5 rules for remote project management

The Internet is the only space in which we communicate with each other with the team and client. Therefore, the hackneyed rule "confirm verbal agreements with customers in the mail" for a remote team takes on special significance.

This does not mean that now you need to force the client to write letters on five screens. It is enough to collect his wishes in an oral conversation, and then turn them into a document for collaboration in Google Docs.

The text helps to keep your head and mind cool. A simple example: a long-time client asked us to participate in choosing a CMS for a new project. When we discussed this decision on Skype, a holivar happened: emotions mixed up with cold calculation, and the conversation ended in nothing. Then we took a break, put the thesis “for” and “against” in two columns for each option and sent it by letter. The optimal decision was made immediately, because analytics in the form of text is the essence, clearly separated from unnecessary emotions in this matter.

At the same time, the process of writing such a document is also important, when the accumulated expertise of the manager and developers is involved, tricky questions arise and pitfalls become visible. In such a text, it’s much harder to miss important little things.

This approach reduces the level of bureaucracy to zero, and its advantage is not only in reducing the risks of misunderstanding.

Gathering feedback is an art.

Feedback and dialogue is an investment in the development of relationships (not only customer, but also personal, for example, too). Dialogue is an adult approach, which reveals the essence and cause of problems.

To collect feedback in our case does not mean "to come to the client every week with a questionnaire form." But at the key points of each iteration of the project, we discuss the details together. It becomes clear whether all stages of production are transparent to the client, and if not, what is missing for peace of mind.

Reputation cannot be bought or won

... But you can earn. The remote team should pay three times as much attention to all the little things at every stage, starting from the very first contact. Even if a client comes “just to look,” he should help with technical recommendations or offer suitable partners. This is an element of “100% sales” and the culture of processing applications, when with each client you remain a living person, and do not turn on a soulless answering machine.

Openness is another crucial point for remote workers. Thoroughly describe the details for both the project for 15 thousand and 1 million, always freely disclose pricing. The same rates and conditions for everyone - an excellent trump card in negotiations with large customers. When a large company sees an open price list, it is credible.

Finally, all from the same love of little things, it makes sense to make every offline contact with a client special. A single guideline for financial documents, craft envelopes instead of the usual white ones - any trifle such as business cards, posters and stickers can be done with the soul.

Employee synchronization is always a pain, but it is important

People can be divided into two types: those who can and cannot work remotely. Assuming people to work only for a “remote place”, it’s worth starting with a test of motivation in order to select only the first type. The simplest way is to make it mandatory to complete a simple test task.

Practice has shown that the "remote" itself should also be an element of motivation to work. In our experience, in order to work no worse than in the office, and to be able to self-organize, we need some special gene that allows us not to slip into procrastination. It is likely that introverts have this gene, because in CSSSR there are most of them. Building a well-coordinated workflow with introverts, also remotely, is not an easy task.

Unshakable thoroughness must be a quality of character

A good manager is distinguished by the ability to accurately convey the essence of the matter in 100 cases out of 100. Imagine the responsibility of an air traffic controller at the airport and a pilot landing a plane on the landing strip. The mistake of any of them is fatal. A project manager with a remote team also faces the same level of responsibility. Therefore, finding a good manager is doubly difficult.

In our experience, we manage to hire about one or two people out of 500 people who want to be a manager. Most do not pass on the skill to articulate their thoughts very clearly and without distortion to understand what they are told. The requirement is standard, but “I could not become anyone, I will go to the managers” - alas, a common situation. A written test assignment and a Skype interview with modeling a couple of situations to check ingenuity help to determine the most comprehensive ones.

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