How Product Development Can Actually Move Faster on Remote Teams

The year 2020 has given us a chance to embrace our creative side and replace the traditional work-from-office model with widespread permission to work from home. Before COVID, freelancers were often rejected in job interviews on the pretense that they lack corporate exposure. But the scenario has changed significantly as a number of reputable businesses and companies are shifting to working remotely.

However, the debate is still hot on the topic of which arrangement is better and productive. According to an article by Forbes.com, people become less innovative while working under the pressure of being watched. They might complete the given task on time, but there might be less (or no) enthusiasm in them.

On the other hand, remote working refers to an arrangement where employees are working but not with cameras constantly monitoring them. Remote teams enable people from different locations, time zones, cultures, and backgrounds to work on the same project within an organization.

Let’s understand the key differences between remote teams and in-person teams.

Difference between remote teams and in-person teams

The meaning of remote teams and in-person teams is well understood. Let’s investigate the major differences between the two.

Location

Remote teams are part of an organization but can work from different countries, time zones, and offices, whereas in-person teams must work at the same location where the organization is based.

Saves development time

Remote teams save considerable development time as the product can be developed in different time zones. For instance, if developers are based in India and management is in the US, work can take place around the clock due to the time difference. This increases productivity and reduces time-to-goal.

Since product development for software applications is primarily computer-based, it becomes easier to work from anywhere. Thus, a number of companies in this space opt for remote teams. Crowdbotics is a great example of a company which has made remote work their modus operandi.

Flexibility

While working remotely, a project can run with limited (or no) delay as each person can work independently, at their own time. The work never stops when working remotely. You can give reviews, raise queries, provide feedback, and point out issues over e-mails or remote working applications. Additionally, you can get answers quickly as someone might be working in some other time zone to help you out.

In-person teams work specific hours, and as a result, you need to wait for other team members to arrive in office before your queries can be resolved. If your office timings are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., then you will be working during those hours only. If any of your teammates are not available, you might have to wait for them before proceeding forward. Since it is contingent upon the physical availability of team members, it may end up delaying deliverables.

Adaptation and client satisfaction

Adaptation and client satisfaction are also an important point which should be considered in favor of remote teams. Let’s say you are dealing with a client who is not from your country and wants a local developer to work for him. The project cannot be closed if you only have one office. But if you are working remotely, then you can assure the client that you have a team at his location and the project will be handled smoothly. This way, you can guarantee client satisfaction, and your company can adapt to the working style of the client.

In-office teams are bounded in cases like these. If I am putting my idea and efforts in a project, then I will consider someone who can work with me closely rather than looking at weekly reports. Therefore, I will find a company which is available near my location. As a result, many organizations are not even considered for projects like these. Remote teams are better positioned in cases like these.

Best practices to make remote teams more productive

While remote work culture is trending, especially due to the Covid-19 pandemic, it is essential to know how businesses manage their teams while working remotely. If you are one of the managers who are new to this scenario and are facing difficulties while managing your team, then you are in the right place. I have been working and managing remote teams for companies like Crowdbotics, and here are some of my learnings:

● Connect with your team members daily to assign tasks. You can easily keep a check on who is doing what, and it makes task and time management seamless. You can connect with your team via applications such as Skype, Zoom, Google Meet, Slack, and various other tools.

● Check in-between for work status. You can ask all your teammates or individual team leads to update you about the task status. This way, teammates will take remote working seriously. It will also help employees to not feel isolated from others and keep them motivated.

● Use technology to connect teams. You can use a personalized workspace on applications such as Slack. This way, the team will be connected with each other, as well as with you.

● Assign realistic tasks to the members. You as a manager should know the caliber of each employee working under your guidance. If you are assigning someone a task to code an entire software product in one day, they might freak out! This will break their morale. Set realistic expectations and gauge every team member’s experience. Also, as a manager, ensure that you establish proper guidelines and share enough details to ensure that your team knows the work and expectations.

● Keep your eyes on the end result. If you get yourself too involved in daily activities, you might lose focus from the end result and the bigger picture. Also, provide some flexibility to allow your team to handle and deliver day-to-day tasks. This will help you focus on the final results and makes the team members feel responsible.

● You should make sure that your team members have all the necessary resources. This includes all the tools, software, applications, and more, that they need to complete the assigned task. For example, if you have a graphic designer in your team, ensure that software like Adobe Photoshop, Miro, Sketch, Figma, or any other similar tool is available for her.

● The remote environment needs flexibility to be operational. It’s okay if your employee is starting work one hour late or finishing an hour early. It’s fine as long as they are producing favorable results.

These are some of the key points which you should consider while managing your team remotely to ensure productivity.

The hybrid plan that integrates both remote teams and in-person teams

While the COVID-19 outbreak has created a challenging environment, some big tech and non-tech companies are considering hybrid working culture, which includes integration of remote and in-office teams. In the hybrid virtual model, half of the team will work from office while the other half works remotely. Big companies like Facebook, Google, Microsoft, OYO Rooms, and more are considering making this a permanent working arrangement.

Even with the COVID restrictions beginning to lift, it might be difficult for companies to allow a complete workforce in the office. Therefore, with a hybrid working model, companies can quickly resume work, cut extra expenditure and increase productivity of employees.

If you can cover most of these areas and satisfy yourself and your business, you can rest assured that you’ve made the right decision by working remotely.

The Crowdbotics Way

Crowdbotics has been practicing remote work since even before the pandemic struck. If you are looking for services related to mobile application development, web app development, blockchain development and more, feel free to reach out visit us at Crowdbotics.com. Crowdbotics’ remote workforce spans over 20 countries, and you can count on Crowdbotics, owing to over 6 years of remote work experience.

There’s no arguing with the fact that a project does move faster with teams working remotely, as it results in round-the-clock activities.

If you are looking for a good remote company to handle your software development requirements, contact Crowdbotics and choose from one of our highly experienced professionals based on your business needs and budget.

Crowdbotics has consistently received great feedback from clients for their stellar capabilities. We can turn your software strategy into real execution in a seamless manner. Our teams have worked in the most challenging work environments and delivered projects successfully, and on time. Please find below some of our client testimonials, and feel free to check out products built with Crowdbotics.

Conclusion

The COVID-19 pandemic has unseated people from the traditional office space that dominated the work lives of most people and businesses across the globe. People have now moved to remote teams, and, considering its advantage, the remote work model is expected to continue beyond COVID-19.

Companies are also looking to experiment with new ways to operate that could deliver the advantages of an in-person collaboration with the flexibility of remote work. The approach is referred to as a ‘hybrid’ one, where individuals can book spots in their own company’s office similar to a co-working space, or the staff working from home on a routine basis is mixed with teams being cycled in and out of office spaces.

While companies like Crowdbotics have adopted the work-from-home approach since inception, other companies are doing away with the old concept of the office altogether, and opting to rename its physical spaces “hubs” in the wake of the corona virus outbreak.

It’s part of a broader transition towards what companies are calling “remote-first” work. This would eventually allow a number of companies to offer roles that can be completed remotely, with physical office spaces serving primarily as spots for in-person collaboration or social events, rather than being the primary place where things get done throughout the week.

ATTRIBUTION NOTE: This article was originally written by Nakul Shah for the Crowdbotics blog and was edited and reposted to the Crowdbotics Medium channel by John Bender.

Originally published on the Crowdbotics Blog August 10, 2020.