Category: Collaboration

April 27, 2023

Working with agile methodologies: Do you know Scrum?

Collaboration

Productivity

The Agile work methodology is an iterative and incremental approach to project management and software development. It was designed to help teams become more flexible and efficient, and to quickly adapt to changes in project requirements and customer needs. In this blog, we will tell you about this type of methodologies and we will describe the Scrum process.

The Agile methodology focuses on collaboration and communication between team members, rather than following a detailed and rigorous plan. Agile work teams are organized into sprints, which are short periods of time (usually 1-4 weeks) during which new project features or functionality are developed and delivered.

Some of the key principles of the Agile methodology are:

  • Close collaboration between team members and with project stakeholders (customers, users, etc.)
  • Continuous delivery of project functionalities, with special attention to the most important elements for the client
  • Adapting to changes in project requirements and environment, rather than following a fixed and rigid plan
  • Self-organization and empowerment of teams, allowing members to make decisions and assume responsibilities

Some of the most used agile methodologies are: SCRUM, Kanban, Lean Software Development, Design Sprint, Extreme Programming XP, Crystal, Dynamic Systems Development Method, Design Thinking, among others. In this blog, we focus in Scrum and will tell you everything you need to know about this methodology.

What is SCRUM?

Scrum is an agile framework used in software development and project management in general. It was developed to help teams work together more efficiently and effectively to achieve goals in a dynamic and changing environment.

Scrum is based on the concept of short, frequent iterations, called sprints, during which the work team focuses on creating a specific product or set of features. Each sprint has a predefined duration and begins with a planning meeting, in which the team determines what work will be done during that sprint.

During these sprints, the team has daily meetings to review progress and coordinate the work. At the end of the sprint, the completed work is presented and a retrospective is held to reflect on what was done well, what could be improved, and how it can be applied in the next sprint.

Scrum also uses a set of roles to help teams work more efficiently and effectively. These include the SCRUM Master, the Product Owner, and the Development Team.

How should the SCRUM methodology be applied to work with projects?

  1. The project is divided into short iterations called sprints, which typically last between 1 and 4 weeks.
  2. At the beginning of each sprint, the Scrum Team meets to set up the sprint goals and priorities. This meeting is called Sprint Planning.
  3. During the sprint, the team works on the tasks necessary to achieve the sprint goals. The team meets every day for about 15 minutes in a meeting called Daily Scrum to discuss the progress of the work and any issues that may appear.
  4. At the end of the sprint, the team meets in a meeting called Sprint Review to revise the results of the sprint and receive feedback from stakeholders.
  5. After the review meeting, the team meets in a meeting called Sprint Retrospective to evaluate the sprint and determine how they can improve their work going forward.
  6. Once the sprint is complete, the team prepares to start the next sprint, and the process starts all over again.

Scrum is a very effective project management methodology for development teams looking for a more agile and flexible way of working on complex projects. It encourages transparency, collaboration, and the consistent delivery of customer value, which can help improve product quality and increase customer satisfaction.

Workdeck is software that allows you to manage project work and is ideal for working with agile methodologies since each user has access to: a Kanban chart to be clear about their activities and tasks, a Gantt chart for project monitoring, and communication tools to be constantly interacting between teams.

We invite you to learn more about Workdeck by starting your free trial here!

March 20, 2023

How to be a good leader? 10 tips to lead your team to success

Collaboration

Productivity

Barcos de papel blanco y uno rojo al frente
Being a good leader is not the same as being a good boss. Although both roles are directly related, the leader guides his team through the use of soft skills that encourage teams to feel stimulated, motivated, with a sense of belonging, and therefore, more efficient. The leader is a figure that allows to improve the organizational culture and performance of the company, because, if the employees feel happy, listened to and with an inspiring reference, from the professional and the human aspects, success is assured. In this blog, we give you some tips to become the leader your team needs.

The figure of a good leader implies having skills and characteristics that allow you to guide, motivate and support a team to achieve goals and objectives. Effective leadership is not just about personal skills and characteristics, but also about learning to adapt and apply your knowledge and experience in all contexts. Here are some qualities that are often associated with a good leader:

