Managing Remote Teams: 20 Tested Tips For Tech Leaders
For a tech leader, team building can be complicated enough when everyone is working together in the same office. Tech teams usually have lengthy to-do lists that require focused, heads-down work, and it can be all too easy to retreat into team—and even individual—silos, leading to communication breakdowns and employee discontent. These issues can quickly spiral and be magnified in a tech team whose members all work remotely if a leader isn’t prepared with the right tools and strategies.
The members of Forbes Technology Council have years of experience managing remote tech teams and have learned effective ways to keep not only individual staffers, but also full teams running smoothly, efficiently, effectively and happily in a remote work environment. Below, 20 of them share strategies for building a strong remote culture that fully supports team members and advances the company’s mission.
1. Hold Regular One-To-One And Team Meetings
There is a direct correlation between how often individuals have ad hoc, one-to-one meetings and their engagement levels, as well as the likelihood of them staying at an organization. As a leader, it is crucial to have regular one-to-one meetings (both virtually and in person) both with your direct reports and the team for deeper relationship building. It is important to model this practice throughout the organization. – Alfredo Ramirez, Vyopta
2. Embrace Agile
Implement Agile methodologies. Divide big tasks into small, focused parts. This helps teams adapt quickly, communicate more effectively and always get better at what they do, making remote work more productive. – Maksym Petruk, WeSoftYou
3. Establish A Framework Of Trust And Responsibility
Building a culture of trust is crucial for a remote team. If the team has clear goals and responsibilities, it eliminates the need for specific processes to manage remote work. A framework of trust and responsibility can be effective for both service and product tech teams. – Siddharth Gawshinde, Cloudtech Inc.
4. Set Companywide OKRs
The biggest issue with remote teams is that members are focused on their own workspace, and the work can start to become routine. The most important strategy is to clarify the company’s vision, goals and motivation, and the best way to do that is to have objectives and key results for the company, for each department and for each person. In this way, each employee can grow, see the value of their work and understand how they impact companywide goals. – Roman Vinogradov, Improvado
5. Leverage Remote Management Software
One strategy that I have found critical for our fully remote organization is using remote team-management software—it’s fantastic for supporting our remote work environment. It allows us to actually see team members’ presence, the projects they’re working on and the time spent on tasks, and it helps us measure the collaboration levels within teams. – Bogdan Tudor, Optimum Desk, Inc.
6. Ensure Each Person Knows Their Role And Goals
Remote work succeeds best when there is a predictable and clear strategy and a good structure for decision making. Have a clear operating system. Make sure people know their roles and their goals, and make meetings purposeful, pointed and productive. – Tod Loofbourrow, ViralGains
7. Create Benchmarks For Success
I believe that what gets measured gets done. Strategize and prioritize creating clear benchmarks and measurements of success for the various roles within your remote staff. No one wants to be micromanaged, so make it clear what success looks like throughout your company—you’ll be on the fast track to maximum productivity. – Tal Frankfurt, Cloud for Good
8. Meet In Person Whenever Possible
Whenever possible, find opportunities for in-person meetings. This can be tricky with teams spread across the globe, but even small regional meetups or project kickoffs can make a big difference. Encouraging face-to-face meetings helps build a sense of team spirit and connection that’s hard to replicate online. This feeling of belonging can really lift productivity and team morale. – Ilia Sotnikov, Netwrix
9. Host Events That Aren’t About Work
The remote work environment creates an undeniable void, as it lacks the more personal connections and sense of identity that humans crave. Get your team members together in person when you can, even if it’s only a couple times per year. Fly them to a central location. Host dinners and events that aren’t all about work. Sound expensive? So is staff turnover. – Zach Fuller, Silent Sector
10. Establish A Weekly Routine For Meetings
