In 2023, a lot of companies are managing teams that are found across the country. In some cases, you may even have employees in other countries. How can you manage your team without being at the office together? Fortunately, since the pandemic, leading virtually has become commonplace. Here are a few tips for you:
Start each project with a check-in meeting
Much like you would in the office, get each project started with a check-in meeting. In this meeting, you can make sure everyone on the team is present so that you can discuss everything from your expectations, designate jobs to appropriate team members, and talk about deadlines.
To ensure the outcome that you want, make sure your expectations are clearly set from the get-go. This will make it that much easier to manage the project as you go.
Decide on the best project management tools
If you want top results from any project, you’ll need to be sure you’re using the best tools for the results that you’re looking for. There are plenty of options out there, but some offer more features than others, so you’ll want to make sure you’re looking at the ones that have everything from the Gantt chart you may want to proof and dashboard collaboration.
The more complete the software, the easier it could be for you to manage your team and keep up with communication and workflow throughout the whole project.
Be available for your team
Provide your team with easy access to your expertise so that if they have questions while on the job, they can easily reach you. While you have your own workload to manage, you could be slowing down project progress if you’re not providing them with the replies and information they need to move forward.
Even if you’re the best project manager in the world and you have top employees who are competent and skilled, hiccups and problems can happen along the way, and being available for troubleshooting and prompt replies can ensure your project stays on track. Whether you use a phone app for easy messaging or communicate through Slack, offering your team a way to keep in touch with you on projects allows for easy communication and great results.
Allow for flexible hours
9-5 may be a good schedule for in-office employees but with remote teams, you can try out allowing team members to have flexible schedules. As long as they deliver work on time, it doesn’t always matter when they’re doing that work.
Of course, there are instances when you may have one remote employee who needs input from another so allow for a relaxed schedule throughout the day that ensures people can communicate with each other and work together as needed, but without all the stress that can happen with a regimented schedule. Check-in with your remote team and get their feedback on the kind of schedules that work best for them.
Encourage delivery on deadline
One of the hardest things about leading a remote team is deadlines being met on time. Because they’re not present at the office, it becomes a little easier for life to get in the way. While your team members are more than likely honest about disruptions, you’ll want to make sure to stay on top of timely delivery so that you can accomplish projects when scheduled for completion.
Consider offering some type of reward for those who deliver exceptional work ahead of time. While you will want to prioritize quality over meeting deadlines, when your team can do both, well, that’s perfect.
Concluding thoughts…
If you want to get results quickly and efficiently while managing your remote team, consider these tips above. They can help you maintain a great workflow while also allowing your team to work as independently and self-driven as possible. When you get the hang of it, you may discover how productive remote teams can be.
