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How Does Project-Based Work Build Trust?

Writer's picture: Laura Hope GoldstoneLaura Hope Goldstone

The pandemic has been challenging. We all know it - we've been living it for quite some time now. With all of the day-to-day changes our lives have experienced came a tweak in the way we work. Being in person meant certain behaviors were observable - the way we interacted with our peers, the way we conducted ourselves at our desks, how many breaks we took, how much time we spent at our computers or in meetings. But working remotely has shifted a lot of that.


We can't know what our employees are doing 100% of the time. We simply can't. If we think we can, we're mistaken. If you want to, you're probably also measuring the wrong things as a manager. But that's exactly the point: Instead of measuring someone's contributions in terms of an eight-hour workday, we should be looking at the projects they work on or the work they produce instead.


Project-based work occurs when someone is measured by their output - the projects they work on - rather than other metrics such as the amount of time spent at their desk or the hours they work. In a remote environment, focusing on employees' output provides a better basis for evaluation - you can truly keep performance reviews to their performance - as well as a better foundation for expectations and goal-setting. The idea is that you know what needs to get done - you don't care as much how it gets done.


This concept builds trust because employees know what is expected of them, they know how they are being evaluated, they know how to deliver, and it is up to them to do it or not. There isn't as much gray area or subjective evaluation. If you trust them to do their work, and they do it, they have earned your trust; if you trust them to their work, and you don't micromanage or measure them unfairly, you have earned theirs. This also builds trust because the employee is being held to the honor system - if you know you have to write a blog post, but you are doing your laundry, your boss may not know, but it is up to you to maintain your own standard of integrity. But here's the thing: If you hit your deadline, does it even matter? Project-based work can help build a better work-life balance so that you could throw in a load of laundry in between projects if you needed to. If you're only being evaluated based on the projects (or, for our PMO enthusiasts, deliverables) you complete, you can be trusted to work in whatever way you need to in order to get your work done, and you can feel empowered to take breaks or turn to your family without compromising your place at work.


Be cautioned, though: Creating an environment solely around project-based work can be a little extreme. It may sound more like a contractor position where you get paid for each article you write, for example. And that is likely the case, because work is still made up of more than just, well, work. There is still a company culture, even when employees are working remotely. There are still values. There are relationships. There are opportunities. There are standards, both written and unwritten. And some of those are simply outside the realm of project-based work. Some can be included - in order to complete a deliverable, you may need to collaborate with someone, building relationships. But some are part of being a part of that organization - the style of work that is celebrated or the unwritten standards for communication or respect that are difficult to convey if they are not related to a specific project.


Project-based work succeeds when it is celebrated as part of a larger organizational effort. If you are a leader at a company, you can coach your team members in your strategy, in the values of the company, in professional development for their individual growth, in the goals of the department. You can train your team members on what it takes to succeed, what you are looking for in an employee, opportunities they can take advantage of, unwritten rules and soft skills to complement their hard skills. You can set up weekly one-on-ones, team and department meetings (if they are different), goal charts, and a project management chart or content calendar (if applicable). Then, you can embrace project-based work - when it comes to the output, trust your employees to do their work in whatever way they need to produce the best work. They will trust you in return, creating a virtuous cycle that will both build relationships and enhance productivity - a win-win all around.




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