6 Tips for Remote Development Teams Working from Home

With many businesses still working from home due to coronavirus, it’s been a huge adjustment for many teams to make the transition from working together in an office to suddenly working remote and managing things from afar. 

That being said, working on a remote development team also has plenty of advantages! For one, you can work from wherever you’d like (assuming there’s decent internet). Another perk is that you can work in your own private space without others around to distract you. That being said, working remotely will require you to be vigilant about checking in with teammates and hosting virtual meetings. 

How can you be sure that you are making the most out of your meeting time with your team? Are you looking for tips on ways to manage your remote meetings, develop your team, and continue to progress for your company? Here, we will list some tips on how to use Sprint Retrospectives for your remote development team’s growth and success.

1. Set a meeting day and time and stick to it each week

‍‍If you and your team plan to meet every week (or even twice a week), then having a specific schedule set will be of great help. When you decide to hold the meetings, then is a good time to determine what day and time is good for everyone and stick to that routine. By having a set schedule, your team members have a chance to schedule their day/week around your Sprint Retrospectives.

2. Find a virtual meeting platform that works well for your team

This is important because it can mean the difference between a smooth and productive meeting and one that is full of glitches, technical issues, and overall frustration. The platform you choose for your Retrospective meeting should be easy to use and available to all team members. There are many excellent online retrospective platforms to choose from, and many offer free trials so that you can test them out and see which one works best for you and your team. Of course, GoRetro is one of those platforms. GoRetro not only provides the features needed for productive Retrospectives, but it is completely free for your team. You also should

‍consider starting a team chat! Whether you use WhatsApp, iMessage, Facebook, or any other forum, having a team group chat is a great way to keep people up to date on what they should be doing, as well as adding a bit of fun and excitement to their days. 

3. Have a weekly Zoom happy hour‍

Okay, so it’s not your standard work function. However, a lot of times by Friday afternoon, team members are ready to blow off steam and will perhaps head out for a drink together after work. Well, since some of your teammates might not be ready for that yet, hosting an online happy hour could be a great way to keep morale up and encourage team building.

4. Be sure to write encouraging recognition emails‍

Once or twice throughout the week, it is nice to receive some praise or feedback from something that went well that week. It keeps team members motivated and encouraged. Not to mention, people enjoy receiving acknowledgement for things that they’ve done well.

5. Allow them to choose a personal development activity

This is a great way to keep a remote development team engaged and motivated. Give them a choice of a personal development activity they would like to participate in and give them time to do it. This not only encourages them and motivates them, but it can also help them in their professional endeavors with the company.‍

6. Have an agenda for each meeting

‍If you ensure that your team has a set schedule or agenda before your meeting starts, you’ll make sure that everyone stays on the same page. During the retrospective meeting, this agenda will keep you on task and organized, ensuring that each important agenda item is covered. Some of these agenda items might be: 

●      What should be changed.

●     What should continue.

●     What has gone well recently.

●     What has not gone well recently.

●     Any successes or wins the team has had.

When working from home, remote development teams must remain focused and encouraged to do a good job. These tips are a great way to keep your team motivated and engaged, as well as build community among them. They will enjoy it and their productivity will show it.

Blast Off with GoRetro

Another great tip to keep your team productive and motivated during remote sprints is to use GoRetro’s online retrospective tools! The program is completely free and allows your team to collaborate on retrospectives in a shared space. Learn more, here!