  1. Inspiration and motivation: A good leader must be able to inspire and motivate his team to give the best of themselves. This involves setting clear goals, acknowledging team accomplishments, and providing constructive feedback.
  2. Clear and honest communication: It is important to be transparent with the team and clearly communicate the situation and the challenges that are being faced. It’s better to be honest from the start and address issues openly and transparently.
  3. Keep calm and perspective: It is important to keep calm and perspective during difficult times. It’s no use panicking or allowing stress and anxiety to take over. You must maintain a positive and focused mentality, always with the focus on the objectives.
  4. Set an example: As a leader, you must be a role model for the team. This means staying positive and showing how to face challenges with courage and resilience.
  5. Emotional support: In difficult times, it is important to be available to emotionally support your team. Listen to their concerns and fears, and try to provide support and encouragement to help them through challenges.
  6. Encourage collaboration: Instead of facing challenges alone, encourage collaboration and cooperation in the team. Working together can increase creativity, innovation and find solutions that might not have been possible otherwise.
  7. Planning and organization: During difficult times, it is important to have a plan and stay organized. This helps ensure that the team is focused on important goals and is working effectively toward them.
  8. Effective delegation: A good leader must be able to delegate tasks and responsibilities effectively, ensuring that each team member has the necessary skills and resources to do their job.
  9. Recognition and celebration of achievements: As the team overcomes challenges, it is important to recognize and celebrate achievements. This helps maintain team morale and increases motivation to keep working together to achieve goals.
  10. Adaptability: A good leader must be able to adapt to changes in the environment and in the organization. This involves being flexible and willing to change direction and goals as needed.

Leading correctly is an opportunity to grow and strengthen the team, and therefore, the company. Maintaining a positive attitude and working collaboratively are the keys to overcoming challenges. This is achieved not only with the development of soft skills and experience, but also with tools that help plan projects, organize work teams, and correctly distribute resources. Workdeck is a platform that can accompany this process, as it offers multiple functions such as:

  • Gantt diagram
  • Kanban board
  • Project, task and activity management
  • Calendar management
  • Purchases and expenses
  • Time control and timesheet management
  • Internal chat

If you don’t know Workdeck, we invite you to live the experience starting a free trial here

March 8, 2023

Time Control Law

Collaboration

Uncategorized

On March 8, 2019, the government approved the royal decree-law 8/2019 that obliges companies to have a control of the time worked of each employee. This hourly control law aims to guarantee compliance in terms of working hours, it also creates legal certainty for both workers and companies and it enables control by the Labor and Social Security Inspectorate.

We already mentioned that the objective of this law is to ensure compliance with the established working hours to support the legal certainty of the employee and the employer. The idea of this blog is to summarize and explain in detail everything related to this law.

What type of workers and companies does the time registration apply to?

Hourly recording applies to all workers, regardless of their category or professional group, to all sectors of activity and to all companies, whatever their size or organization of work, as long as they are included in the scope of application that defines article 1 ET. Companies are obliged to record the daily working hours also with respect to “mobile”, commercial, temporary, remote workers or any other situation in which the labor benefit is not carried out, totally or partially, in the workplace of the company. The only peculiarities or exceptions are the following:

  • Labor relations of a special nature
  • Workers who have a specific or particular regime regarding registration of working hours

What means can be used to record  hourly control?

The standard does not establish a specific or predetermined modality for the daily recording of the day, limiting itself to pointing out that it must be carried out day by day and include the start and end times of the day. For this, and regarding the rest of the configuring elements, it calls for self-regulation, through collective bargaining or the company agreement.

Any system or means, on paper or digital, capable of fulfilling the legal objective, that is, providing reliable, unchangeable and non-manipulable information afterwards, either by the employer or by the worker himself, will be valid. For this, the information of the working day must be documented in some type of written or digital instrument, or mixed systems that guarantees the traceability, reliability and invariability of the working horse registered.

Can companies unilaterally establish their own working day registration systems?

Yes, within certain margins: the law provides that collective bargaining or company agreements are responsible for the organization and documentation of the time record, as well as the specific system (manual records, digital platforms, lathes, etc.) or the specific form to complete them, incorporating all those aspects that are considered necessary for the fulfillment of its purpose. This provision allows the different types of companies, sectors and professional occupations to have a model or system adapted to their characteristics, and specify, in accordance with the definitions contained in the agreement, conditions such as interruptions, pauses, flexibility in the distribution of working time or others.

Is the entire time elapsed between the registered start and end times of the daily workday considered as effective working time?

The formal obligation is the daily record of the working day, so it must contain, by express legal mention, “the specific start and end times of the working day for each worker”. However, it is also convenient that everything that is part of it be subject to keeping, especially that related to mandatory daily breaks legally or conventionally provided for, or voluntary, to avoid the presumption that all the time between the start and end of the registered working day constitutes effective working time.

When the legal, conventional or contractual expression of these interruptions or intra-day breaks is clear, predetermined and global, the daily record may evade those internal configurative elements of the daily work, because they are identifiable in relation to those other instruments that provide certainty and security of the work time performed and attributable.

How are the hours of workers traveling to clients recorded?

In relation to workers posted outside the usual work center, with or without overnight stays, the daily recording of the working day does not alter the application of the general statutory rules, and the effective working time must be recorded.

All this information is recorded in the Spanish “Guide on the registration of working hours“, a file published by the Ministry of Labour, Migration and Social Security and whose objective is to facilitate the implementation of the mentioned law.

