managing distributed teams

Six tips to overcome challenges in managing a global team

Posted on September 20, 2022September 20, 2022 by temp

‘Distributed teams’ refer to teams where members are physically away from each other while working. There is no limit to distance as they could be working even from different time zones! This means the best developer based in Delhi can connect with the best Marketer located in Paris. Distributed teams allow for superior flexibility in the way teams function which leads to a myriad of benefits.

Thanks to technology, we can connect right away. Whether our staff is located in the same city or in various time zones, video conferencing and group messaging solutions keep us in continual communication. Distributed work has never been easier. There are many challenges to working with and managing global teams. However, the advantages of a global workforce are just as prevalent.

Advantages of globally distributed teams

There is more to globally distributed workforces than just revenue and retention. From savings to productivity to culture, global teams cover everything your organization needs and more.

The workplace is evolving due to remote work. With the help of technology, team members from all over the world can connect and work together while contributing their own special ideas, insights, and experiences. Let’s look at a few benefits of forming a worldwide team.

Access to a massive talent pool

A massive 80% of tech leaders feel that the availability of skilled talent is the biggest challenge in recruitment. Hiring across a global pool of talent enables organizations to access highly skilled talent at extremely competitive costs. Superior talent can be up to 8X as efficient as typical workers. Organizations can access and hire the top workers on the market, wherever they may be, by thinking beyond location-dependent teams.

Cost-effectiveness

The annual cost of office space per employee is, on average, $18,000. An organization’s main office footprint can be significantly reduced using a globally distributed staff. Cost factors for businesses include overhead expenses for things like office space, internet, power, water, and more. Decentralization and lower IT expenses are also made possible when businesses move applications off-site to the cloud. Managing

Increased productivity

Remote employees reported that working from home enhanced productivity by 77%. Businesses can save money on various resources and boost productivity by giving employees access to the tools and technologies that enable distributed working. Motivated workers can complete more work in less time, in addition to being more disciplined.

Boost employee retention

Additionally, remote workers are 83% happier in their employment than on-site employees are, and they would accept a wage drop of up to 10% to work remotely. Most individuals can agree that greater pay paired with better work-life balance, professional advancement prospects, and lower conflict chances boost the likelihood of sticking with a company over the long term.

Challenges to nanaging a global workforce (& how to solve them)

Each organization has its share of global workforce challenges. However, issues and challenges of managing a global workforce have easy and direct solutions. Let’s see.

Managing communication issues

A distributed team has to communicate with a deliberate purpose. Clear regulations that specify the appropriate cadence and optimal mediums for various forms of communication are beneficial. Set clear expectations with respect to working hours and availability, and factor in the differences in time zone when setting up team meetings. Make use of multiple channels of communication, synchronous and asynchronous to ensure that all members of your team have the space to plan out their workdays. Employees want the freedom of managing their work at their own pace.

Keep in mind that working remotely often gets lonely. When there are no proper conversation channels, employees become less friendly and trusting of each other. This leads to disruption of workflow dynamics and even conflicts and arguments. Set up multiple, two-way channels of communication across all stages to ensure that your team members have the means to communicate and share their ideas. By making sure that each employee feels respected, heard, and supported, you can boost engagement.

Tracking performance

Lack of face-to-face interaction may have a detrimental effect on morale and productivity. Moreover, when not working in visual contact, it can be hard to manage just what and how well an employee is doing. Managers must refrain from constantly bombarding their team members for updates and indulging in micromanagement.

A simple solution is checking in regularly and using productivity-centric tools. Task managers like Jira can track tasks as they are finished with Jira and include them in performance results. These tools provide a “quick peek” at current progress and assist you in compiling all of your significant outcomes in one location.

Cultural barriers

Company culture must be intentionally strengthened when it comes to distributed teams. It’s crucial to provide opportunities for interactions that are unrelated to business. It enables employees to get to know one another better, fostering closer bonds and a more cohesive team. In assessing employment possibilities, 57% of job searchers across all professional levels consider culture as essential as salary.

