or standardized workflows? Team Dynamics: Are there communication gaps, personality clashes, or trust issues?

Some of the best brainstorming tools are: * Miro: A collaborative online whiteboard platform that lets you create, share, and edit visual diagrams, mind maps, sticky notes, and more. * Kumospace: A virtual meeting platform that lets you create and join immersive 3D spaces with your team. * Stormboard: An online brainstorming and collaboration tool that lets you capture, organize, and prioritize ideas on a shared digital workspace. * Asana: A project management and collaboration tool that lets you plan, manage, and track your projects, tasks, and goals. You can also use Asana to brainstorm ideas, create custom fields, reports, and dashboards.

For making flowcharts and any kind of diagrams, I always use draw.io. It's free, allows you to create simple or complicated diagrams, easy drag and drops feature, and it's available both as a web and desktop app. Moreover, for collaboration purpose it has shared workspace with real time updates.

Define the objective Encourage open participation Embrace diverse perspectives Set a time limit Capture all ideas Prioritize and refine ideas Assign action items

En el laboratorio, he encontrado que las herramientas de retroalimentación son muy importantes para el crecimiento. Utilizamos una plataforma que permite a los miembros del equipo proporcionar comentarios abiertos y constructivos sobre los procesos de laboratorio. Esto nos ha ayudado a identificar eficiencias, mejorar la comunicación y celebrar los éxitos del equipo de manera más efectiva. Es clave elegir una herramienta que fomente la transparencia y ofrezca retroalimentación procesable para impulsar el desarrollo continuo en el entorno del laboratorio.

Lesson learned I call it even as a term it looks likely recognized when talking about a project management. The idea is to make tomorrow’s task/job simpler so today’s is exciting and full of self actualized. Whether If it’s a customer feedback or internal feedback it will matter to improve and develop the business character to integrate and engage the business strategy and align the resources to achieve goals.

Choose one that aligns with your "honest, relevant, constructive, and supportive values Pulse Surveys: Tools like TinyPulse or Glint offer quick, anonymous surveys to gauge team sentiment and identify areas for improvement. (Relevant, timely) Peer Feedback Platforms: Software like Reflektive or 15Five facilitates structured peer feedback exchanges, fostering growth and accountability. (Constructive, actionable) 360° Feedback Tools: Platforms like Culture Amp or BambooHR enable multi-directional feedback, giving holistic insights and promoting transparency. (Honest, transparent) Team Collaboration Tools: Slack or Microsoft Teams, with built-in feedback features, streamline communication and capture feedback in context. (Relevant, timely)

Using tools like 15Five and Lattice has made the feedback process smoother. These platforms provide a structured way to share and receive feedback regularly, fostering a culture of continuous improvement and professional development.

brain and mouth are pretty good tools we can use. By far the most important tool in the belt is the pair of ears we were born with. brief one on ones with each team member where you Listen to their perceived understanding of project purpose, vision, and principles. i would bet many problems arise because the project hasn’t been clearly defined with a true picture of what completion or success looks like.

Esto hay que considerar 1. Lenguaje simple 2. Estructura administrativa 3. Operaciones 4. Lean power management 5. Dicar 6 equipos de alto rendimiento

Doubling down on setting up weekly, monthly, quarterly objectives for the team and highlighting progress or gaps on the same frequency. This approach facilitates a better understanding of how individual efforts contribute to the overall goals, especially in a fast-paced environment where everything seems urgent. It helps in minimizing distractions, prioritizing crucial discussions, and fostering better alignment and focus among team members.

"I conduct weekly one-on-one meetings with my direct reports and bi-weekly meetings with the extended team, fostering regular collaboration and alignment. I believe in the importance of consistent tool utilization, as their effectiveness depends on our commitment to using them regularly."

Before you go ahead with all the tools - use pure basic communication. If possible - do that in live meet-ups, be direct, be open.

Listen to them. If they are not in the same page perhaps is because they have different perspectives. By listening they will engage towards shared goals.