Teams can employ a number of tactics to ensure maximum efficiency when working on projects.
Agile is a software development philosophy which aims to encourage good teamwork. It achieves this by documenting best practice in team-oriented software development. There are a number of frameworks employing Agile principles. One such framework; and perhaps one of the most popular, is called Scrum.
Project management frameworks such as Scrum aim to provide teams with a basis on which to further enhance the management of software development projects. Scrum defines a number of specific roles which are required to enable good teamwork, and in what fashion communication is to be conducted by team members.
One method employed by the Scrum framework is commonly referred to as a stand-up. Named as such because participants generally stand up for the duration of the meeting, the thought behind it being that forcing the participants to stand encourages brevity, allowing the stand-up to be as short as possible. A daily scrum is generally conducted early in the morning and is intended to establish goals for the day, and to promote good teamwork, allowing each member of the team to discuss any recent successes or challenges they have faced or currently are facing. My team has adopted this aspect of Scrum based on its communicative benefits, promoting great teamwork within the workplace.
Additionally, the office we work in is open plan, providing employees with groups of benches to sit at rather than more isolated cubicles. I believe that this has a positive impact on team morale and likely lends itself to overall increased team productivity as a consequence.
Our employers also ensure that all employees are provided with the necessary facilities required for each team member to say hydrated throughout the working day, with cold and boiling water available on tap. This is important as it is known that dehydration can have a negative impact on cognition. This includes mood, effort and concentration; potentially having an observable negative impact on a team's ability to function effectively. The study documented in this article, which describes a study conducted on primary school students in Zambia which documents the effects of dehydration on cognitive performance and mood.