To build and reinforce business culture, managers and leadership must schedule regular, non-work-related events with the aim of team building and recreation. This could include relaxing sessions, meet-and-greets, gaming sessions, or even just talking for fun while having tea in the evening.

Differences in time zones

Another challenge when managing global teams is integrating time zones. Since a globally distributed team is always working at different times, it is important to have a proper structure in place with well-defined guidelines for communication.

Care must be taken to set up team meetings at times that are universally convenient, and managers must ensure proper documentation so that members who miss the meeting might still have access to the discussion. Managing this isn’t too complicated if your team is aware of the overlap they have.

A combination of flexible working hours, dexterous planning, and asynchronous communication can solve a major chunk of time-zone-related issues.

Lack of transparency

There are many possibilities for interaction between coworkers in the office. These seemingly little moments of connection help to improve team dynamics, foster a sense of community and spark cooperation among groups and group members.

A team that works well and performs well is a production machine. Teams should be provided with well-defined briefings that point them in the direction of a certain goal. Make sure you include detailed milestones and timelines so that your team has a clear idea of what is expected from them. This will stop low-quality production as well as burnout brought on by extended hours of effort.

Building trust

Working remotely generally results in less amount of in-person interaction time. People who interact offline on a daily basis are more likely to build friendships and trust. Talking to someone online every day doesn’t bring the same amount of trust and care, but it doesn’t have to be that way.

Host off-site or online gatherings for socializing and team-building so that distant workers may meet up in person or through a video conference. Making time for your team to unwind and have fun alongside when they are spread out is more crucial than ever because the connection is sometimes harder to come by online.

Companies like Automattic are great at managing this. They make sure their employees unplug and unwind on their holidays to keep the mood set. The morale of your distributed workforce may be significantly affected by these social gatherings.

Conclusion

There is a huge disparity between the advantages of global teams and challenges to managing a global workforce. When contrasted. the challenges to managing a distributed workforce are but a smear on an otherwise crystal clear screen of benefits including but not limited to productivity, revenue, retention & success.

Irrespective of the issues with global workforces, teams, and companies are rapidly changing to this model. And not without reason. Globally distributed teams are the future of working. They redefine what we’ve been doing in traditional offices and are better in almost every single way. There’s no reason not to opt-in. Once the managing part is done, you’re on your way to a successful distributed team.

Take the first step towards building your distributed team with Talent500 With vetted professionals and AI-powered tools, we offer talent acquisition and management solutions like no other. To know more, book a consultation and overcome any issues you’re having with your remote workforce.

How to get the best out of your distributed agile teams

Posted on September 19, 2022September 19, 2022 by temp

Agile is a sequential method to program administration and software design that enables distributed teams to provide value to clients more quickly and with fewer difficulties. Agile work occurs in small, yet consumable, increments rather than putting all on a “big bang” launch. Continuous evaluation of objectives, plans, and outcomes provides businesses with a natural process for adjusting rapidly to change.

An Agile team is a group of workers, contractors, or freelancers who are in charge of carrying out an Agile project. Distributed agile teams are often co-located and completely devoted to the project within its schedule, with no other commitments. Every member of an Agile team is needed to generate the final product or service. The distributed team is often cross-functional, with responsibilities varying based on the demands of the project and the kind of distributed Agile methodology used.

Benefits of distributed agile development

Teams pick Agile so that they can adjust rapidly to market developments or consumer input without sidetracking a year’s length of planning. Planning and releasing in small, regular increments allows your team to receive feedback on each modification and incorporate it into plans for the future at a low cost.

But it’s not simply a numbers game; it’s about people first and foremost. Authentic human connections, as defined by the distributed Agile Manifesto, are more vital than strict processes. Predefined plans are less crucial than collaborating with clients and coworkers. Either way, there are undeniable benefits to implementing agile teams.

How do distributed teams work?

A team that operates in multiple time zones and has members who are geographically separated from one another is referred to as a “distributed team.” This might imply that team members are working alone, whether it be from their homes, cafés, or co-working facilities.

