How to Build a Winning Remote Team

Introduction

The key elements to build a successful remote team include focusing on clear communication, fostering a supportive culture, providing necessary resources, and empowering team members. The main advantages are an increase in productivity, access to diverse talent, reduced overhead costs, and improved employee satisfaction. 

These shifts represent a broader transformation in the way work is done, emphasizing flexibility and adaptability in the modern workplace. But do not be mistaken that building a remote team is just about adapting to changing work trends. It is about leveraging the advantages it offers to create a more efficient, diverse, and adaptable workforce that benefits both the employees and the organization as a whole. 

This is also not a temporary trend, remote work is here to stay. This article provides more information on remote work best practices, also learn more about some real-life remote work success stories.

What is a Remote Team?

A remote team is typically a group of professionals working in a software development company. This is likely to be an offshore development firm with a talented pool of professionals and all the necessary resources at its disposal. 

To gain a better understanding of what a remote developer is: imagine an in-house software developer working on your project. The only difference is that the remote developer is at a different physical location and has access to a highly talented pool of professionals equipped with the necessary resources. Managing a remote team is also similar to managing a local team but it will mean using several special project management and communication tools.  

Some of the traits of a remote team include personal accountability, time management, interpersonal skills, self-motivation, responsiveness, discipline, integrity, and dedication, besides being tech savvy. The developers at Acquaint Softtech possess all these qualities and more. We have dedicated teams of developers with skills in various front-end and back-end technologies. Hire remote developers from Acquaint Softtech to ensure the success of your project. 

Foundation of Remote Team Building

The very basics of building a remote team is to focus on fostering a sense of belonging, collaboration, and productivity, ensuring success despite geographical distances. There is more to building and remote team management than investing in good online meeting software like Zoom. The approach will differ depending on the goals of your organization. 

The remote team might be for the purpose of staff augmentation to complement your existing team of software developers or it might be to develop state-of-the-art software for your business instead of investing in an in-house team. 

Regardless of the reason for hiring remote developers, it is important to establish good means of collaboration and communication. Invest in essential software for video conferencing, project management, and messaging. It is important to establish a daily, weekly, or biweekly reporting structure to keep track of the remote team and monitor their activities. 

Here are some important factors to consider:

• Criteria for remote team success: The primary criteria for success of a remote team include trust and autonomy. It is also important to set your goals as well as your expectations. The ability to communicate effectively and collaborate in the right manner is vital, too. The team you hire should also demonstrate capabilities for good teamwork, especially while working remotely.

• What is a successful remote team?: A successful remote team is one that delivers high-quality work and has the ability to communicate effectively. It is a team that is resourceful and can utilize the resources efficiently, besides one that demonstrates the ability to adapt well and is flexible. It is a team that provides regular feedback on the project, has good leadership, encourages knowledge sharing, and is one that you can trust. 

• Metrics to measure success: Measure output and productivity using quantifiable metrics relevant to your team's tasks and projects. This could include completed tasks, project milestones achieved, or key performance indicators (KPIs) specific to your industry.

• Remote team objectives: It is important to make your objectives & expectations clear from the very beginning. Define the main purpose and objective as well as your operating policies. It is also important to set measurable goals and objectives. Ensure all the remote team members are aware of the role they play, your company values, and what is expected of them. 

• Develop the right strategy: It is important to establish a good strategy to successfully manage your remote team. The strategy should include healthy communication, ensuring you have people with the right set of skills, digital project management tools, setting your expectations, regular meetings, flexible schedules with basic structure, and effective resource management.

Overcoming Challenges and Ensuring Success

There are many benefits of outsourcing your requirements to a remote software development company. However, there are several challenges one might face while attempting to manage a remote team. 

Hiring a software development firm that has the experience and good track record of delivering top-notch solutions in quick time can workout well for your business. Acquaint Softtech is one such firm with over 70 skilled developers and expertise in over 20 technologies. 

Here is how you can overcome some of the main challenges:

• Communication: Distance can hinder effective communication due to time zone differences, language barriers, or technological issues, leading to misunderstandings or misinterpretations. This can be easily overcome by defining your expectations along with the tools and method of communication from the very start of the project. 

• Collaboration: The physical distance makes it difficult to collaborate effectively. Frequent discussions with the remote team and establishing a welcoming environment can help improve collaboration.

• Culture: The cultural gap between the remote team and your firm can result in unexpected issues. Establishing a cultural identity with events and conferences can help address this issue. 

• Structure: For a remote team, the well defined structure of your company is absent. Hence, there is the potential for several types of issues to arise. To address this issue, establish your structure and method of managing the remote team. This can include scheduling specific tasks at fixed times during the day, setting the norms for email correspondence, letting the remote team know what you expect from them when it comes to method and style of communication, etc. 

• Trust & accountability: The ability to trust the remote team entirely is a common issue that many firms tend to face. This can be prevented by increasing the level of transparency and using efficient project management tools. 

• Focus: It is easy for the remote team to lose focus on your core business objectives and goals. However, you can overcome this with the help of strict guidelines, frequent one-on-one and team meetings, and setting milestones.

• Direct supervision: The inability to directly supervise the development team is a major hindrance for some. Defining the tools & method for communication and defining the reporting structure can help overcome this.

• Coordinating schedules: The availability of remote team members when you require them is a common issue, especially if they are located in a different time zone. The best method to address this issue is to coordinate your schedules. Remote teams are usually flexible when it comes to organizing meetings and reporting.

You can benefit from outsourcing your software development requirements. Acquaint Softtech provides a wide range of software development outsourcing services.

Conclusion

Setting clear objectives and goals for the team and ensuring everyone understands their role in achieving these goals are some of the crucial elements of establishing a remote team. Utilizing technology effectively for the purpose of managing the project, communicating, and arranging interactive meetings will go a long way in virtual team success.