If you have worked on or managed a remote team for more than one day, you know that the list of remote team challenges is long. But with the new normal of remote teams being mainstream, it’s time we start figuring out solutions for these real challenges.
Lack of Trust
One big hurdle to overcome is the trust hurdle. Does the leader trust the team to fully engage and use their time well to reach the project goals? Beyond that, do the team members trust each other? When I communicate, can I know that my teammate will see the communication and act on it in a reasonable amount of time?
When trust is established and communication is clear, this remote team challenge can be overcome. One team I know set up some clear practices around communicating in their work management system.
- All communication about a specific task happens on the task itself instead of in email or Slack.
- When asking a specific question on a task, name the recipient of that question with an @mention so that they will see a notification.
- The recipient of the communication will acknowledge receipt with a “like” on the comment.
- The recipient will act on the comment or assigned task as soon as possible, but definitely within 24 hours of receipt.
Whatever the agreed-upon practices, it’s important to get buy-in from every team member, including the leader of the project. And all have the responsibility to remind others of the agreements in a way that brings the full team together and to higher productivity levels.
Rigid Processes
Clear processes are essential to any team’s success. But a process without any flexibility is a sure sign of coming failure for an organization. When a process is too rigid, it doesn’t leave room for improvement. Give team members who actually use the process permission to make suggestions for improvement on a continual basis.
I know of an organization’s leader who designed a series of processes for onboarding new clients. The processes were beautifully written with detailed steps and clear expectations lined out. There was only one problem. The team members who used the processes were not given any say in the creation of the written process, so the processes were not completely accurate or even fully usable.
That’s not to say that the leader’s process should be scrapped. But the process creation should include a step where those who used the process weigh in on the final written expectation. Or better yet, let the people who use the process daily write the initial process. Then the leader can weigh in and add to it according to what he or she would like to see.
Micromanagement
The dreaded M word. Absolutely no one wants to be micromanaged. It’s just bad business. The manager is frustrated because she feels the team member is not doing his job fully. The team member is frustrated because he is not trusted to do the work lined out for him.
There are plenty of articles and information related to avoiding the micromanaging trap. However, this article focuses directly on remote team challenges. And being remote means that communication breaks down easily, which leads to more micromanagement issues.
The key here is to keep communication lines open. In fact, according to the 2021 Remote Project Management Report from Hubstaff, 46% of those surveyed cited a lack of communication as the biggest challenge in managing remote work.
When you use a work management tool like Asana, team members can easily communicate right on the tasks and projects they are collaborating on. Every team member views the communication and responds right where the work is done. No need for micromanaging by sending a message to ask how the project is going. Everyone tracks progress easily on their own time without disturbing the work of others.
Hidden information
This brings us to the final major factor that holds remote teams back. Information is hidden from project stakeholders. By hidden, I don’t mean deliberately hidden. But you know how things happen. One person sends an email attaching a document that is needed to complete the work, They forget to copy another who needs the same document later in the project.
Adding documents and links directly to the tasks and projects that a team is working on will solve this problem instantly. No back and forth looking for specific information. No searching through email or Slack messages trying to remember who sent you that important piece of information.
Now what?
We’ve touched on 4 significant remote team challenges that are widespread in the work world in recent days. So let’s recap what to do to solve these dilemmas.
It is important to pay close attention to Communication, Transparency, Processes, and Tools.
Decide how you will communicate among the team, how often you communicate, and the expected response time for communication. Make sure everyone on the team has access to the information needed on a group project.
Document repeated processes well. Ask those who use the processes the most to at least begin the documentation process with the expectation that the team can suggest process improvements as you collectively see fit. And finally, use a work management tool such as Asana to facilitate all three of the previously mentioned keys to effective remote teamwork.
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