The profound humanitarian fallout of the COVID-19 continues to expand by the day. Governments have launched unprecedented public-health and economic responses. Companies have developed and implemented business continuity plans, security guidance, and, most importantly — seamless remote working conditions. In this article, we offer some of Intellectsoft’s latest insights of managing a team of remote developers during times like this.
How To Manage Developers During the Coronavirus Crisis
So here we are, living in a world where pandemic movies came to life. The number of ill people is rising, as well as the level of stress and anxiety.
Since March 16, our employees have been working remotely. We have already faced all the possible difficulties on our way and learned how to tackle the main challenges to manage the working process smart and effectively. We are ready to spill the beans and share all the secrets of productive remote management.
To stop COVID-19, all the countries around the world are trying to minimize human interactions, resulting in a staggering number of employees learning how to work remotely. Even though the majority of software engineers are not new to work like this, it can still be quite a challenge to manage a team in such difficult times psychologically.
That is why in this article, we are going to shed light on ten tips to organize an effective working process with remote developers, taking into account both psychological pitfalls and practical hurdles to overcome.
How to Manage a Team of Remote Developers Despite the Uncertainty
First and foremost, you need to outline all the possible challenges your software development team may face when working from home. Usually, it boils down to three main challenges. These are communication problems and pitfalls, lack of well-functioned equipment, and the inability to manage productivity.
For this reason, before setting out the rules, guidelines, and software development team goals, make sure you did your best to eliminate or alleviate the possible struggles that may occur.
10 Tips To Keep Your Developers Team Effective During the Coronavirus Crisis
Luckily, we have already examined the best cases of smart and efficient remote developers management and prepared a quick guide for you to follow. We have taken into consideration the main challenges that can be difficult to tackle and offering comprehensive solutions to the problem. Take a look and enjoy the tips that truly work.
1. Secure a Well-Functioned Tech Facilities and Tools
Firstly, you need some software that will unite all the working processes. To ensure productivity, you’d better have a look at various collaboration tools perfect for a software development team working remotely. Such tools as Jira, Trello, Zoom enable us to stay focused on daily tasks, plan and manage projects. Slack helps our team to stay connected all the time. It’s the place where we brainstorm and solve current issues. And Zoom, as a perfect alternative to Skype, is a way more convenient tool to have video calls and screen sharing.
What is more, there are tons of productivity tools that are both efficient and have friendly interfaces like Todoist, iDoneThis, and Atlassian Stash. With the help of such systems, it is much easier to have an overall picture needed when working remotely.
2. Make Sure Your Staff Have Everything for Effective Work
But for the obvious essentials like a well-function computer or a laptop and great Internet connection, one should think through all the possible hurdles on the way to a smooth remote working process. Ensure that you have a backup to the cloud in case there is any accidental deletion of valuable files.
Furthermore, your workers need to have “access to servers, development environments, and shared code.” Otherwise, your software developers teams will just stumble upon inconveniences that could lower their productivity.
3. Think Through Communication Channels
Even though many people hate these real face-to-face meetings, during such gatherings, you can communicate fast, transmit your ideas fast, and, most importantly, solve the existing problems fast. When working with remote developers, it is vital to have regular video meetings. Not only will regular conferences reduce the problem with the lack of information, but they also help to unite workers and show they are all in this together.
4. Help Your Workers With Self-Organization
If you want your developers’ team to be productive, you need to show them the importance of self-organization and discipline. Teach them to stay online during the working day. What is more, be a great example and don’t bother them with work issues at weekends and when the working day has ended.
Explain that the remote work schedule is no different from work in the office, and this is actually the good news. The reason is simple: you work the same amount of time, but you don’t waste your time commuting, for instance. What is more, psychologically it is less stressful when you do your job within the agreed time period, having no put offs, and then just relax after the work is done.
5. Set Software Development Team Roles and Responsibilities
Make sure both formal and informal roles are distributed effectively so that each employee knows exactly what their responsibilities are. When working remotely, a team “can truly benefit from having informal roles like various kinds of leaders, idea generators, critics, and doers”, as it is the key to self-management.
Plus, it is worth mentioning that to maximize productivity, you’d better build small teams of 3-8 people. Such teams are more autonomous, take responsibility for their initiatives, and as a result, are more efficient. In case you’re developing a big project, you can always divide one team into sub-teams.
6. Keep Everyone Updated
When working together on one project, it is crucial that all the members are in the loop, especially in the case of remote developers. For this reason, once again, think through regular conference meetings to discuss the relevant issues. Knowing the status of other projects, or being aware of any changes in the company’s goals and objectives is all crucial to an employee working remotely. That is why ensure that nobody is missing out on anything.
7. Encourage Open Conversation
Let us face reality, COVID-19 is not the usual flu, and it has been a long time since the last serious pandemic. That is why all the people are feeling stressed, anxious, and some can even get depressed. An employer or HR manager encourages open conversation with your workers. Make sure you ask your workers how they feel.
“It is believed that the main struggle remote workers face is the feeling of loneliness and isolation”. For this reason, it would be a great idea to offer an opportunity for an online session with the psychologist. After all, you are working with people, and their emotional and physical being is the main priority.
8. Remind About Data Protection
Ensure that your employees are informed about protecting data. Remind them that it isn’t advisable to transfer work data, materials, and emails to their personal devices without permission. In case they do not have any other choice but to work on their personal laptop or computer, make sure that they take all the necessary precautions like antivirus software or not letting the browsers save some work passwords, for instance.
What is more, you should ensure secure connections with VPN, as well as adopt smart and secure cloud storage solutions.
9. Trust Your Developers Team
If you want to create a comfortable and efficient working environment, it is not about tracking and monitoring productivity all the time or comparing the performance. It is about believing in your team, talking to them, and taking an interest in what bothers them. After all, it does not matter whether you work from home or stay in the office. If a team achieves the required outcome, it means they are doing a great job.
10. Goals Are the Priority, Not Activity
According to Forbes contributor Donal Hatter, who specializes in sales and effective leadership, it is crucial to focus on the objectives when working with a remote team. He believes that productivity boils down to the results having been achieved, rather than what is being done. For this reason, the last tip is to focus on the goals you want to achieve with your team and work towards them no matter the obstacles.
How to Motivate and Manage Remote Developers During the Coronavirus Crisis
Believe it or not, humanity has always been facing this or that crisis. However, the main advantage of the human race is the ability to adapt to any kind of change or environment. That is why getting used to working remotely is also just a matter of time and, in fact, is the future of work.
Embrace such an opportunity to build strong functionality even when your employees are not under control in the office. Be there for them, be consistent, and set clear goals. Use all the abundance of online tools to do work as productive as offline, or even better as working remotely today may be the key to innovation tomorrow.
We, at Intellectsoft, empower companies and their workforces with in-depth expert tips and insights. Are you and your organization looking for some?
Talk to our experts and find out more about the topic and how your business can start benefiting from it today!