Although after the pandemic it seems that most companies are migrating to virtual / digital work, there are many who still have doubts about when and how to do it. With this new regulation, virtual work must also be controlled and from Workdeck we offer a platform with the possibility of controlling work time, focused on project management and that allows a holistic vision of what is happening in the company.

If you want, you can start your free trial of our platform here!

 

February 24, 2023

Gantt chart: an excellent tool to manage tasks

Collaboration

Productivity

Software Workdeck en notebook
The Gantt chart is a widely used project management tool due to its effectiveness in planning, scheduling, and tracking projects. The usefulness of this methodology lies in the fact that it allows a clear and simple visualization of the tasks to be done, the time required and the period in which it has to be carried out. In this blog we will tell you how it works and what are the advantages of using a Gantt chart.

The Gantt chart was first created in the mid-1890s by Polish engineer Karol Adamiecki, who called it a harmonogram and developed it as a method of graphically presenting interdependent processes in order to improve the visibility of schedules. Fifteen years later, an American engineer, Henry Gantt, created his own version of the chart and popularized it into the chart we know today, which bears his name.

Its popularity increased because of the efficiency it provides throughout an entire project development process. The advantages that stand out the most about its implementation are:

1. Planning: Helps project managers plan the tasks required to complete a project and establish a realistic and achievable schedule.

2. Scheduling: Allows PMs to schedule tasks and resources efficiently,avoiding task scheduling conflicts and maximizing the use of available resources.

3. Follow-up: Allows continuous monitoring of the progress of the project, which allows possible delays or deviations from the original plan to be detected in time.

4. Communication: Excellent tool for communicating the project plan to all stakeholders, including project team members, project sponsors, and clients.

5. Decision Making: Helps project managers make informed decisions, including resource allocation, task rescheduling, and potential risk identification.

How does a Gantt chart work?

As we mentioned, the diagram is generally used for project management, since it allows visualization of how tasks and projects progress over a certain period of time. Its visualization is usually structured by: projects, tasks, month, year and weeks of work. Now, we will show you an example of this chart in Workdeck’s platform:

In the left side of the image, there are the tasks or activities that are part of a project.

Plataforma Workdeck

Using Workdeck’s Gantt chart, you can see who are the employees assigned to each task, the time scheduled and the time already worked on each task.

Sección trabajo de plataforma Workdeck

At the top, there is a timeline that spans the length of the project. In this case, the project can be viewed by month, but if desired, the project can be analyzed by day or week.

Each task is assigned a time frame and then a bar is built to delimit the start and end of the task. There are many variants of this diagram, and in the case of Workdeck, it was created to make project and task management even easier. Each color has a meaning , milestones and problems can be also marked in order to have a holistic vision of each project.

As we can see, the Gantt chart has the ability to show in a single image the duration of projects and tasks, the relationship between them, objectives to be completed and possible risks.

Plataforma Workdeck

Workdeck’s Gantt chart is synchronized with the Kanban chart (you can read more about this tool in the article: The Kanban methodology: a tool to optimize work) and with the calendar. In this way, any change or modification made to the platform will always be reflected in the diagram.

Finally, Workdeck also provides the ability to attach files, have conversations and leave comments, all from the Gantt chart so that each user can have full knowledge of the status of projects and tasks.

As we mentioned, there are many variants of the Gantt chart and it is important to use one that fits the needs of the company and allows employees to be more efficient and effective. If you want to try Workdeck’s Gantt chart, feel free to request your free trial of the platform here!

January 23, 2023

9 benefits of working from home with your pet

Collaboration

Productivity

Technology

If you are a pet owner and work from home, this article is for you. We will tell you about the benefits of virtual work for you and your pet and we give you some tips so that you can organize your tasks and spend more quality time with your best friend.

One of the great changes that the COVID-19 pandemic brought was the migration to start working from virtual spaces. Since 2020, home office is a growing trend and it has proven that it provides important advantages for both companies and workers. We`ve already explained the positive aspects of remote work in “The Digital Workplace boom: A trend that is here to stay“, but now we want to talk about the benefits of working from home when you have a pet.

From the moment we decide to dedicate part of our lives to a pet, we know that it will bring with it a lot of joy to our houses. However, having a pet demands time that sometimes we lack due to the schedule that we carry between work and other things. Since companies began to establish home office as a modality, pet care not only became easier, but also gave way to multiple positive changes in the owner-pet relationship.

