Top 6 Remote Team Management Tips for a Successful Collaboration
Despite the normalization of remote work, many project managers and remote workers still struggle with this new way of working. Here are six remote team management tips to help maximize your remote team’s productivity and well-being.
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More chaptersAs the number of people working remotely has risen over the years, so has the quality of the best practices for managing remote teams.
From establishing clear and consistent communication to using the right tools and platforms, there are many ways to ensure the success of your remote team. Knowing how to adapt from a traditional management style to a remote one will enable you to achieve the best results for your project.
In this article, we’ll cover the top 6 remote team management tips for businesses. You’ll learn what a remote team is, the advantages of working with one, and the best practices to follow when hiring and managing a remote team.
Key Takeaways:
- Remote team management involves managing a global workforce, typically across multiple regions and countries.
- Working with a remote team has its advantages, including access to global talent, reduced operating costs, and increased productivity.
- Setting up clear expectations and communication standards are some of the many ways to ensure a successful remote team collaboration.
What Is Remote Team Management?
Remote team management is the practice of managing a global workforce. Remote teams may operate across multiple locations in the same region, across several countries and time zones, or a combination of both.
In a remote team setting, project managers and remote workers use various business communication tools, such as email, instant messaging, and project management platforms, to manage and complete tasks effectively. These tools help facilitate a more productive workflow for remote teams, especially those working asynchronously.
The Advantages of Embracing a Remote Team in Your Business
Working with a remote team enables your business to achieve workflows and outcomes that would not be possible – or would be harder to achieve – in a traditional work environment.
By embracing remote teams in your business, you can:
Access to Global Talent
Operating as a global workforce enables you to hire and manage talent outside of your local area. This means you can more easily secure talent based purely on their skills, knowledge, and experience. And you can do so without being limited by their region or country.
Accessing global talent also helps diversify your team. You gain exposure to a wider range of cultures, ideas, and beliefs than if you were to hire locally. This can help boost remote worker morale and bring more innovative ideas to the team.
Reduce Operating Costs
When collaborating with a global remote team, you’re typically not responsible for your remote worker’s expenses. You don’t have to pay for onsite infrastructure costs, such as rent, utilities, furniture, internet, and office equipment.
Companies like Orient Software, an outsourcing software development team, operate under this structure. When you work with us, we take care of managing your team and covering their infrastructure costs, so you don’t have to worry about a thing.
Increase Productivity
As more companies switch to hybrid and remote work arrangements, the productivity benefits have become clear. Many studies have revealed that remote workers, compared to their onsite counterparts, are happier and more productive.
Buffer’s State of Remote Work 2023 report found that remote workers find it easier to focus on work (70%), manage stress (65%), and avoid distractions (50%). Furthermore, the U.S. Bureau Labor of Statistics revealed that the total factor productivity (TFP) growth across 61 industries was 1.1% between 2019-21. This TFP growth correlated with the 11.8% increase in remote work across industries.
Best Remote Team Management Tips
Now that you understand the advantages of working with a remote team, let’s cover how best to work with one. Follow these remote team management tips to maximize your remote’s teams productivity and efficiency.
Set Clear Expectations
Clear, honest, and transparent communication is vital to a positive working relationship. When outsourcing to a remote team, setting clear expectations will enable you and your remote team to be on the same page.
If you’re working with an outsourcing company, they may have a dedicated project manager. In this case, you will liaise directly with the project manager, who’ll then communicate your project requirements to the remote team.
Under this arrangement, it’s important to be upfront about your project requirements. Be open about your technical needs, business objectives, and desired outcomes. Also, be involved in the feedback and input sessions, as this will ensure your outsourced teams are on the right track.
At Orient Software, we follow the Agile methodology to provide our software development services. We take the time to understand your requirements, develop user stories, and document them in our project management system. This ensures that your project vision is mutually agreed upon by your team and ours.
Be Caring and Empathetic
In the business world, how you say something is just as important as the message itself. This is especially true when managing a remote team. Without the convenience of being in the same physical space, remote teams must resort to other forms of communication, such as email, instant messaging, and video calls.
Although convenient, these communication tools have their limitations. It can be hard to convey emotion, understand each other, and respond to specific requests. This is why it’s important to be caring and empathetic in all forms of communication.
When communicating with your remote team, use gentle, encouraging language to inspire confidence. Be firm about your requirements, sure. But maintain a positive attitude to keep morale high and prevent misunderstandings. This way, you’ll be easier to understand, and your team will be more motivated to do their best work.
Check-in Often
Checking in on a remote team can be a double-edged sword. Do it too often, and your team will feel like they’re being hounded. Do it too little, and your team will feel ignored and neglected.
Try to strike the right balance between the two. Work with your team to decide on the appropriate frequency of check-ins. For example, you could have daily morning group meetings and weekly one-on-one meetings.
When working with an outsourced development team, the project manager will perform check-ins. They’ll work with you to establish a check-in routine that suits your needs. These inclusive discussions will lead to innovative ideas and solutions for your project.
Promote Open Feedback and Ideas
Open and honest feedback is the cornerstone of a fruitful collaboration. This means giving your remote workers the opportunity to express their needs, concerns, and wishes. It also means taking on feedback that can help you lead more effectively.
At Orient Software, we follow the Agile methodology, incorporating continuous feedback into the software development life cycle. This gives our team and clients the chance to provide feedback and discuss various aspects of a software product.
Use the Right Tools
Even with the best intentions, your remote team is only as productive as the tools they use. For this reason, ensure your remote team is equipped with the latest productivity and collaboration tools.
Applications like Slack and Monday are great project management tools. They allow project managers to allocate staff, assign tasks, monitor task status, address issues, and review Agile sprints. They also feature built-in tools to help staff collaborate in real time.
Be Flexible and Understanding
Without the need to be confined to a fixed location, remote employees can afford to be more flexible. And it’s a benefit that remote workers crave, too. According to a 2021 survey by Workable, 58% of workers surveyed valued flexible schedules.
Be open to change when working with an outsourcing team. Anticipate roadblocks to crop up along the way. During your initial consultation, the project manager should perform a risk assessment. They should identify potential risks in your project and put in place remedies to negate the effects of those risks.
When you work with Orient Software, you’ll be assigned a dedicated project manager. They’ll conduct a thorough early project risk evaluation. They’ll also act as your main escalation. If you have any questions or concerns, they’ll address your needs and communicate them to the team.
Choose a Remote Software Development Team You Can Trust
Managing a remote team may sound difficult. Fortunately, the process is made easy by setting clear expectations, communicating empathetically, and being flexible. Choosing the right remote software development team is another key ingredient to consider.
With over 350 skilled and motivated staff, Orient Software has completed over 200 successful projects for more than 100 clients worldwide. Not only are we passionate about delivering high-quality software, but we’re also committed to making the process smooth sailing from beginning to end.
To learn more about our software development services, contact us today.
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