5 Tips for Managing a Remote Software Development Team

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Remote Software Development Team
Remote Software Development Team

In today’s world, it has become inevitable for businesses to identify and solve the end-user’s issues. 

When Facebook was introduced in the market, it solved the one problem people faced – networking. As the distance increased physically, Facebook resolved to blur the geographical barriers and close the distance virtually. 

With the increasing need for able software solutions, you require a custom software development company to partner with your business. Teams proficient with the latest technologies, trends, and market understanding helps to bridge the gap between technology and users. Whether you need Python web development services or you use any other technology, it’s important to make sure your remote team is professional.

With the Pandemic, most teams have taken to remote working. As a result, project managers face the extra challenge of collaboration and accelerated outcomes. Being a PM, or owner of a business, it is essential for you to effectively manage a team. Here are 5 tips for managing a remote software development team. 

5 Highly Effective Ways to Manage a Remote Software Development Team

If you are a project manager handling a remote development team, you must ensure that all your tasks get completed on time. Here are some tips to help you effectively manage the remote software development team. 

1. Communication is the Key

If handling remote teams are limiting your productivity, communication is your golden key. Over communicating is the way to get your things done on time in a remote environment. 

Say you have two people (a designer and a developer) who must collaborate to transfer knowledge and deliver the product together. They work at different hours of the day. Here are some ways they can communicate and enable seamless transfers:

  • Defining a schedule for their meetings and knowledge transfer
  • Make sure the two are on the same page concerning delays and errors
  • Using a tool where the async communication is enabled.

Apart from this, as a team manager, you should emphasize the importance of:

  • Standup meetings
  • Quick and short emails to answer or focus on issues
  • Real-time communication tools
  • Collaboration tools

While communication is essential, ensure protocols are set. This will help you set work timings and help you to maintain balance.

2. Invest in the Right Tools

Tools are the working team’s best friends. Without the right technology and resources, you will be handicapped. 

Google Cloud is an excellent way to create and share your projects with the team. As a result, work on the same build from different parts of the country. Such collaboration tools make building, testing, and deploying projects easy. 

As a project manager, the first step is to choose the tools you will need. For this purpose, you must list the tasks and challenges on a single paper. 

For instance, two people from different parts of the country are handling the testing of the same build. Invest in a tool that makes simultaneous testing possible remotely. If you want the development team to share comments and documentation with the testing team, don’t depend on Email only. It would help if you had a tool for sharing the same.

In both these cases, we saw a task to be done and a challenge for the remote manager. It gave way to a new tool that you can use.

3. Leverage the Different Time Zones

As we discussed, two people may work from different parts of the same country. It is also possible that they work for varying hours of the day. It’s equally likely that these two people work in different time zones. 

It is essential to manage the time zones in a way, which doesn’t affect a person’s productivity. One person’s end of the day could be the start for another person. So, when the first person submits their task, the other person can take a look and share their feedback. When the person who built the code arrives the next day, they have the input and comments ready to get started with work.

This ensures there is minimum to no delay between build and feedback. It also helps deliver the work seamlessly. 

4. Empower your Team

Empowering your team is one of the crucial factors to increase your team’s productivity. 

When you have team meetings, spend time listening. Understand what your developers or designers want to say about the features and functionality. Look into the timelines and find ways to meet the tight deadlines without compromising quality or balance.

Consider suggestions, talk to the team about the pros and cons of implementing it, and together work towards making the right decisions. 

Trusting in their ideas and discussing them motivate your team to put extra effort to complete the project. 

5. Appreciate and Reward

Managing remote teams can be tedious, especially with unhappy and demotivated team members. To avoid this, put in a word of appreciation by emailing them or offering them small appreciation gifts. Tell your employees how great they are doing and encourage their thinking.

Reward them for their exceptional work. Give them off days when you feel they want to break the stress. Grant them a bonus when you believe they have earned it.

Conclusion

Scheduling everything from milestones to meetings is essential for seamless management of your remote team. By setting work and communication protocols and having regular communication with your team members, you could seamlessly manage the flow of work.

It is essential to provide real-time and well-thought responses to help them carry the work further and meet the timelines. 

Like the captain of a ship, if you set the right pace and direction of the work, you will be rewarded with accurate and deserving results. 

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