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There are many elements to working remotely that can make professionals more productive. They don’t have to worry about commuting to the office and have more control over their work hours.
After experiencing the benefits of telecommuting during the lockdown, many employers now also prefer telecommuting. As a result, most people decided to support WFH mode.
Developers are one of those professionals who like to work remotely.For example, the terminal State of Remote Engineering The survey reports that 75% of software engineers want remote work options.
So if you don’t already support remote work arrangements, you should consider setting them up. This is because your developers may prefer to work elsewhere if it allows them to work from home.
However, telecommuting does not guarantee productivity. You can only improve remote team performance by adopting exemplary management practices. This article will describe what you can do to build a productive remote development team.
Hire competent developers
this remote work The environment requires developers to be good at self-management. Therefore, this quality should be one of your considerations during the hiring phase. Having someone who can independently find solutions and think critically will help make things easier.
They will be able to follow briefings and directions to the latter without you having to repeat yourself as often.
So when interviewing developers, find out how much remote work experience they have. Then, look at their resumes to see if they’ve handled roles that require self-management.
Define your workflow
You need a clear workflow to coordinate your team. Your developers should understand what it takes to work in your organization and at each process touchpoint.roles should be defined and understood, and communicate Should be transparent.
Every project must have clearly defined milestones, goals and workflows. This way, everyone knows what to do with minimal confusion. You can also track changes and know what to adjust if something goes wrong, saving time and allowing developers to focus on their work.
avoid micromanagement
Developers need a certain level of autonomy and independence to get things done comfortably. They do not expect managers to constantly monitor and control their work. This ability to manage processes is one of the reasons developers prefer to work from home.
Therefore, constantly breathing in their necks will only make them frustrated and frustrated, reducing their performance and productivity.
Micromanagement can also stifle creativity and motivation. If developers think you need to sign off on every small process, they may be reluctant to take bold steps to fix major problems.
So, trust them to do their job without checking too often. You should focus on the results of their work, not the process of their work.
To avoid micromanagement, make sure your briefs and expectations are clear. This way, you can judge their work based on the results. You should also delegate tasks more efficiently to ensure you don’t constantly worry about delays. For example, assign tasks to team members based on their skills and abilities.
avoid burnout
Software engineering is a task-based occupation that requires workers to be physically and mentally healthy. Challenging projects can easily overwhelm developers and lead to burnout if there are too many work schedules and demands to handle.
according to a Haystack Analysis Report, 83% of developers were burned. Reasons for this trend include unclear goals and objectives, high workloads and inefficient processes.
So make sure to keep track of each worker’s workload and take steps to reduce it if they are found to be overworked.
Define your workflow and ensure everyone understands their role, project procedures and who to contact.
Set clear goals and expectations to give team members a clear sense of direction.
More importantly, recommend and organize wellness programs for team members to improve their health. You should also promote social activities and encourage your employees to spend more time with friends and family.
Use the right tools
Managing distributed teams of developers spread across different time zones can be logically challenging. This is because development projects consist of many moving parts that require effective collaboration. Therefore, remote workers need the right platforms and tools to collaborate and be productive.
It turns out that there are different tools that are great for remote development teams. However, you must choose the right solution for your team. While choosing the right tool can seem challenging, you’ll know what you want when you ask the following questions:
- What communication channels does my team lack?
- How does my team share data?
- How often does the team collaborate?
- What kind of projects do we handle?
So what kind of tools do you need?
Collaboration and project management tools
From the first project draft to finalizing the product and everything in between, developers have to stay connected with different departments and professionals.
That’s why collaboration and project management tools are one of the must-have resources for remote developers. They allow teams to share ideas, suggestions and even workflows to increase collective productivity.
These tools support instant messaging, screen sharing, file sharing and storage, and even video calling to facilitate communication and collaboration.
Teams can coordinate, stay aligned, track and resolve bugs together, and share feedback.
Which collaboration tools should you use? Here are the top 5.
GitHub
It’s almost impossible to mention development without GitHub. It is the most used cloud-based collaboration tool for developers. It is open source and offers features that make life easier for remote development teams. GitHub helps you manage Git repositories, a version control platform for source code history tracking.
The code review feature allows project managers and developers to check for new visual code changes, review new code, and incorporate changes using automatic status checks.
GitHub also lets you know when contributors are tweaking your repositories, and enables you to keep track of what people are doing.
wait
Jira is well known in the development community for its test case management and bug tracking capabilities. However, it’s also a comprehensive project management tool that helps teams track workflow, manage tasks, and view project progress.
Also, if your team prefers agile methods like Scrum and Kanban, you don’t have to leave Jira.
relaxation
Slack is a messaging app that facilitates team communication. Its video and audio calling, instant messaging, file sharing and channel features allow teams to coordinate and communicate in sync.
Trello
Trello is another well-known project management solution. It allows teams to visualize project progress and streamline workflow using agile methods. Managers can also use the tool to organize projects into boards and track tasks efficiently.
visual
InVision makes prototyping easy for remote developers. Its interactive design tools and whiteboards facilitate intelligent coordination, feedback, and problem-free handoffs between design and development teams.
time tracker
Time tracking apps help you track billable time, calculate payroll, and monitor how much time developers spend on specific tasks. The time tracker also allows you to track productivity, distribute work efficiently, and identify the strengths and weaknesses of each team member.
In addition to software programs, you can also use spreadsheets to track time.For example, you can view a Weekly Time Tracking Spreadsheet To determine which developer needs a break, and who needs more work.
improve communication
Communication is one of the fundamental components of teamwork, which is crucial for remote developers. Therefore, you must ensure that your developers have a good rapport and do not hesitate to communicate with each other.
It turns out that communication in the virtual workplace can suffer as every remote employee works in isolation. However, you can organize recurring meetings, take advantage of collaboration tools, and schedule check-ins to encourage communication.
You should motivate team members to reach out to colleagues and their managers if any questions need clarification.
In addition, virtual social events can also improve team spirit. For example, you can host informal gaming sessions and office chores from time to time.
In addition, different communication channels are recommended. For example, developers might get tired of daily Zoom meetings. So use other platforms (from messaging apps to email) to communicate.
More importantly, tell your developers that they can contact you at any time to clarify any questions or file any complaints. This way, workflow clutter is reduced.
Gather team feedback
Feedback lets you understand your team’s pain points and concerns and take steps to address them. Your developers can only work effectively when they don’t have to deal with roadblocks and work hurdles.
So while open communication is important, you should also practice feedback.
Schedule one-on-one interviews to gather personal questions and identify each developer’s difficulties. Then, organize anonymous company-wide surveys to allow employees to freely exchange their thoughts and reservations.
Make sure to report your findings to your staff and take steps to address every concern raised.
wrap up
Improving remote workforce productivity is the dream of many managers, and you can achieve it with the right policies and practices. Remember to make the job comfortable, reward hard work, and provide good assessment and training.
