7 Best Practices in Remote Project Management for Managing Remote Teams Effectively
As the trend towards a remote working setup continues to grow, managing such teams has become pivotal to successful business operations and continuity. Remote project management can be a double-edged sword.
7 Best Practices in Remote Project Management
1. Establish clear communication protocols: Correct communication guidelines from the onset allows managers to effectively manage remote teams. Emphasize how often team members should check in, how to escalate issues, and how to prioritize tasks.
Best communication practices help remote workers stay updated and synchronized with the project’s milestones. Avoid banter, stay agile, communicate in real-time, encourage knowledge transfer, and lower repetitive activities to optimize delivery.
2. Invest in the best collaboration tools: Investing in the right tools is pivotal for managing remote teams effectively. The right tools help bridge the gap between remote team members, facilitating seamless communication and collaboration. These tools offer real-time messaging, video conferencing, and file-sharing capabilities, allowing team members to stay connected and informed, reducing the time on administrative tasks, and helping increase productivity.
3. Foster a culture of Flexibility, Trust, and Accountability: Trust promotes honest communication, reducing the risk of misunderstandings and promoting a positive work environment. Transparency and accountability help foster a frictionless and open environment where workers don’t second-guess each other’s decisions or motives.
4. Team Engagement Exercises: A mundane team environment leads to stressful and disconnected dynamics. Interpersonal team engagement exercises act as building blocks to forge a sense of camaraderie among remote workers, promoting collaboration, trust, and accountability. Such activities elevate bonding and help elevate connectedness, build relationships, boost morale, make workers feel valued, and enable a better understanding of our working dynamics.
5. Get Explicit and avoid vague Instructions: Vague instructions can lead to confusion and decreased productivity. When providing instructions, be clear and specific, about the deadlines and expectations for the task. Clarify instructions, encourage questions, and practice elaborate drafts to avoid confusion and ensure that all members are on the same page. Follow a visual aid methodology of diagrams and flowcharts to break down the objectives.
6. Define Roles & Responsibilities, and Monitor KPIs: By defining responsibilities, each remote worker gets a clear understanding of their expectations. Each worker can focus on their task; instead of getting distracted by unnecessary duties. Assigning work helps them stay within their defined space, makes them accountable for their deliverables, and makes it easier to track key metrics. Use Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-based (SMART) goals.
Advantages of a Remote Project Management Team
• Access a global pool of talented and creative workforce
• More diversity and knowledge multiplicity in your team
• Remoteteams reduces overhead costs, lower expenses, and improves cash flow
• Remote teams get a better work-life balance, promoting well-being and boosting efficiency
• Easier to stay agile and adapt during a disruptive phase
• Onboarding new resources is a lot less stressful and socially draining