Lately, I’ve found myself hunting for files.
This wasn’t a problem in the past, so I started digging into what was going wrong.
Paying attention to what I was looking for and why this was happening.
Soon, I realized the problem.
Too many communication channels and no norms for what goes where.
I was working on a project where files were “anywhere”.
Attached to a meeting invite, in an email, on a Trello board, in a chat thread, or on Sharepoint.
When working on a file with someone, we might drop it in any of these locations.
Sometimes files were tied back to their Sharepoint location.
Sometimes they weren’t.
So, I was spending countless minutes everyday hunting for things.
This underlined the importance of team norms.
The Norms of the Team
The norms provide guidelines for day-to-day work.
One of the starting places to get a group organized should be how to share information.
What channels will you use? What is the purpose of each channel? What content goes where?
How do you ensure everyone is up to date?
Start with the systems then move to the process.
Soon, you’ll have a structure that works for the whole team.
And everyone will save time.
Less time hunting for things they are missing.
Less time resending something someone else has misplaced.
Some organizations have structures in place. If yours doesn’t, maybe it’s time to lean in.
Your Turn
Do you struggle to find things a team member sent you?
Do the teams you are a part of have communication norms?
If there are challenges, what could you do to make things smoother?