Distributed teams usually work in a remote and virtual environment.

Implementing Agile in a distributed environment

There are many challenges faced in distributed Agile development. Agile claims that development teams must collaborate daily throughout the Agile methodology, but in a distributed environment, this is not possible. On one hand, while face-to-face meetings are prioritized in Agile (for scrums, project schedules, and backlog management), members of a remote team might never meet.

So an Agile distributed team could sound oxymoronic, but it does work. The fundamental goal of adapting Agile for a distributed team is not to adhere to every concept laid out in the Agile Manifesto or to strive to apply them all but to try and translate its fundamentals vis-a-vis a distributed team. Distributed collaboration will inevitably impact the development flow, but this does not exclude Agile from functioning.

Here are 10 things you should keep in mind so as to make the most of your agile distributed teams.

Team size & structure for distributed agile development

Setting up the team to maximize results is crucial when implementing the Agile approach in a remote team. A successful distributed agile team has anywhere from 3 to 9 members. Even in a face-to-face regular conference, a person has a specific ceiling to how much they can recall at once, therefore a larger team may have an impact on communication quality.

Distributed workload

Of course, the advice to divide the task equally among the team members applies to both co-located and distributed teams. The uneven workload might, however, have the worst effects on remote teams.

Due to time zones or scheduling conflicts, the delay caused by an overburdened team member might cause it to take much longer for other teammates. As a result, an overload may jeopardize the team’s ability to stick to timelines. Those who have inadequate work may also lose motivation and become unwilling to put up their best efforts on the job.

Backlog management

The Agile approach recommends daily sync-ups, which are used, among many other things, to identify any problems that are impeding the work of other team members. This issue is more critical in remote Agile teams since a blocker might force developers to delay finishing their work until a teammate on the other side of the world begins working on the problem. As a result, a great deal of valuable time is lost.

Tools for agile distributed development

Make sure you give the right collaborative and communication tools when setting up a distributed Agile development team so that your teammates are able to easily contact one another and attend daily meetings.

Using GitHub as your site for code creation and review makes sense given that your business generates software.
If you require a more complete collaboration solution with increased features, use Microsoft SharePoint or Google Drive to handle your project documentation.
One of the best tools for agile distributed teams is Jira. Users create roadmaps for projects, which gives you a visual method of tracking. You can manage each project with a drag-and-drop interface that lets you plan sprints and assign tasks to team members.

By setting up an online connection like Slack or Skype, you may ensure communication among your virtual team. The same technology may be utilized for your everyday meetings as well.

Build culture

The organization gains a lot from inviting experts from other locations, including cost savings and the opportunity to use various software development methodologies. While managing a remote team, it’s important to be aware of regional cultural differences and adjust management and communication strategies accordingly. Globally distributed teams in Agile development bring a lot to the table.

Offline activities

Plan physical conferences and site visits even if your remote team has been able to use Agile successfully. Naturally, this calls for more planning and funding, as you must take into account the price of travel and accommodations, issues with visas, and the task distribution that will allow certain coworkers to go.

Measure productivity

In the end, production is what counts. You can clearly see who is engaged on what assignment and what must be changed to render the process more effective by tracking the productivity of your distributed Agile team.

You need to utilize the following metrics to gauge how productive your remote Agile teams are:

Velocity is a measurement of how many narrative points on average a distributed team produced during the previous sprint cycles. You may gauge how much work your Agile team can do in forthcoming sprints using a velocity report.
Sprint Burndown gives you a real-time report on how many story points your team has finished in a particular sprint. The most effective technique to keep abreast of project status is to use sprint burndown.
Cumulative Flow Diagram (CFD). With CFD, you may monitor user story modifications and project progress across a range of statuses, including in progress, review, and finished. A jagged curve in CFD implies inefficient resources and bottlenecks, hence the curve should be smooth.

Ensure project status visibility

The lack of project progress visibility is one of the main problems faced by remote teams using Agile methods. Project status transparency is a component you cannot compromise on in the Agile era, as the project needs to change regularly.

