Best Practices & Tools for Management of Remote Teams
Home office and the management of remote IT teams have become one of the main topics in the professional world. As a result, new structures and challenges are developing. Because a virtual work community has to be organised quite differently from the usual on-site office team. For this purpose, there are numerous best practices and tools for management, some of which are even available free of charge.
Challenges in Managing Remote Teams
The challenges of managing a remote team are obvious. Since the employees are not physically on site with you, you need all the more clear communication and distribution of tasks. You must be able to check the completion of tasks remotely and keep an eye on them at all times.
The first questions quickly arise.
How can you manage the distribution of tasks so that each employee knows what he or she has to do?
How do you check that agreements or arrangements are being adhered to?
Regular team meetings for efficient communication among the staff should also be considered.  Time management, as well as meeting deadlines, also take on a crucial role in managing remote teams. Therefore, the most important points to overcome management challenges are:
- Appropriate collaboration tools for communication
- Clear procedures in the work process and an unambiguous definition of the responsibilities of the respective positions
- Working with realistic dates and deadlines
- Teamwork
Collaboration tools for successful communication in remote teams
You already know the most common tools for remote team communication from everyday work. Programs such as Skype or Slack are suitable for chatting with employees. The long-known e-mail is still one of the best means of communication for agreements, and systems such as Microsoft Outlook allow coordination from an internal calendar. Microsoft Teams or Zoom, on the other hand, offer ideal conditions for meetings and video calls or even conferences with several participants.
Regardless of which communication tools you choose, best practice is to create space and familiarity. Create a space for your team that replaces the conversation and consultation between employees in a physical office.
Clear work process procedures and appropriate tools
In order to clearly define work process flows and responsibilities of each employee, it is best to rely on a tried and tested tool for project management. Trello, Clickup or Microsoft Planner offer platforms that are well suited for organising individual tasks. In these systems you will also find chat rooms that can be used for communication related to each individual task.
Manage Deadlines
Clear and realistic deadlines are essential for the management of remote teams. The above-mentioned platforms offer the possibility to store and track deadlines. Accordingly, notifications can be activated to keep an eye on compliance with set deadlines and to assign them to different employees.
Promote and Improve Teamwork
Successful management of remote teams naturally includes well-functioning teamwork, which should be promoted in the best possible way. The virtual workplace should become the basis for the cohesion of your team. A chat room for breaks can be used for informal exchange and getting to know each other. There is also the possibility of organising virtual group meetings.
Another best practice aimed at improving teamwork involves demanding and promoting mutual recognition and a friendly tone in the team. Especially in written communication, messages or feedback can be misinterpreted. Therefore, make sure to use friendly greetings, encouraging words and active feedback. Employees who feel valued by management will generally also have positive interactions with each other. Visit the website digitalmindset.de to find more inspiration and tips on how to deal with virtual meetings.
Invest in appropriate tools, define tasks clearly and set realistic deadlines right from the start. If you implement these best practices, you will build and run a successful business with your virtual team. In doing so, you can benefit from the many advantages of working in remote teams.
AN EXPERIENCED PARTNER AT YOUR SIDE
Outsourcing4work has been successfully working Remote Guruly for many years and is considered a specialist in the management of remote teams. With our experience and a well-established digital infrastructure and communication structure, we support our customers in word and deed as a partner for IT services, an intermediary for IT specialists and a consultant for remote teams. Would you like to learn more? Then book an appointment now for a free initial consultation with our experts.
