How can you make sure your team is comfortable with the technology for a reporting project?

Technology can be a powerful tool for journalism, but it can also pose challenges for collaboration, communication, and learning. If you are leading or working on a reporting project that involves using new or unfamiliar technology, how can you make sure your team is comfortable and confident with it? Here are some tips to help you and your team succeed.

1 Assess your needs

Before you dive into using any technology, you need to have a clear idea of what you want to achieve with it and how it fits into your reporting project. What kind of data, visuals, or multimedia do you need to collect, analyze, or produce? What kind of skills, tools, or platforms do you need to use or learn? How will you share and manage your work with your team and your audience? By answering these questions, you can identify your needs and prioritize the most essential and relevant technology for your project.

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Serhii Kharchuk

Anti-fraud @ Lean Six Sigma Black Belt | TensorFlow PyTorch | Business Analytics | Google | AWS | Laws | Marketing | Brand Strategy | Software Development | HR Business | Administration | Financial Management | Aerospace
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Before choosing any technology, understand the specific needs of your project. Consider the nature of the reporting, the data you'll be handling, and the output you expect. Engage with your team to understand their proficiency levels and any concerns they might have about using new technologies.

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2 Choose your tools

Once you have assessed your needs, you can start looking for the best tools to meet them. There are many options available, from free and open source software to paid and proprietary platforms. You may want to consider factors such as cost, accessibility, functionality, compatibility, security, and support when choosing your tools. You may also want to consult with experts, peers, or reviewers who have used the same or similar tools before and can offer advice or feedback. You should also test your tools before using them for your project to make sure they work as expected and meet your standards.

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Serhii Kharchuk

Anti-fraud @ Lean Six Sigma Black Belt | TensorFlow PyTorch | Business Analytics | Google | AWS | Laws | Marketing | Brand Strategy | Software Development | HR Business | Administration | Financial Management | Aerospace
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Select tools that align with your project's needs and your team's skill set. Opt for user-friendly, widely adopted technologies that have robust support communities. It's also important to consider the scalability and integration capabilities of the tools, ensuring they can work well with any existing systems.

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3 Train your team

After you have chosen your tools, you need to make sure your team knows how to use them effectively and efficiently. Depending on the complexity and novelty of the technology, you may need to provide different levels of training and support for your team members. You can use various methods, such as online tutorials, webinars, workshops, manuals, or mentors, to help your team learn the basics and advanced features of the tools. You should also encourage your team to practice and experiment with the tools and to ask questions or seek help when needed.

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Serhii Kharchuk

Anti-fraud @ Lean Six Sigma Black Belt | TensorFlow PyTorch | Business Analytics | Google | AWS | Laws | Marketing | Brand Strategy | Software Development | HR Business | Administration | Financial Management | Aerospace
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Provide comprehensive training on the new technologies. This could be in the form of workshops, online courses, or one-on-one training sessions. Make sure the training is tailored to different learning paces and styles, and ensure that everyone has the opportunity to practice and ask questions.

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4 Communicate your expectations

Another important aspect of making your team comfortable with the technology is to communicate your expectations clearly and consistently. You should set realistic and measurable goals and deadlines for your project and assign roles and responsibilities to your team members. You should also establish norms and protocols for using the technology, such as naming conventions, file formats, backup plans, or security measures. You should also create channels and platforms for communication and collaboration, such as email, chat, video call, or cloud storage, and use them regularly to update, monitor, and coordinate your team's progress.

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Serhii Kharchuk

Anti-fraud @ Lean Six Sigma Black Belt | TensorFlow PyTorch | Business Analytics | Google | AWS | Laws | Marketing | Brand Strategy | Software Development | HR Business | Administration | Financial Management | Aerospace
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Clearly communicate how you expect the team to use the technology in the project. Set clear goals and timelines, and explain how the technology fits into the overall project strategy. Encourage your team to explore the full capabilities of the tools and to think creatively about how they can be leveraged to enhance their reporting.

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Zina Kremer
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I agree. However, the change of course in a human relationship is unpredictable. What’s better? Stay and pretend, being linear with technology or talk to the team? The progress would be evaluated at a glance. No cloud, no stockage.

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5 Evaluate your results

Finally, you should evaluate your results and reflect on your experience with the technology. You should collect and analyze feedback from your team, your audience, and your stakeholders on the quality and impact of your project. You should also identify the strengths and weaknesses of the technology you used and how it affected your workflow and output. You should also acknowledge and celebrate your team's achievements and learning outcomes and share your insights and lessons learned with others.

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Serhii Kharchuk

Anti-fraud @ Lean Six Sigma Black Belt | TensorFlow PyTorch | Business Analytics | Google | AWS | Laws | Marketing | Brand Strategy | Software Development | HR Business | Administration | Financial Management | Aerospace
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After completing the project or reaching a significant milestone, evaluate how effectively the technology was utilized. Gather feedback from the team on what worked well and what challenges they faced. This will help you understand if the training was adequate or if there are areas that require more support.

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Zina Kremer
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1. Technology doesn’t replace human relationships. 2. People need to have a dialogue( I realize it is not always easy) 3. The good point is that we can learn. 4. So evaluating results are face-to-face. 5. The results are objective are crystal clear.

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6 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?

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How can you make sure your team is comfortable with the technology for a reporting project?

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1 Assess your needs

2 Choose your tools

3 Train your team

4 Communicate your expectations

5 Evaluate your results

6 Here’s what else to consider

Journalism

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