Now that we’ve established what an extended team is, the next big question is how to manage one. Well, with time comes experience and we are here to share it today.
There are 4 important points that need to be checked when managing an extended development team:
I. Communication and Collaboration
II. Productivity and Motivation
III. Building a Strong Remote Team Culture
IV. Overcoming Challenges
Communication and Collaboration:
Clear communication is essential for any team to function effectively. First of all, an extended team should always have a contact person from the company, to whom the team leader can always come and discuss important matters, such as problems, employees leaving, etc.
Also, the team should have clear communication channels, such as video conferencing and instant messaging, and they should be encouraged to use them regularly. Regular virtual meetings and check-ins foster collaboration and keep team members connected.
A very important point in a good team collaboration is getting to know each other better.
What we’ve come to realize is that regular meet-ups with both the extended team and the in-house team can only benefit the company. This helps improve overall communication, boosts productivity, especially for the remote team, and creates a very motivational environment. At least the team buildings and meet-ups we’ve organized so far have been very successful.
Productivity and Motivation:
Providing remote team members with the right tools and resources is crucial for maintaining productivity. This is why one important aspect we’ve wanted to implement is a development budget for each employee, to assure “kaizen” – continuous improvement.
Productivity and motivation come hand in hand, so to assure maximum productivity, team leaders and managers should also recognize and reward performance. Besides financial compensation, we, at BackstageIT, like to celebrate our employees’ life events like birthdays, weddings, and anniversaries, so they feel valued and appreciated, not only for their skills but for their persona as well.
Building a Strong Remote Team Culture:
Defining values and goals, creating a sense of belonging, and celebrating milestones and successes are key to building a strong remote team culture.
We like to celebrate our teams’ successes, no matter how small or big they are, so we’ve made it a small tradition to be there and congratulate the team with a cake and good words, whenever they have a big break or project launch.
This helps share a sense of purpose among the team members and fosters a positive team dynamic.
Overcoming Challenges:
Balancing work and personal life, managing distractions and interruptions, and addressing performance issues are common challenges faced by extended teams. This is why to ensure the good performance of a team, it needs a good team leader.
A good team leader should be proactive in addressing these challenges and finding solutions to ensure the success of their remote team.
To help with this, we came up with the idea of a “Team Leaders’ Dinner”, where all team leaders come together, get to know each other better, share great stories over tasty food and drinks, and leave the event with lots of new tactics and ideas to try out in their roles. The idea behind this event is to inspire team leaders and help them overcome challenges that may appear in their way.
In conclusion, remote team management requires a different set of skills and approaches compared to traditional in-house team management. By focusing on all points above, managers can effectively manage their remote extended teams and maximize their productivity and success.
Ensuring all these points by yourself can sometimes be very difficult and overwhelming, and here’s where we step in. Extending your team with BackstageIT will ease your workload by making sure all these points are taken care of for you.
Wanna hear more about our services? Send us an email at info@backstage-it.nl and we’ll come back with all the information you need.