The work-from-home implementation, which enables employees to work away from the office and use their smartphones or laptops for most of the work, is an innovative strategy that has been adopted by many industries, and the software development industry is also not left behind. The managed shift to development centers is becoming more popular with companies since it helps them in tapping a wider market, cost reduction and enhances flexibility. However, moving to a remote development model is not easy. From communication to productivity, there are a lot that needs careful planning and carrying out for smooth transformation.
In this blog, we’ll tell you how to address the hurdles of a remote development team as well as how to go about it in order to achieve the best results for your business.
Why Transition to a Remote Development Team?
Before taking into consideration the methods to adapt a remote development team, first of all, the reason why it needs to be done should be explained. The rearrangement of the development processes to accommodate remoteness can be advantageous due to the following reasons:
- Global Talent: Remote employment provides a wider scope above average because you can get any of the best developers out there without being constrain with limits.
- Costs: No spending for the physical office premises, no bills and many other fixes that are associated with having an office.
- Greater Mobilization: Work is not necessarily restricted to a single engagement provision as team members are dispersed across the globe and can easily work in different time zones.
- Retention Of Human Resource: Any developer would appreciate the freedom that comes with provisional work and therefore leaving the company is out of the question.
1. Establish Clear Goals and Objectives
Before transitioning, outline your goals and what you seek to accomplish with a remote development team. Complementing the strategies helps in the alignment of the team and processes.
Key Questions to Answer:
What projects or tasks will the remotes do?
What tools and tech will be involved?
How will it be adjudicated?
Tip: Draw a transition plan with a clear definition of the periods, goals, and budget.
2. Choose the Right Team Members
Transitioning to a remote model does not just mean that the employee will be working from home, there also has to be the right people in such a setup. Self-discipline, good verbal and written skills and the right skills are some of the aspects that remote work calls for.
Key Considerations:
Existing Team: Determine members of team who will be able to work from home and remain goal-oriented without supervision.
New Hires: While hiring remote developers, it is ideal to hire those, who have worked out of the office and are great at solving problems.
Pro Tip: Implementing technical tests and formal interviews to establish whether the candidate can work from home and the extent.
3. Allocate Resources for Tools and Infrastructure That Are Absolutely Necessary
When it comes to telecommuting, technology is a critical factor and the appropriate gadgets can enhance the ease of communication, interaction, or even the management of tasks.
Essential Tools:
Communication: Channels such as Slack, Microsoft Teams, or Zoom allow egregious communication among teammates.
Project Management: Applications such as Jira, Trello or Asana ease progress control.
Code Collaboration: Submission and editing of text code are done by GitHub or Git Lab.
Time Management: Such applications as Clockify or Time Doctor help to control the work processes.
Tip: Guarantee high-speed internet connection, safety of systems employed, and provision of ergonomic setups for the team for equipoise performance.
4. Create Effective Channels for Communication
Good communication is the most important factor needed in any successful remote development team. In absence of a physical presence – social distancing and/or lack of face time – there is need to devise means to connect everyone and keep them updated.
Best Practices:
Daily Standups: Conduct short meetings in which you discuss the updates, difficulties, and tasks on priority.
Documentation: Ensure you keep any records of the work progress in relevant Documentation Management Systems like Confluence or Google Drive.
Regular Check-in’s: Arrange feedback sessions on a persons work through one on one meetings or phone calls.
Pro Tip: Speak more than needed to limit the scope for error since nobody likes misunderstandings.
5. Encourage this form of Work Team Relation
It is somewhat difficult to attain a family like approach towards all the members of the team that work from different geographical locations but it is crucial for the success of the business in the end. A good workteam culture most importantly builds trust and willingness to share.
Tips to Build Culture:
Teambuilding Online: Organize games, quizzes, or coffee breaks virtually.
Wish Achievements: Treat the accomplishments with a virtual party.
Missing actor: Make sure each team member’s voice is heard and appreciated organic.