We try to provide the team with some semblance of a routine by scheduling our weeks as follows. On Monday, our managers hold one-on-ones with their team members. On Tuesday, there are both team meetings and an all-hands meeting, while Wednesday is for follow ups and ad hoc meetings. On Thursday, we have a policy of no internal meetings to leave time for dedicated project work. Finally, on Friday, we have wrap-ups and end-of-week reflections. This recurring weekly cadence drives accountability and helps set expectations across the company. – Ken Babcock, Tango
11. Focus On Results
Focus on what matters: quality work delivered on time. This gives each of your employees the freedom to work at the time and place that is most productive for them, while giving all stakeholders clear benchmarks by which to measure success. – Lindsey Witmer Collins, WLCM “Welcome” App Studio
12. Implement Asynchronous Communication
One strategy for managing remote teams is implementing asynchronous communication, which respects different time zones and personal work rhythms and allows team members to respond when they’re most focused and creative. It reduces the pressure of immediate responses, fostering a more thoughtful, in-depth communication style. This method also supports work-life balance, which is key for long-term employee engagement and satisfaction. – Marc Rutzen, HelloData.ai
13. Simulate Working In The Office
Tech leaders can use virtual office platforms to increase remote team productivity. These platforms simulate a real office, fostering casual interactions and teamwork, which reduces isolation, strengthens team bonds and supports various working styles, leading to better collaboration and productivity. – Margarita Simonova, ILoveMyQA
14. Set Up Cross-Functional Projects
Encourage cross-functional collaboration by pairing team members from different departments or expertise areas for short-term projects. This not only broadens their skill sets, but also breaks down silos, leading to innovative problem solving. The diverse perspectives gained through such collaborations can significantly boost creativity and productivity in a remote setting. – Jagadish Gokavarapu, Wissen Infotech
15. Choose Your Tech Stack Carefully
Assess and equip your team with effective technology tools. Understand the impact of each tool in their workflows and address any gaps in access or adoption. A well-chosen tech stack, including platforms such as Slack or Jira Basecamp, enhances productivity and maintains engagement. Ensure that your tech stack supports efficient remote work while prioritizing data security and privacy. – Marc Fischer, Dogtown Media LLC
16. Encourage Work-Life Balance
Encouraging work-life balance is crucial in remote work settings. It helps prevent burnout by ensuring employees have enough time for personal activities and rest. This balance boosts morale, leading to increased productivity and job satisfaction. Tech leaders should advocate for flexible schedules, regular breaks and respect for off hours to foster a healthy, productive work environment. – Justin Goldston, Environmental Resources Management – ERM
17. Touch Base Each Day
We do daily five-minute check-ins with our development team, and it’s been a huge help. We make it a hard five minutes and only go over what each person is working on, what they need help with and what else they’re planning. It’s been a huge help in keeping developers on task and ensuring things don’t slip through the cracks. It also allows developers to get help with things that they might otherwise have put off. – Jordan Yallen, MetaTope
18. Do Retrospectives After Every Sprint
Tech leaders managing remote teams should implement quick retrospectives every sprint. It can be hard to see the forest for the trees, but taking frequent, regular looks at what went well and what didn’t can help team members feel more refreshed and supported in their difficult work. – Syed Ahmed, Act-On Software
19. Build On The ‘Three C’s’
A framework built on the “three C’s”—collaborate, commit and communicate—can be leveraged to achieve both alignment with goals and maximum productivity toward reaching those goals. “Collaborate” ensures alignment on goals, “commit” ensures the team’s agreement on those goals, and “communication” helps the team address any challenges in meeting and/or diversion from those goals. – Sameer Zaveri, Datamotive.io
20. Give Each Team Member A Set Of Goals For The Week
Set well-defined goals for each week for each remote team member, and take an Agile/Scrum sprint approach to remote team leadership. Even executives need to have focus, and remote employees appreciate knowing how they can demonstrate that they are being productive. In addition, set up a routine check-in—at least twice each month—with each team member to go over their progress and discuss priorities. – Richard Ricks, Silver Tree Consulting and Services
This article originally appeared on Forbes.
