Do your communication tools satisfy these three key factors?

Do your communication tools satisfy these three key factors?

This week I have been reflecting on how my team communicates and the tools that we use.

At THC, we use;

An Online Project Management Tool

Our tool of choice is Asana, and I have been a loyal customer since 2016.

Asana is a project management tool we use across Team THC to allocate tasks, store training guides, project management templates and HR policies.

The tool has an excellent video feature, so we can record our screen and talk through the task to provide more clarity.

We also use Microsoft Teams.

Many people use teams to schedule online meetings; the tool offers so much more than this.

We have created multiple channels to inform the team of wins and client and marketing updates. We also use the platform to let each other know when we are online, signing off for the day, and other general things.

Because the majority of the team works virtually, we are invested in enhancing our virtual environment, and this is something we do really well.

Document Management

For document management, we use OneDrive, which is part of the Microsoft Office family.

We can tag each other within the document, work simultaneously on the same document and share it easily using a link within the THC ecosystem, which means we do not have to email each other the copy for it to be viewed and worked on.

Criteria for Success

The reason why I am sharing this is that, in my experience, even though the tools and processes have been in place for many years, the principle behind why and how we use the tools needs to be reviewed regularly as I have learned that to get the most from whichever tools we use, they will need to satisfy these three key factors;

1.    Value for money

2.    Maximised personal use

3.    Team integration and performance

So next time you purchase or review the systems in your teams, the following lenses may be helpful in your decision-making.

  • If you are the budget holder, every penny counts, and your focus may be on the tool’s value for money.
  • If you are the user, you may be focused on how the tool works for you and how it aids or hinders your productivity.
  • If you have leadership or management accountability, whilst you will be concerned with how people personally feel about and use the tool, you will also be concerned with how it drives and increases performance.

You will need to achieve 3/3 for the tool or system to really be seen as an asset.

If the tool doesn’t meet these criteria, the next set of questions you may need to consider is what can you stop, start and continue doing?

I hope this offers food for thought.

For My Primary Care Network Colleagues        
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The Online Programme

The Online Accelerator Programme is an introductory programme, delivered online for you to work through at your own pace and around your existing commitments.

You can start straight away.

The Live Programme

The sessions will take place on zoom on specific dates and will include a Core Strength Assessment to support you to identify your leadership and management style and tools to enhance your communication.

The start date is Monday 31st October.

Click here to find out how to register.

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There is one role in the Primary Care Network (PCN) which is seldom talked about.

I believe this is the role of the PCN administrator, otherwise known as the

  • Care coordinator
  • Project coordinator
  • Network coordinator
  • Or something similar

This role can often have a low profile, but when you find the right person, they are absolute gold.

Click here to head straight to the blog.

Listen To Our Podcast        
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Our new episode 201 Personalised Care & Bringing It To Life is out this week!

Download today to hear my conversation with Aimee Robson Deputy Director of Personalised Care NHS England.

Click here to download today or search The Business of Healthcare Podcast with Tara Humphrey on your Podcast Streaming Platform.

Join Us        
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Team THC will be attending Best Practice this October and we can’t wait to see you there! Let me know if you are thinking of attending and if so click here to register your place today!

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