You must ensure that your program status reports are posted and transparent even before the start of a new sprint cycle if you are the project manager or team owner of a distributed Agile team.

Nurture team agility

Since agility is a mindset that you instill in both you and your employees, it requires ongoing care. Every new product may bring with it a fresh set of issues that can never be resolved in the same way twice. Agile must be ingrained within teams for them to be able to respond to such a high frequency of changes.

Outsourcing

Without a seasoned Agile team, you cannot embark on an Agile transformation. The management of your resources is made simpler by outsourcing. You may concentrate more on enhancing what you’re creating when you have fewer personnel to handle. Additionally, a seasoned Agile remote team brings extra value to your team due to their considerable past expertise.

Significant talent shortages may be filled by outsourcing, which also controls expenses that could otherwise soar.

What is Scrum?

Agile project management methodologies like Scrum give teams a framework for incremental delivery while emphasizing effective planning, teamwork, and continual development.

Most Scrum teams must be dedicated to creating and sustaining a successful Scrum environment in order to meet the need for quick, iterative development. The scrum distributed model has seen good success. This led to experts thinking the scrum distributed model is better than the waterfall model or the Kanban model.

Agile + Distributed = Effective.

If leveraged right, Agile methodologies can help speed up high-quality software development in distributed teams. However, improper project management of remote workers can result in delivery delays, subpar performance, and worse ROI. In addition to helping project managers successfully manage distributed Agile models, the best practices and tools listed above can help leaders of distributed Agile teams greatly enhance productivity.

If you’re looking to better manage your remote teams, look no further than Talent500. With our vetted talent & AI-powered tools, we get to the core of your distributed teams and offer personalized solutions. Book a consultation now to learn just how you can get the best out of your remote workforce.

8 tips for managing a globally distributed team

Posted on September 16, 2022 by temp

It’s 2022, and there is no denying that there are numerous benefits to having a distributed workforce. From access to a wide pool of highly skilled talent, to a direct reduction in operational costs – going global is a good idea for companies of all sizes.

However, managing a global workforce is not without its challenges. The lack of in-person communication can often lead to disconnects within the team, making team members feel alienated and unappreciated. Add to that the difficulties of working with multiple time zones and cultural backgrounds, and you know that leading a distributed team is no child’s play. Even the most seasoned of managers are bound to face difficulties.

Thankfully, a combination of the right people, processes and tools can help managers of distributed teams tackle any difficulty and lead their distributed tech teams to growth and productivity.

Hire the right people

The first step towards managing global teams is to choose the right team members. Remember that you will no longer be able to stroll over to a team member’s desk to check-in on their progress. When recruiting for your distributed team, try to look for people who are

Self starters: A key component of being an effective remote worker is self-sufficiency and the ability to take on projects without needing constant management and oversight. Self starters are professionals who want to learn new skills and take on new challenges without being told what to do by their managers or bosses.
Effective communicators: Whether it’s during the stages of planning and ideation, or execution and implementation, clear communication maximizes productivity and reduces turnaround time.
Problem solvers: Members of your team will often be required to adopt new technology or improvise a quick solution to ensure smooth functioning. Look for candidates who show creative and strategic thinking.
Good at time management: The stop and start nature of remote work demands extreme punctuality and time management. It is important to find individuals who will be able to understand which tasks are necessary and prioritise those.

Set effective goals

The transition to location independent work, although necessary, may not always be easy. It is natural for team members to struggle with initial uncertainty and confusion, and the best way to lead global virtual teams is by setting the right goals and expectations.

Set effective long-term and short-term goals, and communicate these clearly with your team members to get buy-in. Setting objectives for specific periods of time – weekly, bi-weekly or even monthly, is a great way to help distributed teams keep on pace. Having a common written standard will make it easier for your team to follow these goals.

