Managing Teams Remotely

Communication Strategy

• Modern

• Connected

• Collaborative

• Streamlined

• Easy to use

Communication Needs

• Collaboration – Files stored in a shared area so multiple team members can work on them at once; space to discuss files/projects and give feedback

• Tracking of projects – Who is working on what; deadlines; share resources; update progress; accountability

• General social chat – Sharing success stories, funny news, interesting videos/articles

Communication Solutions

• SharePoint/Teams – Cloud storage with conversation walls for discussing task progress and giving feedback

• Microsoft Planner – Collaborative and transparent; part of the current Microsoft package; easy for everyone to update so each individual is responsible for their own updates

• Teams Conversation – “General” chat board in Microsoft Teams for general chit-chat and social updates

Giving Feedback

• Timely

• Expressed directly

• Actionable

• Behaviour-focused

• Appropriate

• Specific

• Helpful

What/Why Tool – Reinforcing

• Do more of this!

• What is it they’ve done or said?

• Why was it effective?

What/Why Tool – Improvement

• Stop doing this!

• What is it they’ve done or said?

• Why was it ineffective?

• What can we do differently next time?

Management Methods – Directing

• Step-by-step guidance

• Close supervision

• Little input from the individual

• Leader makes decisions and tells others

Management Methods – Coaching

• Leader sells ideas to gain co-operation

• Leader enables individuals to solve problems through questioning and reasoning

• Focus on individual development and motivation

Management Methods – Supporting

• Decision-making is left to the individual, but the leader participates in the process

• Leader facilitates discussions to share ideas and opinions

• Lots of encouragement

Management Methods – Delegating

• Letting others do it; providing autonomy

• Minimal guidance to solve problems

• Individuals make their own decisions; leader may be asked to help

• Coaching to enhance capability

RACI

• Responsible – This person performs the work. There should only be one person responsible, so everyone knows who to go to with questions and updates.

• Accountable – This person is responsible for approving the work. Only one person can be accountable.

• Consulted – This person should provide input or advice on the work. They can be a team member or on another team.

• Informed – This person should be informed on progress, but they don’t give input or do the work.

Scheduling Work

• Create a weekly schedule together

• Set daily goals for individuals based on priorities

• Divide work into manageable tasks with deadlines

• Do one task at a time

• Monitor and check in daily

• Adapt where necessary

• Celebrate achievements

Delegation Process – Prepare

• Who

• What

• When

• How

• Resources needed

Delegation Process – Delegate

• How – Face to face, phone?

• Training

• Demonstrations

• Examples

• Tester

Delegation Process – Monitor

• Reviews

• Check-ins

• Reports

• KPIs

• Quality

• Quantity

• Time frame

Delegation Process – Evaluate

• Feedback

• Keeps

• Changes

• Further assignments

How to Motivate People

• Understand your people and their individual motivators

• Show empathy

• Lead by example

• Share your objective and set goals

• Be fair and consistent

• Foster collaboration

• Encourage personal growth

• Help people feel valued and appreciated

Leading Meetings

• Have a clear agenda

• Circulate information that needs to be read before the meeting

• Set a clear objective and focus on it

• Redirect conversation back to the objective

• Listen and ask open questions to probe

• Summarise for the group to ensure understanding

• Encourage people to share ideas and opinions

• Take notes

• Assign roles and responsibilities

• Follow up on roles and responsibilities