How can you manage your remote agile team more effectively?

In our new book ONLINE Innovation we share some great practical insights: 1. Read the agenda beforehand and come to the meeting prepared. 2. Set microphones to mute when not speaking. 3. Webcams on where possible – it's nice to see your face! 4. Call in from a quiet, well-lit location. 5. Use nonverbal means to indicate you would like to speak. 6. Respect break time to the minute 7. Get familiar with the tools. 8. Be engaged. 9. Close down extra tabs 10. Shut down other devices taking up bandwidth. 11. Use a headset or earphones. 12. When speaking, do so slowly and clearly. 13. Turn off notification sounds 14. Smile and nod! Let the speaker know you are listening!

I have led 100 member fully remote team as a founder. Few tools which worked best for us - 1. Internal Comms - Slack, Flock, Discord 2. Knowledge repo - Notion 3. Collaboration & Brainstorming - Miro, Whimsical 4. Employee engagement - Scribble, kahoot, quizzes 5. Rewards & gifting - XoXo Day 6. Video conferencing - Zoom, Gmeet 7. Entertainment - Virtual escape rooms, monodeal

With the right perspective, plan, and tools, it would be easier to get the result, whether the team is remote or in-house. The first step is to create a plan of action, split it into tasks, and assign each task to a specific person. To ensure efficient problem-solving, create knowledge base and support articles. Document every task and use an "if this then that" approach. This way, any bottlenecks encountered can be easily addressed by the dedicated team member who is familiar with the situation. There are a variety of tools from Monday.com, Notion.so, Atlassian Products etc. that combines task management, knowledgebase, tracing, and other things necessary to get the project done.

Foster a culture of accountability! Integrating performance tracking and reporting tools, but more than that encourage your team to take responsibility and ownership.

Agile thrives on collaboration, communication, and feedback – elements that might seem daunting when team members are scattered across time zones. As someone who's navigated this challenge managing remotely in the USA and globally, I've found that embracing Tech & leadership strategies can truly make a difference. Embrace Technology: Leverage collaboration tools that facilitate real-time communication and transparency. Platforms like Microsoft Teams, Trello, and Slack can bridge the distance and keep everyone on the same page. Foster Open Communication: Encourage your team to over-communicate. Schedule regular video calls, stand-ups, and check-ins. This helps build rapport and ensures that everyone's aligned on goals and progress.

Why are you talking about remote “agile” teams instead of just remote teams? “Agile” in my opinion is a buzzword and nothing more, and it turns people like me off. If you are simply talking about managing a remote team, the most important thing is for the manager to have a healthy relationship with each of the team members, and for them to have healthy relationships with each other. That takes time and effort for the manager to really get to know the individual team members and for them to get to know each other. The team needs goals to focus on and progress should be reported. Celebrate successes as a group. Encourage members to talk to one another frequently. Members need to share personal interests, challenges, and wins w/each other.

Keep the expectations clear and simple by defining roles & responsibilities. It can be done by: - Defining the scope of work - Defining the working days and hours - Defining tools and technologies that are a must know - Creating and maintaining a proper Kanban

Emphasize the value of continuous improvement by setting expectations for regular meetings to talk about what went well or what went wrong.

As a manager of an agile team, we must lay out well-defined expectations to enhance team performance. Roles and Responsibilities: Clearly defining who does what fosters efficiency and accountability, even across digital landscapes. Goals and Objectives: Transparently laying out the team’s destination (aka North Star) keeps everyone aligned and striving toward the same achievements. Availability: Harmonizing work hours is essential. Knowing when colleagues are available enhances collaboration and minimizes delays. Communication: Specifying where and how to communicate ensures that discussions flow smoothly, erasing the distance.

Leading remote agile teams can be a just as much of a challenge as working on on them. Here’s a couple of quick tips to try with the team that you lead or the team you’re on (manage up *wink*). [1] Most agile teams have daily stand ups. Start the day off right by having clear guidelines for participants to get through the updates both quickly and effectively (don’t let a single topic derail your standup, kindly encourage a sidebar after standup). [2] Fight against silos and back channel discussions. This is definitely easier said than done, but do everything in your power to encourage public communication channels to give visibility to decisions and conversations.

