7 Ways to Manage App Development Remote Team: Nothing beats mobile apps When running a business. According to eMarketer, adult smartphone users spend nearly 4 hours per day using mobile internet, and 88% of that time is spent in mobile apps rather than the browser.
Meaning companies have to make their websites mobile responsive and focus on creating quality mobile apps as well for their business.
Now the question is: How do you develop quality apps in 2021 when your mobile app development team is scattered everywhere? Even when the teams were working from the office, the development part was not that easygoing. Now imagine managing 20 mobile app developers from 10 different locations.
7 Ways to Manage App Development Remote Team
The hiring team should:
1. Hire More to Hire Better
Be extra cautious while bringing onboard new app developers to the team. The developers should have a clear-cut idea about the project objectives and deliverables while working in remote settings. More importantly, they should be able to work with minimum supervision.
Granted, it’s impossible to make out whether the developer you intend to rope in will be able to deliver goods. However, one way to resolve this issue is to temporarily get on board more developers than necessary for the project and then sift the chalk from the cheese to recruit permanently.
Also Read Benefits of Mobile App Development for Business In 2024
2. Have Defined Work Processes
You need to practice four basic rules while managing your team. These rules are invariably applicable to the in-house teams, but more importantly, they need to be applied to the remote units. Best way to manage App Development Remote Team.
- Set clear project guidelines for productivity, teamwork, and accountability so your employees know about their deliverables. Both in-house developers and your remote staff shouldn’t be treated differently to avoid hostility between teams.
- Outline the idea of the project and also describe in detail its mission. This is important because your team must understand the goals.
- The cost of the project will depend on what you communicate to your team. If the team starts working on the project, they’ll provide you with a precise quote if you give a clear vision of the project.
- Clarify queries of project managers promptly because they are the ones who are running the show. The app development solely depends on the information your team gets.
3. Schedule Meetings Regularly
You will be having developers from different parts of the world on your team. Meaning, they would be working in different time zones. So having a strictly scheduled time for communication will make your teammates more accountable and will accordingly organize their day and the team’s workflow.
During the meeting, your teammates could share their weekly progress and monthly progress and also share their achievements.
However, never cancel any meetings. Think of postponing or rescheduling them or else your remote team might feel lost.
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4. Host Live Meetings
As it turns out, rapport building is essential for the remote workforce. This is where face-to-face meetings could help. Such live meetings help employees communicate ideas or issues they are embarrassed to talk about during sessions.
Ideally, you should have a face-to-face meeting with every employee every month. See if you find answers to the following questions during the session.
- Is the developer happy with the kind of project he’s dealing with?
- If not, will he want to want to work on a different project?
- Is there a way you can help him/her deal with specific issues?
Also, you can learn more about their personal life and hobbies through such meetings. When the employees realize that you care for them, they’ll want to work with you and bring more value to their work. Best way to manage App Development Remote Team.
Further, wish your team members on their birthdays and congratulate them on their achievements. Having more approachable, personal-level communication with employees will help build trust and team cohesion.
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5. Leverage Collaboration Tools
Thanks to the advancement of technologies, you will find many ways to be in touch with the remote team today. It can generally be divided into two categories:
Slack: Slack is a top-notch marketing tool for corporate communication, which comes with several features. You can not just attach documents; you can even integrate Google Suite, assign tasks, create private rooms, and manage overall teams easily.
Discord: For those on a shoestring budget, try Discord. The tool is surprisingly robust.
Skype: Though not famous for private chats, the corporate world is in love with Skype. It helps communicate with the team members, allows conferences, and comes pre-installed with every Windows PC.
Zoom: If you are not using Windows, Skype won’t be ideal for you, instead try using Zoom.
6. Reward Employees
Your employees may not be as efficient as you would like them to be, but that shouldn’t stop you from appreciating them.
- Start the meeting with praise for the job done
- Offer corporate gifts such as T-shirts, coffee mugs, pens, and other objects
- Offer them cash bonuses for super performances
For some managers, this may seem to be an unnecessary expenditure. However, it helps boost the morale of the employees.
7. Take Advantage of Time-tracking tools
Making each member download a time-tracking machine on their computer and send the report at the end of the day about the hours spent on every job seems a sheer waste of time.
Instead, using dedicated tools for time-tracking for development teams such as Jira and Asana is a better way out.
If you have always worked alongside your team in the office, remote team management won’t be that easy. However, there’s nothing that can’t be learned with patience. As mentioned, there is collaborative software available which makes it easier to manage remote teams.
And when properly managed, a remote group can do wonders for your project. GoodFirms has listed some top mobile app development companies, where you can easily find quality app developers for hire. Best way to manage App Development Remote Team.