How to Manage a Remote Development Team Effectively: 7 Best Practices

Efficiency matters a lot. And that is especially true for remote developers, who have become quite a trend after the pandemic. But how to manage remote developers on your team? Is it so hard to make sure everyone is on board? This article will provide you with seven best practices that can help you and make you understand that how to manage a remote development team effectively.

7 Best Practices to Effectively Manage a Remote Development Team

1. Set the rules from the start

When working with a remote workforce, one of the most critical steps is setting up rules. Employees need to know what’s expected from them and when tasks are due, so it’s important to get these guidelines out of the way early.

When managing a remote team, your first step should be defining clear roles and responsibilities.

Set milestones and deadlines to keep work organized, share information frequently, and ensure everyone stays in the loop.

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2. Set broader goals and monitor your remote team

Remote working arrangements do come with productivity concerns. However, employers can combat these with a few simple steps. First, you can use monitoring tools to track how remote employees spend their time.

Second, you can set individual and team goals to effectively keep employees on track. All in all, remote workers are no less productive than their office counterparts when used correctly.

3. Provide the right software for communication

One of the most significant items to have when working in a remote capacity is access to the software you need to carry out your daily tasks. This can vary widely depending on what your job entails, but all team members must have equal access to the same basic programs.

Some good programs to provide are Microsoft Office and Google Workspace. Finally, you should always provide access to communications software, so employees can reach each other quickly and easily.

Don’t just use Whatsapp you can use tools like Skype, Slack to communicate among your team. Best tool to communicate and arrange your all work is Monday tool.

4. Incentive social interaction

One of the most common obstacles to remote work is loneliness. This can profoundly impact one’s mental health and often manifests in poor performance, a less than ideal work environment, and higher employee turnover.

Fortunately, there are ways to combat this issue. Many organisations set up forums for team members to share personal stories about weekend plans or desires for birthday wishes.

Slack can be the best tool you can use to interact among each other and socialise.

5. Meetings

Regular communication is an essential part of a remote team. However, managers should also anticipate and prepare for one-to-one communication with their team members in addition to regular meetings.

Managers may want to schedule video calls with each person on their team at the beginning of each week to check in on their progress, provide feedback based on what they’ve heard at team meetings, and allow them to ask any questions they may have.

6. Avoid micromanagement

Collaborating with your team is a two-way street. It would be best to give instructions and progress updates, but you also need to take the initiative and provide direction when necessary.

However, that doesn’t mean hovering over your team members’ shoulders — the best way to leverage a remote team is by giving them responsibilities and trusting them to do their jobs.

7. Listen to Feedback

Giving and receiving feedback (through meetings, email chains, free-form writing, etc.) can help clarify goals, enhance communication, and improve the organization as a whole.

It is essential to treat both giving and receiving feedback with equal weight; every time an employee provides negative feedback, it should be met with a similar amount of positive feedback from the manager. Feedback should be collected in a way that empowers employees.

Summary

While it may take some time to adjust to the challenges posed by managing a remote team, they are not insurmountable. By implementing the techniques detailed in this article and treating your partners and your remote employees with respect, you can ensure that everyone on your team is productive, satisfied, and happy.

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