Remote Developer Team: how to manage them effectively
Introduction
Having a remote team does have its advantages, but it is mandatory to manage them effectively to enjoy the full benefits. Software development is one of the most popular and top rewarding careers in the world and there has been a huge spurt of software developers over the years. This phenomenal growth of software development was due to the interest of businesses wishing to push their online profiles through websites and software applications.
Hence, you can see a huge growth of software developers on a global scale. The demand for developers in countries that offer them at a cheap rate has been really, really high. While hiring software developers from countries like India, Philippines, Ukraine, Poland etc. does have its benefits, it is important to know how to manage them to make it a fruitful endeavour.
In this article, you will learn about the best practices in managing remote teams effectively. This would help you get the best out of your team and make your outsourcing journey successful.
You must have wondered why there is a huge demand for software developers over the years. Check out the reasons why:
1. The world is getting smaller and switching to digital options
Since the world is going digital, the chances of getting customers from anywhere in the world are getting higher. So you need to be able to reach out to them effectively with the help of engaging software applications and websites. Since the world is getting smaller, you can reach out to your customers anywhere.
2. Existing software requiring continuous upgrades
It is important that your software gets updated regularly so it will be in tune with the latest technological advancements. This way the applications will never be obsolete and the visitors will enjoy engaging and responsive pages.
3. The software needs upgrades
With competition and technological advancements, softwares need far more precise upgrades than ever before. There is a huge demand for developers who are technologically brilliant, and it is possible to find a good team when you search for them in the right places.
What is a remote team?
A remote team is where the different members of the team work remotely since they are located at different places. Managing a remote team is not easy since you are not actually seeing the team, and it might not be possible to meet with them personally. The concept of remote teams has been around for some time, but now it has made up a sizable portion of the software development environment, requiring monitoring and management.
Managing your remote team
Onboarding the remote development team is an important step because when the team is from a different country altogether, it would take time for them to adjust to the new working environment. Once the onboarding is done, you can follow these tips to ensure that they are on the right track. Effective management will ensure that the work is done as per the requirements of the hiring company.
Check out these excellent remote team management tactics
Regular communication
It is important to draw the line between too much communication and too little communication. If it is an entirely new project or an entirely new team (you haven’t worked with the team previously), then you might need to stay in constant communication with them to ensure that they are on the same page. In the initial days, it might seem like you are over communicating, but once the team falls into the groove of what the project expectations are, you don’t have to babysit them. You might have to set up a channel for non-work related communication and have regular one-to-one meetings to ensure productivity in the initial stages.
The downside to this is that the team might be from different time zones, so they will need to make themselves available after working hours to be a part of the meetings to discuss their contributions to the project. They might have to switch to your work hours initially to get into the groove.
Have trust in them, but try not to micromanage
Rather than becoming a manager, it would be good to become a leader because micromanagement is not something people would like. It would be good to not excessively interfere in their work because it could lead to trust issues. It is not easy to work when someone is constantly breathing down your neck, so give them the motivation to work, the autonomy to explore their capabilities and they will deliver good work.
Agile methodology
The best way to manage a remote team is by following agile principles. Agile principles fosters a culture based on collaboration, feedback loops and dynamic interaction to help get continuous feedback on your software. It would help the work move faster, and there will be an excellent working relationship between the in-house team and the remote team.
Set realistic milestones and deliverables
When you share your expectations and milestones with the team right from the beginning, make sure it’s realistic. Provide the right motivation for the team, and appreciate their output. When you set an unrealistic dream, the team might strive to work towards it, and they might even achieve the first milestone, but it still remains to be seen how they will achieve the following milestones. Eventually, you will be left with an exhausted team with a low morale.
Hiring a team with a growth mindset
It would be a great advantage to hire a team that has the same mindset as the company. Since they are remote workers, they might not have the same ideals and goals about the growth of your company. For them, it is just a project, after which they will move on to the next. But when you get a team who has the same feelings and would like to evolve with the work they do, then it would be great. They would be open to new technologies and embrace them to improve their project. They might be ready to learn the new trends and technologies just to execute your project. If that’s the case, then you have a team with a growth mindset, and having them would be greatly advantageous.
Conclusion
While it goes without saying that the team should have excellent communication skills, it is important to check for their verbal and written communication capabilities. So you need to consider this point before hiring the team. They should be able to articulate well, have the ability to listen and possess emotional intelligence. The thought of having a remote team can be overwhelming at first, but a breakdown of the hiring process, and then managing them remotely through the methods that we mentioned above will definitely make it a huge success. And of course, you can make use of apps (Zoom, Trello etc.) that can exclusively help you make use of remote teams. These apps would help you to be in touch with them remotely always.
Interesting Links:
Some of the best tools for helping distributed teams of developers
Why team building is crucial for Remote Teams?
Hi, my name is Rahil. I work at YUHIRO Global and I help web agencies and software companies from Europe to build developer teams in India.