When it comes to app or software development, most companies outsource the contract or hire a remote team to get the ball rolling. One of the reasons for this approach is that building an in-house development team is a lengthy and difficult process. Too much is at stake, first of all. You might not be able to find the required skillset with the individuals currently working for you, and the time alone that is spent finding people that can get them done for you is arduous. Connect with our experts to learn more about our wide range of IT certifications and courses.
That is why hiring a remote team and getting started on the project right away remains the most feasible option. You don't have to spend too much time arranging teams and filling them in with the explicit details of the project. The outsourcing company that you used to get in contact with the team itself will take care of all these things, thus saving you a lot of time and money in the process. You get to enjoy flexibility and comfort, but working with outsourcing companies have challenges of its own.
If you are interested in working with a remote development team but are not so sure about this decision of yours, then this guide will help you review your decision about working with a remote development team. Some of the best tips are provided, which will definitely help you make your decision.
Working with the Remote Development Team - The Ultimate Process
If you happen to be a company that has never worked with a remote development team, then the chances are that the first few weeks might be a little hard for you and your employees. Since remote employees aren’t under one roof, you can’t talk to them directly, give them a pat on the shoulders or direct their working environment and the work that they do in any traditional way.
By analyzing the overall progress of the remote development team, you will come to notice that productivity gets increased. It is not a smooth process, but you are likely to get there. You will get some exceptional work that is delivered in less time and also at low overall cost overhead. The following are some of the elements that you need to consider when working with a remote development team:
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Provide Them with Some Time and Space
It is best if you can provide your developers with a little time and space of their own; it is not the best strategy to continue nagging all the time about the work. The most exceptional work a developer can do happens when they are relaxed and focused on mental work without any interruptions. In other words, the easiest and most subtle way of contacting them is via email and messaging apps with a clear-cut window of about 60 minutes before you can expect a reply.
Most of the IT firms get a little obsessed with getting an upfront answer from remote development teams, which causes problems later. Some of the IT systems are so complex and intricate that it takes some time to get to the bottom of the problem before a dedicated answer can be given. That is why patience is always advised.
A better way of doing that is by arranging a dedicated session where developers and company members can come face to face using a communication app and brief each other on the progress that is being made at the time. Also, the company members can ask their questions within the allotted window, as it will not further disturb the schedule. It will definitely help you create some fantastic connections with the remote development team while allowing each and every person to work efficiently.
Remember that you have to limit the distractions and the pesering towards your remote development team, because they do more quality work and in a limited time frame.
Asking Everyone to Post an Online Status
It is important that both the in-house and remote teams publish an online status about their availability. Most of the remote development companies use some dedicated messaging platforms, such as Slack. This way the whole status gets published online, and the other party will know about the availability status of each other. Inidcators like “away” or “do not disturb” signs can be used to scatter the disturbing crowd away. The same can be done with the messaging platform that both the remote developers and the company use.
Other than using the avatars of cats or some other funny animation, it is recommended that you use your own original photos. This way, your employees are able to integrate with the developers easily and the other way around too. This way, the notion that the remote developers are strangers doesn’t remain valid anymore.
Improving the Conference Calls
Getting into the conference calls with a remote application development team persists a unique challenge of its own. The challenge is fierce because equal participation cannot be guaranteed from both teams due to not being in the same room and having a different communication environment. There are a few best practices that can be implemented here to make sure that each and every participant has equal chances of communication at all times. The first thing that can be done here is to provide both parties with a stable internet connection with some incredible bandwidth and a proper microphone so that both parties can hear and understand what the other one is saying.
Everyone should talk within the headset mic, as it will remove any confusion. Then both parties will be able to understand each other without any speech error. There is another mode of conversation that is going on in the tech world, and it is more preferable. As your employees might want to interact with the remote development team using an open channel, you can set up the video conference room properly. You can set up an open speaker and a dedicated central mic so everyone from your side can talk with the remote team without any wires and such entanglements. When your office talks with the remote development team, certain problems can arise, such as who among your team is speaking at that moment.
It is a confusion that needs to be addressed right away. The best to do so is to connect a camera to the conference room so that everyone can know who is talking or conveying the message right now and that air of anonymity will vanish for good.
Sharing Valuable Information
Sure, you will have to fill in the remote development team with the delicacies of the task or project at hand, but it is also essential that you share other valuable information about your office that is related to work, as it will instill good integration with the remote people from your side. Sometimes people do like to hang pictures or sticky notes here and there, and the remote development team personnel are not able to view those pictures or diagrams. So, in order to make them feel right at home or be a part of something and to contribute their insight, make sure that you share these with them and ask about their insight regarding the diagram.
At the end of the day, it falls on your shoulders to decide what to share and what to refrain from providing them as confidential property of the company. But try to share as much project-related data with them as long as it is relevant, such as the business initiatives, launch timelines and even relevant success stories. Developers love to interact with the business side of things so that they don’t feel obliged and burdened with a list of problems that the project is facing.
Sharing relevant and current information about the project keep thems in the loop and the overall environment nurturing and more supportive.
Meeting Them in Person
Well, to take away the awkwardness from this statement: Yes, it is true that a company only hires the remote development team if they can't find the relative personnel with the right skillset in their close proximity—and for other reasons. But it should not stop you from meeting them once in a while. It might seem hard or unattainable. But once you wrap your head around it and understand the business-related insight, you will come to know the significance of it.
Arrange a meet up with the remote development people if it becomes feasible at a given point and have some fun with them. Team spirit can become more captivating and lasting. If people can find memories and stories to bond over, arranging a meetup is a great decision. This is something that many people or companies don’t consider when hiring a remote development team. But you can make the best of it by arranging dedicated workshops, conferences or some other theme based around a meetup to interact with your own remote development team.
Create a Community
If you look closely at the practice, then you will notice that hiring the remote development team brings diversity to the table. It shows that the company understands the need to build, implement and nurture a strong working community. And it is doing so by hiring remote development people. It shows the care a company is providing to the community by not being biased and only hiring people from a nearby location.
If you are a digital company and have trouble meeting deadlines or seeing some quality coding, architecture building and implementation of the security metrics, then it is time that you consulted and rendered the services of remote development teams. If you are lacking a dedicated skillset and are leaving a hole in your current project, then instead of surfing more valuable time and money into finding a suitable replacement near your area, why don’t you try and find someone from another remote location to work for you. It’s affordable and would be a huge help in not jeopardizing the launch timeline of the project.
Also, it is important that to further nurture the community and make sure that you continue to receive dedicated support and efficient performance from remote development teams, try providing them with some space of their own. Let them work and bring the results to you. If you don't like the result or want to do something else with it, then they can try a different approach.
This is a much better way of getting things done. Sure, it is a long way, and it will practically take a long time to get set up and kick on this thing that is building a nurturing and smooth community. But at the end of the day, it is all worth it.
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