For instance, it can be observed that organizations like Buffer and GitLab have embraced remote working practices quite effectively through openness and constant engagement with their teams.
6. Clarify Organizational Goals and Targets (KPIs)
When working from home, the relative lack of direct supervision can lead to inefficacies. To ensure the focus of your remote software development team on the company’s objectives, it is important to define the expectations and introduce the set of measurable Key Performance Indicators (KPIs).
Set Expectations:
Working hours and presence.
How fast do you answer emails and/or messages?
Date and items to be submitted.
Management of Work:
Let’s say you can put the picture of team members’ output, update their other alsa facilities including KPIs and team members waiting to be rotated or on leave for a defined period. n.
Tip: Provide the team a policy manual or some flyers on what to expect from organized remote work.
7. Put Priority on the Safety and Ethics of Working Remotely
Undeniably, working remotely poses its own challenges: increased chances of cyber attacks – data compliance, unethical working practices infringement. Such things as data handling systems and sensitive data are unavoidably important.
Best Ways to Protect One’s Self:
Turn on anywhere: filed applications true concealment, and sharply close access by a rope and serial shaft.
Employ after guidance on Device control-switching or rotation of two or three switches or operators or systems to gain access to critical systems or at least a function
Venture outsourcing off site people; clients slaves offshore, no good no ways. Outsourcing BPO games checked with lists of teams and where particular logs in failed.
For instance: All members of the team would be required to respect a specific way of working with some information, including its protection through storage tools such as secure sharing and encryption.
8. Take/Make/Die Time Zone in The Process
One of the most interesting features of remote teams is the fact that, they get to work in different regions with varying time zones. Now this might seem like a setback, it also allows for constant work without the restriction of many constraints.
Time Zones Management Tips:
Develop a communication plan that will include the use of shared calendars in identifying convenient meeting times.
Cut down the project time by adopting ‘follow the sun’ concept.
Maximum asynchronous communication should be encouraged to avoid wasting time.
Pro Tip: Use World Time Buddy or similar apps to plan out the team members’ schedules in different time zones.
9. Supply Ongoing Training and Development
Just because one works remotely, it does not imply that there won’t be any professional empowerment. Providing training can sharpen the skills of the team as well as enhance their motivation.
Ways of Training:
Organize In-house sessions to introduce new technologies.
Provide materials for training and certification courses or tech.
Allow for sharing of wisdom selfies through webinars or in-house meetings.
In this persistence, do consider a specific budget for training and development of employees who work remotely.
10. Evaluate Performance and Collect Responses
Adjustment to a remote model is a process with a clear beginning; therefore, it requires constant observation and corrections.
How to Go About Progress Monitoring:
Rely on the figures made available from the work management software and software analytics to keep a record of time spent and output achieved.
Collect information from the team via feedback forms or individual interviews.
Anticipate problems and improve the operational practices in advance. For instance, it may be reasonable to conduct evaluations on a quarterly basis in order to improve on measures taken to mitigate challenges in working remotely.
Challenges of Shifting to a Remote Development Team
Remote work has its fair share of advantages, yet there are some challenges which have to be recognized and dealt with:
Feeling of Detachment and Loneliness: Address this via supportive team environments and resources like psychological services.
Worries on productivity: Monitor the member using KPIs & other helpful measures to report every member’s duties and progress
Loss of Interaction: Avail equipment and other subjects which will require different individuals to work within a certain structure together.
Summary
You will be surprised at how much moving to a remote development team can do for your company, from cuts in expenditure to the vast availability of high quality talented workers in the world. It is essential that you should adhere to these recommendations, which include, but are not limited to, proper goal setting, use of appropriate technology, encouraging collaboration and ensuring safety, in order to achieve the change effectively.
It is clear that Remote development is here to stay and it’s not just a passing fad. Therefore, implement it wisely and your business will experience great expansion and new zeniths of innovation.
