5 Best Practices for Managing a Remote Development Team

Businesses all around the world are facing numerous difficulties as a result of the shift to remote labor. Managing a remote development team is one of the most difficult tasks that many businesses must perform. It's not impossible, though. You can manage a remote development team and make sure they are productive and effective with the correct strategy.

Devler.io - it’s all about remote working from different countries so from our experience we'll provide you some advice on how to manage a remote development team in this article, let’s go 🏃 

Why remote? 

Whether you are a business owner planning to switch your team on remote working or already a remote working advocate, there are still doubtful questions that can come up in your head, like - Do I really need to hire a remote team? Is it better to hire a couple of workers in the office? How to be sure that remote developers can do their job properly? 

Well, remote working is really beneficial. Just look at these facts, which can totally answer all the questions above: 

• The productivity of remote workers is 35–30% higher than that of office workers. 
• A remote or hybrid employment, according to 84% of workers, makes them happier. 
• It is anticipated that the percentage of hybrid jobs will rise to 81% in 2024. 

89% (!) of companies either already have a policy in place for remote work or are contemplating one. 

So, how to manage your remote development team? Here’re some useful tips: 

1. Regular Communication 

Every team needs to communicate, but remote development teams need it even more. When working remotely, there are fewer opportunities for face-to-face interaction than in an office setting. As a result, it's critical to establish regular channels of contact with your team. This will make it easy to interact with and keep your team on track. 

You have access to a variety of communication options that you may use to keep in touch with your team. Team meetings and progress updates can be held efficiently using video conferencing solutions like Zoom, Skype, or Microsoft Teams. For fast queries and updates, instant messaging services like Slack or Microsoft Teams are excellent. A decent choice for more thorough communication is email.

Some important things to use: 

• Setting basic ground rules is essential to ensuring effective communication
• Establish regular meeting times, for instance, and adhere to them. 
• Encourage team members to interact proactively and to respond to messages. 

2. Setting Clear Expectations 

When leading a remote development team, it's essential to establish clear expectations. Team members may not know what is expected of them without clear expectations, which can cause confusion and frustration. Spend time outlining your team's expectations in order to prevent this.

Goal-setting for the team should come first. Make sure that these objectives are time-bound, relevant, measurable, attainable, and specific. Your team will have a clear understanding of their goals thanks to this. Then, divide these goals into more manageable tasks and give each one a due date. This will make it easier for your team to stay on task and guarantee that projects are finished on schedule.

Some important things to use: 

• Motivate remote team members to routinely communicate their progress and to ask for feedback when necessary. 
• You can also establish guidelines for how team members should use collaboration technologies, such as how frequently project boards should be updated or how frequently code should be reviewed. 

3. Using Collaboration Tools

Collaboration tools are essential for directing a remote development team. These tools enable team members to collaborate on projects and transmit information in real time. It is critical to select the most effective collaboration tools for your team from the numerous options available.

Some of the most well-known collaboration tools include project management tools like Trello or Asana, code collaboration platforms like GitHub or GitLab, and video conferencing systems like Zoom or Skype. These tools can help your team collaborate more effectively and efficiently.

It's critical to take your team's requirements into account when selecting collaboration solutions:  

• A code collaboration tool may be required, for instance, if your team is working on a software project and needs to review and integrate code. 
• A project management solution that enables you to monitor progress across all projects may be necessary if your team is working on several different projects. 

4. Prioritize trust 

Collaboration and trust are key components of a successful remote development team management strategy. Without trust, team members might not feel comfortable discussing their ideas or progress, which could cause misunderstandings or delays. Encourage open communication and teamwork among team members in order to develop trust.

Pair programming is one strategy for encouraging cooperation. Pair programming occurs when two developers cooperate on the same piece of code. One developer develops the code while the other examines it. This method can enhance code quality while also allowing team members to learn from one another. Pair programming can also be used to mentor younger developers by pairing them with more experienced ones.

Utilizing code reviews is another method for encouraging trust and collaboration. Team members analyze each other's code during code reviews to find any problems or potential improvements. Code reviews can aid in enhancing the quality of the code and ensuring that everyone is adhering to best practices. Team members can offer criticism and suggestions for improvement during code reviews, which can also be used as a learning opportunity.

5. Emphasize work-life balance 

It's simple to conflate business and personal life when working remotely. Team members' health and wellbeing may be negatively impacted by burnout as a result of this. The importance of work-life balance must be emphasized to prevent this.

Encourage your team members to take breaks and turn off their screens throughout the day. Motivate remote teams to establish boundaries between work and personal time by, for example, shutting off notifications when not in use. Additionally, you can offer tools and resources for mental wellness and health, like access to apps for meditation or counseling.

Along with encouraging work-life balance, it's crucial to make sure that team members have access to the resources and tools they require to work productively from home. Providing gain to high-speed internet or furnishing ergonomic furniture like chairs or keyboards are two examples of what this may entail.  

Top Tools To Use For Managing a Remote Team

The most suitable tools for your team may rely on your unique needs and tastes. There are multiple tools available for managing a remote development team. However, the following are some of the most well-liked tools for leading remote software teams: 

• Communication tools:

Communication is essential when managing a remote workforce, and there are numerous technologies available to aid with communication. Among the most often used communication tools are Slack, Microsoft Teams, Zoom, and Google Meet.

• Project management tools:

Project management tools can help you keep track of tasks, deadlines, and progress on projects. Popular project management tools include Trello, Asana, Jira, and Basecamp.

• Code collaboration tools:

Code collaboration tools can help teams work together on code, whether through pair programming, code reviews, or other collaboration methods. Popular code collaboration tools include GitHub, GitLab, and Bitbucket.

• Virtual whiteboards:

Virtual whiteboards can be helpful for brainstorming and collaborating on ideas. Popular virtual whiteboard tools include Miro, Mural, and Google Jamboard.

• Time tracking tools:

Time tracking tools can help you keep track of how much time team members are spending on various tasks, which can be helpful for billing clients or managing workload. Popular time tracking tools include Toggl, Harvest, and RescueTime.

• Password management tools:

Password management tools can help teams securely store and share passwords and login information. Popular password management tools include LastPass, 1Password, and Dashlane.
 

You can manage a remote software team successfully and make sure that your team members have access to the tools they need to operate productively and cooperatively by combining these technologies and tools. 

Devler.io - Your Next Remote Software Workers Are Here 

Devler.io is a platform that has been designed to enable businesses to work remotely with top-tier software developers. With the increasing need for remote work arrangements, Devler.io provides a safe and reliable platform for businesses to hire remote developers with ease. But how does the platform work, and how can you be sure engineers from Devler.io know how to work remotely and bring your business ideas to life?  

As a client, you can be sure that remote developers from Devler.io have the skills, experience, and tools needed to work remotely and bring your software dreams to life. With a rigorous vetting process, tailored developer-client matching, and effective communication and collaboration tools, Devler.io is a trusted platform for hiring remote software development teams. By leveraging the platform, businesses can access top-notch remote developers and unlock new opportunities for growth and success. Just fill the form and we will be in touch with you shortly 😊