These days, more and more businesses are starting from and remaining in a home office. For some, the benefits of working from home are endless - from increased productivity and flexibility in work hours to decreased office distractions and unwanted chatter from coworkers. But how can you successfully project manage a team that is geographically dispersed? Here are 5 tips to do just that.
Utilize an Online Project Management System
Keeping all projects, tasks and communications in one place will ensure your team stays on top of your projects, and will be able to schedule and complete all tasks assigned to them. This type of solution is invaluable to any virtual office setting as it keeps projects on track, organized and in front of the appropriate team members.
Communicate, Communicate, Communicate
This should be a no-brainer, but make sure you keep the lines of communication open. Ensure you can communicate and collaboration within your online project management solution, and be able to reach team members via phone as needed. You’ll all need to keep in touch to allow for increased trust in your team and productivity of your projects.
Hold “Online Meetings”
Schedule a specific time during the week, such as Monday mornings, when every team member is online and working at the same time. This way, if the project manager wants to hold an all-team meeting, they can and get a quick status update rather than waiting for a response from a team member the next time they come online.
These online meetings can also increase camaraderie among team members by allowing them a chance to chat around a virtual watercooler.
Plan a Little Task Buffer Time
Productivity does not decrease when virtual workers can choose their own schedules, but the time between assigning a task and the team member beginning the task can increase. Allow for a few hours or a couple days of buffer time on all assigned tasks if your team members work at different times of the day.
Don’t Be Afraid to Work Together
Just because you may work all alone in your house all day does not mean you can’t work together with your teammates. If you are close enough to meet a couple times a month, go for it. Or share documents and bounce ideas off one another within an instant messaging service or discussion feature. Even with virtual offices, the old adage is still try - two is better than one.