Heads up! To view this whole video, sign in with your Courses account or enroll in your free 7-day trial. Sign In Enroll
Preview
Start a free Courses trial
to watch this video
Working with teams - in companies and even for freelancers - has become part of everyday work experiences, so it's important to understand the keys to being productive and effective with them.
This video doesn't have any notes.
Related Discussions
Have questions about this video? Start a discussion with the community and Treehouse staff.
Sign upRelated Discussions
Have questions about this video? Start a discussion with the community and Treehouse staff.
Sign up
Working on websites and apps can be a very solitary work situation.
0:00
For many of you, it's easier just to do things on your own. There's nobody you have to deal with, nobody you have to wait for.
0:05
You can call the shots, you can control the pace of your work.
0:13
But working with teams and companies and even for freelancers has become part of many work experiences,
0:16
so it's important to understand the keys to being productive and effective with a team.
0:24
Teams do not work if expectations are unclear.
0:30
With the project on the line, team members must be organized and focused on specific tasks with specific timelines in place.
0:34
Understanding the expectations others have for you helps define your priorities and manage your time and deliverables.
0:43
Without this understanding, you may be working on pieces of your project that the team doesn't need yet,
0:50
or you might be going in a different direction than everyone else.
0:56
Members of teams often share files, documents, and other assets to support project deliverables.
0:59
Ensuring that you have access to the latest data means getting on board with the tools and the platforms that the team is using.
1:07
In certain situations, you'll find everything in one place.
1:14
In others, you may have to check out four or five different collaborative tools just to see what's going on.
1:18
Remain flexible but stay current.
1:24
With each project, make sure you know where the latest information documents are and you'll always remain on schedule.
1:27
Related to this, communication between team members is essential.
1:35
We all know how one thing can mess up our projects and our time tables. The effects can be multiplied when teams are involved,
1:40
even more so if these issues are not communicated.
1:49
Make sure you regularly share your progress and share any issues you encounter along the way.
1:52
Don't be afraid of sharing issues that you face. Be transparent.
1:58
The more information the team members have, the better the team's chances are at solving these problems together.
2:02
But, beyond the work, beyond the milestones, the deliverables,
2:10
understand that working with a team means interacting with other people.
2:15
Whether those team members are higher ups, contractors, interns, or anyone else, they are people too,
2:20
so respect their time. Treat them like professionals.
2:27
You don't have to know their life story or understand why they do the things the way that they do.
2:31
Recognize that if they're on your team, they have responsibilities just like you.
2:36
And, just like you, they're going to face problems. They're going to make mistakes, and they're going to need help.
2:41
Treat them like you would want to be treated, with respect and understanding.
2:46
You are working towards a common goal, so support them and they will support you.
2:52
So, if you can work well with a team, how does this benefit you?
2:59
People will want to work with you, they'll want to collaborate,
3:04
and they'll want to know that they can get results and they can do that with you.
3:07
This will lead to more opportunities.
3:11
So, whether you're leading the team or one of many collaborators,
3:14
understanding how to communicate and deal with others
3:18
while treating them with respect will always benefit the team and the project.
3:21
You need to sign up for Treehouse in order to download course files.
Sign upYou need to sign up for Treehouse in order to set up Workspace
Sign up