SO YOU WANT TO MANAGE A REMOTE TEAM

NATALIE SEMCZUKPROJECT MANAGER

ME

• PROJECT MANAGER• REMOTE• IN-HOUSE• AGENCY• CONTRACT

WHY HAVE A REMOTE TEAM?

• NEED DIFFERENT SKILLSETS• DON’T WANT TO BE RESTRICTED BY

GEOGRAPHY• NEED MORE CAPACITY• NEED SOMETHING DONE

FASTER/CHEAPER

WHAT TO EXPECT FROM A REMOTE TEAM?

MANAGING REMOTE TEAMS

• Upfront communication and expectations

• Documentation• Keep everyone in the loop• Asynchronous

communication• Customer buy-in or not?• Cultural differences

BEING ON A REMOTE TEAM

• Same, plus:• Find a personal and

organizational workflow• Get to know people• Understand hierarchy• Set and keep expectations• Be reliable and open• Let people know what you need

THE TOOLS

• CHAT PROGRAM• PM SOFTWARE• VIDEO CONFERENCE/CALL TOOL• SCREENSHARING CAPABILITIES

THE PROS AND CONS

ADVANTAGES

• Can take on new projects that need different skills and deliverables

• Can add new skills and thinking to the team

• Flexibility with projects and lifestyle

• No restrictions (kind of)

DISADVANTAGES

• Different stakes in the project• Difficult to on-board• Difficulty in communicating

needs or issues• Work culture might need to be

“forced” at first

THE ISSUES

• COMMUNICATION – BE CLEAR• CONFLICT – TAKE “OFFLINE”• DOCUMENT – EVERYTHING

KEEP IN MIND

• TEAMS ACROSS TIMEZONES• CONFLICT RESOLUTION• GET TO KNOW PEOPLE• LET CLIENTS KNOW

GO FORTH AND WORK REMOTELY!