Write a handbook
Often overlooked, project handbooks are a fast and effective way to align the team, share knowledge and onboard people. Teams find it daunting to start building one; so acknowledge that the handbook will always be a work in progress and focus on creating an initial version at speed. Here's what you can do to get started.
Don't worry about the organisation for now. Focus on writing things up for your team first. If you're successful, the handbook will be a blueprint for the company.
Divide your handbook information by project context and project content.
Avoid being too fancy and use the tools your company already provides.
Expect everyone to improve and update the handbook and designate editors on a rotational basis.
There are too many meetings, closed email threads and instant messaging discussions to disseminate information that the team can just write once in a shared handbook. This makes repeated activities, such as onboarding, inefficient. It also makes day-to-day communication frustrating.
Without the direct route of the handbook, your team will be like the blind people and the elephant. Everyone will build their own mental model of the project, but the team will be none the wiser.
The blind people and the elephant; everyone will build their own mental model of the project