Tips for Managing Remote Software Development Teams

Effective management of a remote software development team is the key to successful project implementation. Communicating with the team regularly and ensuring that they feel like a part of the core business is very important in the long run.

Here are tips to manage remote software teams effectively and efficiently:

1. Defining a development methodology

Having a popular development methodology in place, ensures that the development process is standardized. This helps in tracking the progress of the project easily and managing it well. Agile is one of the most popular development methodologies for efficient software project management.

2. Create Milestones

Creating targets and milestones for your teams helps them stay motivated about the project. This helps them focus more on the details and bring out the best results for the business. It is important to get the teams to agree upon the milestones to be achieved.

3. Daily Reporting

Maintaining a certain level of productivity is very important for every project. Getting the remote teams to share daily reports and having access to the requisite project and time management tools helps keep a tab on the level of productivity.  

4. Getting to Know The Teams Personally

One must interact with the remote teams on a personal level. Wishing individual team members on their birthdays and getting to know about their likes and dislikes helps in building a friendly relationship with them. This is very important for keeping the team motivated.

5. Ensure Collaboration and Communication

One has to put in constant effort in ensuring that the teams are communicating amongst themselves on a regular basis. The project lead has to ensure that all of the queries that individual team members have, are resolved on-time. Besides that, communication should be used as a tool for knowledge sharing and collaboration. Use of the latest collaboration tools like Skype and Google Drive must be encouraged.

6. Delegation

This is an effective technique to improve productivity and team motivation. One has to set the expectations and goals, rather than define the tasks. This helps in letting the teams use their own creativity, to achieve the desired results. Every individual should be given the freedom to utilize their strengths to the fullest.

7. Time Difference Management

Generally offshore teams are hired in locations where the timezone is different. A common work-time can be decided to organize meetings and communicate regularly. A single point of contact must be deployed for query resolution of remote employees.

8. Incentives

Providing performance based incentives to remote teams is important for getting the desired results. These could be in the form of cash or appreciation mails. Creating a happy work culture among remote teams is the key to successful project development.

9. Choosing the Right Partner

An offshore software development team must be hired with the help of an experienced partner. Reviewing the experience and portfolio of the partner is essential before finalizing one. One should ensure that the team is qualified and communicates effectively. Signing a  Non-Disclosure Agreement and a Non-Competing Agreement with the hiring partner, are a must.

10. Use Of Video Communication

Video communication is an effective way to manage a remote development team. Having regular video calls over Skype, helps in personalizing the conversation and improves project understanding of the team.

11. Career Development

It is important to treat offshore teams like in-house ones and help them grow in their career. Remote teams also have career goals and they should be encouraged to move to the next level.

Hiring a remote software development team can be a cost effective proposition. Many remote development companies offer experienced developers at a reasonable cost of $24000 - $30,000/year while the average cost of in-house teams is more than $100,000/year. Using the right tools and techniques to manage these teams can help bring the desired results for business.