Building trust is the most crucial part of managing a remote agile team. It can be done by: - Being transparent about the process - Giving personal space to team members - Respecting the personal life of team members - Giving value to what is important to them - Sharing and receiving constructive feedback - Making them feel important and an integral part of the team - Appreciating and acknowledging their good work

In my experience, trust is a key factor in managing any team - remote or in person. Honesty, transparency and authenticity are the building blocks of trust. Once I started to be an authentic leader and stopped trying to imitate and copy the leaders around me, the trust came readily.

Do you want to learn to delegate? You need to start with trust. Understand that remote work comes with its own challenges and unique rhythms, and you need to trust the people you put in place.

In my journey, I've found it beneficial to work with expert freelancers on a project basis, balancing cost efficiency and high expertise. Trust, for me, is not only about regular communication but also about mutual respect and understanding each other's needs. Before engaging, I prepare my requirements meticulously, giving clear feedback to ensure a smooth collaboration. I choose my collaborators carefully, based on their portfolio and previous client feedback, fostering a culture of trust that enables us to work effectively, despite not interacting on a daily basis. This trust-based approach has helped me manage my remote team efficiently, while allowing for the flexibility we all appreciate. 😊

I recently experienced an opportunity to clarify roles and expectations with a superior in the workplace. When I asked what their priorities were and that I was asking so that we could align on expectations, the response was I’m not going to tell you that. This is the first step in building trust. A leader has to be clear their expectations and be consistent. Requiring their employees to be members of the blindfolded dart team is not only unfair but a terrible employee engagement and retention strategy.

Steering a remote agile team towards success demands the perfect blend of flexibility and structure and processes are a powerful tool to accomplish this such as: Flexibility & Structure - Embrace adaptable frameworks that allow room for creativity. Time Zone Flexibility - Blend synchronous collaborations like meetings with asynchronous tasks that respect different work hours. Autonomy & Alignment - Empower your team with the autonomy to navigate their tasks. Sprint Length & Meeting Frequency - Manage meetings to maintain momentum without inducing burnout. Communication Style & Format - Mix written updates, video calls, and instant messaging to create a comprehensive communication ecosystem.

Managing a remote agile team more effectively necessitates adeptly adapting processes to the remote context. This entails striking a delicate equilibrium between flexibility and structure, synchronicity and asynchronicity, and autonomy and alignment. Drawing from my experience, recalibrating sprint parameters, optimizing meeting dynamics, tailoring communication approaches, and refining feedback loops are essential actions. Embracing an experimental mindset, coupled with diligent feedback analysis, empowers continuous improvement and propels your remote agile team towards peak performance.

In my case, working with expert freelancers on a short-term contract basis has been an efficient approach. This not only offers me the flexibility to bring the right talent on board as per the project's need, but also allows my team members to balance their work-life, catering to multiple clients. They often find this varied experience stimulating, pushing their boundaries, and contributing to their professional growth. It's an arrangement that champions autonomy, efficiency, and growth. 😊

Focus on KPI - let the team know what matters most for the project - let them be aware of where they contribute and make an impact - praise and reward when they meet or exceed the expectations. - involve, discuss and improve when they couldn't meet. - make the team feel important all the time and give them the Marco picture.

I've been working with remote teams for 10 years, and first and foremost I think the most important thing is to make them FEEL like a team. Let them know how their work contributes to the business and the impact they are having, and what the impact is when they don't deliver. I give the team the flexibility to work when they want as long as they deliver by the deadline, we have a weekly team meeting and quarterly 1-2-1's but don't treat the team as a whole, different people need different levels of support. So for one we have a daily hour long call booked, but we don't always need that long, while others don't need/want that. Finally we have a quarterly team night in, drinks sent out and games are played. It's about having fun too.

To manage a remote agile team effectively, prioritize clear communication, well-defined expectations, and regular check-ins. Leverage project management tools to streamline workflows and empower team members with autonomy and trust. Foster camaraderie through virtual team-building activities to boost morale. Adapt to time zone differences and encourage continuous improvement to maintain productivity and collaboration. By embracing these practices, you can successfully manage your remote agile team and drive positive outcomes.

When possible, try to connect in person at some point. It doesn’t have to be every day, but meeting your team members in person… even if it’s just once… can make a big difference in building a relationship.