Engage with your team members one on one
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In software project management, especially in small companies, how your company performs and delivers all comes down to your team.
As a project manager, observing your team, analyzing their collective and individual impact on the result, outcome, or delivery on an ongoing basis, and from time to time, engaging with them is a must.
There are times when you need to gather your team, brief them on your points, pump them up a bit, and there are times when you need to engage with them individually.
The lack of individual connection in collective team discussions
During the collective team discussion or a standup, it is very much likely that you will not get to know the problems, issues, or challenges faced by the individual team members individually that are affecting their day-to-day performance and their results.
Work-related as well as non-work-related.
They will rarely air it.
Whatever you say during your brief or stand up, they will hear it, agree with you, and go about doing their job.
Connecting with them one on one
In case you want to get the best results from the individual team members and even after your brief or standup and their agreement to your points do not bring any significant change in their results, it is time to engage with them one on one.
Talk to them about your concern and your expectations of them.
Be, and show a genuine feeling and understanding for them and their problems and for your concerns regarding their individual outcome and the overall good of the company.
Ask them what problems or challenges they are facing and what you can do to help them with them.
Sometimes, they open up to you in one go. Sometimes it takes multiple such engagements and continued good gestures on your part.
