Often in our work, we do not get managers, designers, developers, research experts etc. working in the same office premises.

1. Collaborating with Remote
Teams – Do’s and Don'ts
- Susan B John
Lead Quality Analyst
Alignminds Technologies Ltd

2. Collaborating With Remote Teams
05/28/15
Source : www.helpscout.net

3. The Problem
 Often in our work, we do not get managers, designers,
developers, research experts etc working in the same
office premises.
 We have to expand our teams beyond within same
premises to locations in different cities, states of
same country and sometimes even to continents.
 To develop mutual understanding and trust among
teams, to bring all team members to team's
objectives, to keep them stay on track, to give fair
deal to all teams irrespective of their locations etc is
a huge challenge that if not considered carefully can
lead to disastrous results.
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4. Challenges
05/28/15
(Courtesy -http://www.architexa.com/)

5. Collaborating with Remote Teams - Do’s
 Define team's objective
 Everyone must be clear on the common purpose and team's
goals.
 Team Charter - describe team's goals, resources, roles and
responsibilities, deliverables, desired end results.
 Helps Teams to stay focused and helps them get a big
picture
 Arrange weekly status calls
 Schedule team meetings and 1:1s on a regular basis
 Pickup a Time that suits everyone.
 Track Attendance to ensure milestones are met
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6. Collaborating with Remote Teams - Do’s
 Use proper and consistent communication methods
 Team members need to,
 Report their work status regularly
 Train other team members as needed
 Share knowledge
 Inform if they are stuck with their work
 Use Tools to share and discuss ideas
 Video Calls - Skype, Google Hangouts, Instant Messenger
 Project/Task Management - Basecamp, Trello, BusyFlow, Asana
 File Management – Dropbox, Google Docs, GlassCubes
 In person gatherings
 Once in a while, have Team Retreats
 Build connections and friendship that would in turn, help
build better and strong teams.
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7. Collaborating with Remote Teams - Do’s
 Reward them
 Reward your team for good Work!
 Learning how your team want to get recognized for an
achievement will help you make sure your efforts to reward
them is successful
 For example, married people might want few days off so that they spend time with their
families, tech addicts might be interested in gadgets.
 Sometime a sincere “Thank You” Note Would do
 We have a simple Thank you board where people are encouraged to thank fellow
team members for their help
 Don't forget they are the ones who worked sincerely, taking
all pressure, keeping aside their families and other priorities
and bring your company the success and money you looked
for.
05/28/15

8. Collaborating with Remote Teams - Dont’s
 Don't be too bossy
 Don't put strict rules!!!
 Trust Your Team
 Best and most productive teams are built from trust.
 Managers are not sure if they can rely on remote teams to
produce results.
 Trust is a key factor to decide if you want remote teams or
not
 Do not be unfair to teams
 Recognize every team and every individual's work however
small it may be
 People get a feel of isolation or being left out or
unrecognized easily.
05/28/15

9. Thank You!!
05/28/15
Remote Working – boon or bane is in our hands. Challenges are there for sure
in remote working, but with little carefulness, commitment and planning,
remote working can become a wonderful thing and I believe you can reap
substantial benefits in long run. Giving flexibility to work at home or remotely
greatly boosts employee morale, increases productivity and help staff
retention. Making sure right processes are in place and right policies are
applied, you can have successful communication and collaboration among
remote teams.

10. Thank You!!
05/28/15
Remote Working – boon or bane is in our hands. Challenges are there for sure
in remote working, but with little carefulness, commitment and planning,
remote working can become a wonderful thing and I believe you can reap
substantial benefits in long run. Giving flexibility to work at home or remotely
greatly boosts employee morale, increases productivity and help staff
retention. Making sure right processes are in place and right policies are
applied, you can have successful communication and collaboration among
remote teams.