Closing the Loop: Intra-team Communication

Nobody told me…

I didn’t know…

I forgot…

These short phrases have many project managers wanting to pull their hair while the perpetrators of these statements are blissfully unaware of the stress they cause.

Recently, a senior corporate professional lamented that some of her team members do not deem it fit to report their work status at the end of the day, even when she asks them to do so. That off-hand remark brought back an archived memory from the early years of my career.

On one occasion, my project manager assigned me a task that had to be completed on priority. He also mentioned that he would be in the office to guide me. I was at work over the weekend. Since my project manager did not turn up, I left the office after completing my work. It did not occur to me that I had to send him a status update or leave a note at his desk. He happened to come in after I had left. Since this incident occurred in the pre-mobile era, he was left fretting until he received an update the following Monday. He gave me a piece of his mind and I learned my lesson the hard way.

‘Closing the loop’ means updating your colleagues or customers about the current status and is a critical activity in business. In project management, closing the loop means follow-up and/or closing a discussion/action item. Managers have to rely on others to get their work done and so ‘closing the loop’ is crucial.

In a hybrid mode of working, intra-team communication is vital for the team to perform as a cohesive unit to meet its goals. When team members forget to update each other on the work status [especially when there are dependencies], it causes unnecessary heartache for everyone involved. If this action is often repeated, it causes a lack of trust and co-operation and sends the team morale on a downward spiral.

What can be done to improve intra-team communication?

1. Reduce the inertia to communicate:
Ideally, emails are the preferred mode for a business. But Gen Z prefers informal channels like WhatsApp, MS Teams etc. Whichever channel the team opts for should be chosen to eliminate the inertia to communicate. Also, have a backup channel [viz phone calls, Zoom meetings, in-person discussions etc.] for emergencies so that everyone is aware that they have to participate in such calls too.

2. Say what you do and do what you say:
If you have agreed to share updates at the end of each day, you must honour that commitment. Set reminders for yourself or create a habit so that your updates are shared.

3. Gravity should work:
Team communication is not always bottom-up. Project leads and managers should share updates [e.g. client communication, client feedback, etc.] with the team so that each team member is aware of the current status.

4. Communicate expectations clearly:
Listening actively and paraphrasing the discussion/meeting proceedings will help reduce miscommunication. You may want to ensure that each member lists out the tasks they will do so that they stay engaged in the discussions and are aware of the action items.

5. Share minutes of meetings/discussions:
Here is another technique to ensure those action items are not merely discussed but also followed through. Identify a scribe for each meeting, and have him/her share the minutes of the discussion so those action items are tracked for closure.

6. Use a tool for transparent reporting:
A collaborative tool like Slack or even a basic Google sheet with action items and expected end dates for activities will create transparency.

Despite your best efforts as a manager, you may come across colleagues who may not willingly share work-related updates. In such cases, it is good to identify the root cause for such behaviour. Fear of repercussion for not completing the work, inability to ask for help or even plain indifference are a few causes for such behaviour. Counselling or coaching may be ideal for such people to facilitate a turnaround.

In summary, establish a culture where closing the loop is the norm and is the default behaviour.