How do I manage all tasks end to end through a remote team? This was a looming concern for every project manager and team leader who were to work with remote teams either for the first time or for extended time periods.
Project management involves ensuring transparent task assignments, resource allocation and utilization, real time information exchange, centralized collaboration to prevent chaos.
With decentralised teams, there is now the added concern that work progress is visible, that all work is started on time, and that teams know who is working on what to avoid rework.
Teams also need to be able to brainstorm and solve problems together to get the work done on time.
How can project management be adapted in a remote team where most of the communication is asynchronous?
We don’t have all the answers yet, but here are some of the lessons we’ve learnt so far to manage our remote team.
Other than the practical elements it is more about being empathic, clear in your communications and setting up the key ground rules that the team will work with.
It becomes much simpler to know a person who is sitting the whole day beside you.
You work together, spend hours together and you start knowing them in and out, their strengths and weaknesses and what personality they possess. But when working remotely you will have to try a little to know your team. Make it a point to have a discussion that gives you a learning about their personality. Do not try to know unwanted things that may bug them. This will grow a positive culture within your remote team.
The key is always to enable an open culture where ideas are shared, respected and celebrated. And most importantly, collaboration is enabled transparently at all levels across your team.
When information is made available on time in a crisp manner, there is more clarity within the teams, less anxiety and faster execution. Teams are motivated to achieve shared goals leading to successful work completion.
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