Develop a working structure

One of the most important parts of setting up a physical office is setting up the necessary infrastructure, from electricity and civic amenities, to work desks, conference rooms, telephones and Wi-Fi routers. Setting up your distributed office is no different – with the slight difference of putting in place the right working structure and tools that will help your team.

Establish a working structure that clarifies each aspect of daily functioning, like the tools that you will be using, the different methods of communication, working hours and availability, vacation and leave policy.

One of the best ways to augment the performance of your team is by supplying them with the right tools and procedures. Put in place an effective work structure by demarcating communication channels, formulating standard operating procedures and documenting everything. GitLab’s Remote Manifesto is a great example of how an effective working structure can help distributed teams function like a well oiled machine.

Champion asynchronous communication

Working with multiple time zones is a problem inherent to managing distributed teams. Asynchronous communication solves this by enabling every member of your team to work according to their own schedules. By eliminating the pressure to respond immediately and reducing interruptions, it leads to increased productivity and an increased level of control over the workday.

However, extracting the complete potential of asynchronous communication requires a little bit of homework. To begin with, team leaders must ensure that all relevant details are stored at a central place, available to every stakeholder in the project. Similarly, channels of communication should be divided into synchronous and asynchronous according to urgency and importance.

Empower local leaders

As the leader of a distributed team, it is important to understand that your team members are working from multiple geographical locations, which is bound to result in differences of cultural backgrounds and time zones. This is especially true for large multinational companies having bases in multiple countries.

In such cases, taking the help of local leaders across various locations can help you effectively manage multiple distributed teams. Empowering regional leaders helps establish a strong local foundation, creating a hierarchy of leadership when working with multiple international teams. Today, companies like Airbnb, Walmart and Target are establishing their global capability centres (GCCs) as independent, fully-functional units within themselves with the help of strong local leadership. Empowering regional leaders to facilitate the daily operations helps global leaders concentrate on the bigger picture.

Listen & iterate

The importance of effective, two-way communication cannot be overemphasized when it comes to distributed teams. Working in co-located offices meant that managers had visual cues on how their team members were feeling; in the absence of the same, they now need to work harder to gauge the pulse of the team.

Be it through 1:1 meetings, weekly brainstorming sessions, surveys or just general check-ins, leaders of distributed teams must continuously seek feedback and look for ways to implement it. From setting goals and deciding project timelines, to the adoption of new operating procedures and tools – when employees feel heard, it has a direct impact on their levels of engagement and satisfaction.

Include rituals and Ceremonies

According to this survey by Buffer, the top two challenges faced by remote workers include “barriers to communication & collaboration” and “loneliness”. For employees at co-located offices, occasions like birthdays and cultural celebrations are often the times when a large chunk of bonds are formed. For globally distributed teams, this occurs through shared rituals, practices and ceremonies.

Shared team rituals help foster trust between team members and make them feel like they are part of something special. Fun Friday activities, virtual happy hours, or any other such team bonding rituals are crucial to forming interpersonal bonds and directly impact team dynamics. Managers can start with something as simple as a monthly team lunch where all members share the same menu.

Recognize your team members

82% of employees consider recognition as an important part of their happiness at work. Rewarding and recognizing your team members is a good idea universally, and this applies squarely to dispersed teams as well. The lack of interpersonal interaction is often the biggest challenge faced by most distributed teams. Having a culture of appreciation helps employees feel valued, directly impacting employee engagement and consequently, retention.

While verbal recognition is a good start, team leaders today have access to a wide range of recognition softwares and applications created specifically for globally distributed teams. Applications like Nectar, Bonusly and HeyTaco can be integrated directly with Slack.

Worldwide, the percentage of people working remotely has risen from 17% in 2019 to 32% in 2021. Additionally, 73% of all departments are expected to have remote workers by 2028. Regardless of the industry you’re in, leading global teams is an essential skill-set for all managers today.

At Talent500, we understand that the transition to location independent working is a multi-layered process involving numerous stakeholders and factors. Our team of experts and network of highly skilled professionals are here to help you build your global team in over 50 countries. Ready to take the first step? Set up a consultation with our team here.