Working as the remote team: is it effective?
In the previous year we have been working completely remotely. During that time, we have had both ups and downs in our work. We spent lots of hours discussing what advantages remote work gives to us and how to use such pros for avoiding the risks and growing as a company. At the moment, we have completely adapted to the pase of remote work and get the maximum pleasure from our it! ?????
Initially, the main doubt of building a remote team was control each employee and keep the team in the good shape, as there could be own personal factors, that distract while working from home.?
And here are a few principles we've learned from the remote work:
1?? Clear pre-set requirements and designated deadlines. Just like in office work, there is a requirement for discipline and adherence to working time agreements in the remote work. We discuss available time of work with each team member, which gives us the ability to indicate the exact time, when certain developers will be available to do anything needed. It also helps us maintain a healthy work-life balance and prevents burnout, that is more common when working from home.
2?? Daily calls and monitoring. Our team works according to the Agile methodology, which allows us to communicate with each employee by video link every morning. During such calls, our project managers designate tasks for the day and receive feedback from the developers, information about any blockers they have, that might be stopping them from implementing their tasks correctly. And our Team Leads always stay in touch to help and advise our developers if any problems arise.
3?? Good organization of the development process and flexibility in decisions. While specific action plan and discipline are key, we know, that it is important to be adaptive and understanding towards our developers to achieve long-term goals. When working remotely, there are many unexpected "household" blockers, that might become a boundary between the developer and needed work done. And if any adjustments to the time of work do not affect the overall deadlines and the quality of the tasks, we treat it with understanding, when possible.
4?? Tracking the process of the team's work. For each team member, we create an assessment after the implementation of each task. A work schedule is established, the deadlines are clearly discussed to be completed within the agreed timeframe. This makes it possible to understand the structure and sequence necessary for the effective implementation of the project. We are aware, that not seeing the team’s work in the office does not mean, that the work is not being done. We evaluate the results of every developer's work. If a team member adheres to goals and deadlines, then they are productive members of our team and we praise them!
5?? Working community. Many people, depending on their character, feel isolated and disoriented in this new work reality. Instead of sitting in the kitchen over a cup of coffee or tea and discussing news and local jokes, have come “general” chats, in which the team can talk informally. And the ability to text about the problem and get feedback immediately is also a great advantage of it.
This, and much more, helps us maintain work discipline and deliver incredible results for our clients. And that is proved by our amazing clients reviews! ??
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