Project Management Tips For A Successful Remote Project

It’s not an exaggeration to say that remote work is becoming the norm instead of an exception. The pandemic brought forth a change in the work environment and policies. Because of this, people had more time for their personal lives without sacrificing work efficiency.

In a survey, 30% of employees claim that they’ve been more productive working from home than on-site. And 59% of employees would choose an employer who gives remote work over ones who didn’t. A remote setup also benefits the company because they pay less in bills. For example, if employees work from home, that reduces the amount they pay in electric bills and office rent.

Companies are starting to embrace this setup because they can now hire talent without location constraints. But while there are many benefits, it also requires a shift in project management strategies.

Project managers have to ensure that remote work is glitch-free for their teams as well. An innate understanding of the remote work setup is important to carry that out. Thus, many companies are investing in all-in-one management software tools to get by.

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Stormboard has a variety of different project management templates built for managing tasks and complex projects across varying teams and departments.

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What Makes Up a Remote Project Team?

A remote project team consists of professionals from different physical locations on one project. All of the team members work in their respective locations and time zones. Some of them would work based on the company’s timezone depending on the work arrangement.

Remote work also helps companies achieve better employee engagement and satisfaction. This not only makes them a desirable company for new hires but also for current employees. Employees who work remotely also experience less stress and are confident they can accomplish more in less time. Therefore, you can expect high employee retention and recommendation.

So, how do you manage a remote project team and ensure that your project becomes a success? Let’s talk about different tips that can help you as a project manager aiming for success.

Remote Project Management Tips

Decide on a Project and Membership Management Software

Project management requires top organization skills because you’re keeping track of so many things. Even if it’s just one project, you need to monitor each team member’s progress so everything goes without a hitch. It shows that membership management is just as important as project management.

It’s important to choose the right project and membership management software from the get-go. How you deal with your team depends on it and you’ll likely use it long-term as well. You’ll know it’s the best software when it’s all-in-one management that makes your life easier.

The all-in-one management software should be customizable and have all the features you’d need for your projects and teams. Despite all those features, it should be user-friendly so you don’t spend too much time learning how to use it. It should also be budget-friendly because you don’t want to blow all your money on one fancy software.

Choose the Proper Project Methodology for Your Team

We have two different flexible project management methodologies to discuss —Agile and Kanban. You’ll find that one of them might be more well-suited for your remote team than the other. But ideally, you’d want an all-in-one management method for your team.

Stormboard has a number of pre-built smart templates for virtually any project management framework — including Agile frameworks and various Kanban boards.

Agile Methodology

Agile teams are highly flexible and adaptable which allows them to respond to new circumstances quickly. Their work is done in sprints or development cycles that last two to four weeks.

Scrum is an Agile framework that focuses on producing deliverables frequently. Unlike Agile alone, it’s not reliant on leadership but a self-organizing team. It prospers in tackling projects in bite-size pieces, learning from them, and improving. In other words, they’re a self-organized group that grows through experience.

Kanban Methodology

Kanban methodology requires you to visualize the team’s workload and tasks. You place team tasks on the Kanban board as cards that have the details. The board is divided into columns that represent the stages of the workflow.

You can think of it like a Trello board if that makes it easier for you to visualize the method. Your team members can move the cards to a different column depending on their progress with the task.

Be Detailed in Your Project Specification

Using a project specification document is important for project management. It contains the scope of your project, deliverables, and deadline. It should inform your team what they’re doing and what your goals are.

A clear project specification lets your team check in on each other and confirm they’re doing it right, and are not facing any roadblocks or challenges. This is especially important for remote teams because they can’t physically communicate.

With a good project specification, you can increase your team’s chances of success in the project. An effective one is created through a series of steps. The first is to prepare the requirement from stakeholders. While you prepare this as a project manager, you should also involve your team so it will be detailed.

Give Everyone Clear and Direct Feedback

One thing to keep in mind is that your employees aren’t mindreaders, especially remotely. Coordinating in remote workspaces can be difficult for everyone, the project manager included. However, remote communication itself isn’t a problem with the right software. You can use all-in-one management and collaboration tools to track your projects.

It’s also important to give everyone feedback on their work, like having one-on-one meetings. These will help you grow closer and help your employee feel seen and motivated. This can also uncover opportunities to better support their growth in the company.

If they’re doing well, give them recognition publicly in group chats or team email threads. And if you intend to give negative criticism, do it in a video call so you can look them in the eye.

Conclusion

It’s already a challenge to manage a group of people in-person to accomplish their deliverables. But imagine having to do it remotely where you only see them in video calls and hear from them in emails. You can’t always reach them easily, so if they decide to ignore your calls, you’re not in a good spot.

You need to use the right methodology and software to help your remote project team succeed. You can manage your team with membership management software so your workload will be lighter. It can function as an all-in-one management tool for your project management needs. And you can use project management software to keep everything organized and tracked.

You’d also want to specify your project’s goals and requirements so your team knows what to do. What are your expectations and how should they work towards them? And be sure to provide feedback so they’ll be able to grow in your company. If you sincerely wish for them to succeed, they’ll be more than happy to do their best and keep working with you.