Working from home with a pet can have a lot of benefits for mental and physical health. For example:

  1. Stress reduction: Spending time with our pet is really comforting and helps reduce anxiety and stress. This can improve the ability to concentrate and increase productivity.
  2. Improved mental health: Physical contact with a pet can release oxytocin, a hormone associated with  well being and relaxation. This can help reduce stress and improve mental health.
  3. Improved physical health: Interacting with a pet can help improve physical health. Walking or playing with your pet can help improve physical condition and reduce the risk of inactivity-related diseases.
  4. Reduced loneliness: Working from home can be lonely, but having a pet around can provide company and reduce feelings of loneliness.
  5. Improved emotional well-being: Caring for a pet can help develop a sense of responsibility and grant a purpose in life that transcends the tangible.
  6. Greater flexibility: Working from home with a pet can provide a greater level of flexibility in terms of hours and the place of work. This helps reduce the problems that come from leaving your pet alone for long periods of time.
  7. Increased creativity: Spending time with a pet can help inspire new ideas and increase creativity. Animals can provide a fresh and different perspective on work problems and challenges.
  8. Improved productivity: Working from home with a pet can help establish a regular routine and schedule, which can improve productivity and efficiency.
  9. Enhanced Teamwork: While working from home with a pet can make you feel lonely, it can also help improve teamwork by enhancing communication and support among team members who are also working from home with pets. The similarities between peers facilitate a  fluid communication and more collaborations.

However, it is important to keep in mind that working remotely with our pets at home can present new challenges in addition to those that already exist on a day-to-day basis, such as distractions and organizational problems. A new dynamic must be adopted in terms of planning work and free time. Therefore, it is very important to establish a specific place of the house to work in which pets cannot access so as not to generate interruptions and establish clear limits during work time and breaks.

As we’ve mentioned before, it is proven that living with pets at home helps us to release large amounts of stress and by playing with them, we can forget about our problems and at the same time make them happy. Pets are very special members of the family since they are the ones who are with us at all times and always give us pure and unconditional love.

You have to be flexible, and willing to adapt to changes and find what works best for both of you. Walking your dog during meetings can be an efficient strategy to clear your head and have new and renewed ideas.. Also, with all the remote work tools that exist today, we can walk our pet and continue reading emails or answering chats.

It is important to be able to plan the work and have a routine in which you eat breakfast, walk the dog, have lunch and take breaks. It is useless to be working all day without taking breaks because you run the risk of burnout. You must take advantage of the planning tools of your company, so that each person manages their work and their times in the best way. Platforms like Workdeck offer a virtual workspace that facilitates organization and work performance.

In case your current company does not have this type of management tools, we invite you to discover Workdeck, a platform to have your virtual office and manage your projects, expenses, purchases and much more.

 

February 16, 2021

Projects and Organisational structure: a shift in power

Collaboration

Puños chocando que causan explosión
Projects are being increasingly used to deliver innovative products and services, to perform change and transformation and – in general – to get work done in organisations. As such, a growing number of organisations perform a considerable part of their processes and activities as projects.

However, according to the International Project Management Association (IPMA), in terms of organisation structure and company leadership, most organisations continue to be organised based on the principle of dividing the work in functional activities that are organised in specialized functional departments1 (such as Sales, Human Resources, Finance, Marketing, Productions, etc.), and tend to follow a top-down, command and control hierarchy.

Performing projects within such an organisation structure and leadership hierarchy is not ideal for project delivery and success. Surprisingly, projects can all too frequently be seen as a source of additional ‘burden’ to the teams engaged in projects (who are mobilised from across functional departments), as well as to the heads of the functional departments being ‘disturbed’ by the project (who have their teams and resources dedicated to a project). Moreover, it is not always clear the command hierarchy between the Project Manager and these departmental heads.

The bottom line is that the more projects a traditionally set up organisation performs, the more ‘burden’ it needs to cope with.

IPMA points to an opportunity to optimise efficiencies, delivery and increase the likelihood of project success by enabling the creation of a Project Based Organisation (PBO) that can be mobilised and empowered within the existing traditional structure. The interesting features of a PBO are that it is a temporary structure (i.e. in place for the duration of the project), and it is flexible and adaptable to the specific circumstances of the project and its context for the business. A key consideration within such a structure, is the fostering of a symbiotic interaction between the PBO and the enabling or supporting functions in the organisation1 (Sales, HR, R&D, etc.); the functional departments are in a supporting not a controlling role.

Here is where the role of the Project Manager becomes crucial. In a PBO, the Project Manager is no longer an individual who is merely competent in the technicalities of Project Management processes, methods and tools1. The Project Manager needs to be competent in leadership and should possess the authority to engage and direct the support of the heads of the functional departments. In addition, the Project Manager should have the skills to establish strategic direction, mobilise and facilitate collaboration between all teams involved, and steer the project towards a successful outcome in line with the organisational goals.

The ability for project-oriented businesses to harmoniously create and run temporary PBO structures embedded within the traditional organisation structure opens the opportunity to increase project efficiencies, reduce the burden of projects on the organisation, and ultimately lead to greater chances of project success and the overall contribution to organisational goals. A key figure becomes the Project Manager with a strong leadership skillset.

1 https://www.ipma.world/will-project-based-organisations-new-normal/