What do you do if your remote project team's communication is falling apart?

This is taken care of best when people work with accountability. To achieve this, set clear expectations and allow them the space to deliver results. Using a tool like Asana or Trello where task delegation and movement from one desk to another, is another great approach to solving communication gaps & identifying the bottlenecks.

I will evaluate recent communication patterns and identify any breakdowns or inconsistencies. Gather feedback from team members to understand their perspectives on the communication issues. Determine if the communication breakdown is due to technical issues, misaligned expectations, cultural differences, or other factors.

That is what I will do to access the issues, - First I will make a list of all the issues I am facing - I will let the remote project team know about all the issues - I will also request the remote team to share their possible solution to solve these issues - Asking your remote team about solutions is important, you will get an idea of where your team is comfortable - In case I am not satisfied with my team's suggestions, I will contact my friend and discuss the situation with him - I will get a solution either from the team or my friend, then I will simply implement the solution after team's approval

As a team lead, you can set all the expectations you want, but that doesn't always translate into compliance. To assess the root cause will require querying your team members individually and in groups. It would be optimal to individually discuss with each member first, specifically the difficulty the communication breakdown is having on your ability to help the team be successful. If you are a leader that is concerned about your team members' individual success, you should be genuinely concerned about what might be causing them to feel less comfortable or willing to communicate. Ascertain what they need in the environment and what support they need from you.

Depending on what your role is in regards to the remote project team, If the communication is falling apart, you have already failed. As someone who is responsible for the team as their project manager or scrum master, staying in touch and communicating with my teams is a daily process for me. The team members, remote or local should feel comfortable and content about reaching out or responding to any communication attempts from me or to me. Because we are simply a team. Imagine an electrical circuit that would have a missing connection. The entire transmission of the current would come to a stop. Same with a team and the project they are working on. If the communication is falling apart (remote or not) the process will come to a halt.

If you want everybody to play by the rules you need to set them first. You can not expect people to start to do as you want if you did not say it first. However it is hard to set such rules due to the biases. You just have a picture in your head how you want things to be done and it is complicated to explain how it will be achieved. But this task is important for you - you need to know the most important person in your life - yourself

It is fundamental to set expectations when working on a project. I remember having to tell an over qualified employee that I understood and valued her experience but my role was to do ABC and we could not bump into each other. She was so sensitive about this but she understood and all went well. We have to face what is needed to set expectations.

One step is might be missing - communicating the results of assessment with everyone, and ensure that everyone accepts the situation before implementing changes or communicating expectations. Without clear acceptance and taking collective responsibility, your plan has a greater chance of failing.

Remind everyone that workplace communication is not easy AND REMOTE communication is even more challenging. So don’t expect perfect and have a plan for correcting and repairing when things cracks begin to appear.

Actually you might want to consider to meet in person. It might involve traveling for all or some of the team members, but an in-person meeting can really boost the team spirit and make the future communication and collaboration easier. Talk about what didn't work well until now and work out a strategy together in how to move forward. The commitment and understanding for each other will greatly improve once you met in person even if you're going to work remotely afterwards.