Operations and processes are essential aspects of any successful business, especially for entrepreneurs who need to manage multiple tasks and teams remotely. In this article, we will explore some of the best tools and methods for managing operations remotely, and how they can help you improve your efficiency, productivity, and communication.
The first step to managing operations remotely is to define your goals and metrics clearly. What are you trying to achieve with your business, and how will you measure your progress and performance? Having clear and realistic goals and metrics will help you align your team, prioritize your tasks, and track your results. You can use tools like SMART goals, OKRs, or KPIs to set and communicate your goals and metrics.
Use tools like Trello or Asana or Notion to create Goals/ tasks and be able to share and allocate those with others. Tools with collaboration capabilities are needed here.
The next step is to choose the right tools and platforms that will support your remote operations. Depending on your needs and preferences, you may want to use different tools and platforms for different purposes, such as project management, collaboration, communication, document sharing, data analysis, and feedback. Some of the popular tools and platforms for remote operations include Asana, Trello, Slack, Zoom, Google Workspace, Dropbox, and SurveyMonkey.
Calendly to schedule meetings Asana/ Trello for task and collaboration Slack - to integrate with all the tools above and for continuous chats/ collaboration. Zoom - Very good for calls, don't even compare it with google meet. Zoom is professional tool for professionals. Zapier to automate redundant tasks. Mailtrack for tracking your emails. Figma for design collaboration. Dropbox for file sharing and collab.
Another important step is to establish clear roles and responsibilities for your team members and stakeholders. Who is in charge of what, and who reports to whom? How often and how will you communicate and update each other? What are the expectations and deliverables for each role and task? Having clear roles and responsibilities will help you avoid confusion, duplication, and conflict, and ensure accountability and transparency.
Right, also keep updating the list of roles whenever it happens so. Having a daily scrum of even 5 minutes with the team that directly reports to you will be absolutely magical. Try it.
To manage your operations remotely, you also need to create and follow a schedule and workflow that works for you and your team. How will you plan, execute, and review your tasks and projects? How will you balance your workload and deadlines? How will you handle changes and emergencies? Creating and following a schedule and workflow will help you organize your time, resources, and energy, and optimize your efficiency and productivity.
- Use the reverse clock approach for critical tasks with hard deadlines. - Try not to multitask and don't let your team to multitask unless its the last option. Multi tasking doesn't save time, it kills it. I've learned this the hard way after decade of getting "expert" in multitasking! - Block a time for certain tasks, like won't check emails after 4 Pm to 6 PM and then follow it, else you'll end up checking emails all day and without having time to actually perform whats important. - If you're a manager/ leader try to use iPad or phone more than laptop, this way you cann't be able to do all yourself and delegate better.
Communication and collaboration are key to managing operations remotely, as they help you build trust, rapport, and synergy with your team and stakeholders. How will you communicate and collaborate with your team and stakeholders? What tools and channels will you use? How will you share information, feedback, and ideas? How will you resolve issues and conflicts? Communicating and collaborating effectively will help you improve your performance, quality, and innovation.
The final step to managing operations remotely is to monitor and evaluate your results regularly. How will you measure and report your outcomes and impacts? How will you identify and address your strengths and weaknesses? How will you celebrate your successes and learn from your failures? How will you adapt and improve your operations based on your results? Monitoring and evaluating your results will help you achieve your goals and metrics, and grow your business.