How to Manage Virtual Teams Effectively and Overcome Challenges?
The COVID-19 pandemic has compelled entrepreneurs to practice remote working and work-from-home methods. Though it appears easy to get tasks done from home thanks to advancing technology, managing remote teams is incredibly difficult for companies. But, on the other hand, if a company can manage the virtual team effectively, it can easily stay ahead of the curve in this turbulent time.
So, let’s go through some of the key challenges of virtual team management that you need to overcome to excel. We do not have a magic wand or the panacea, but still, we will mention the most effective tips in this article to overcome these challenges.
Let’s start with an introduction of a virtual team for those who are still in the dark.
Virtual Team- An Introduction
A virtual team is a group of individuals who work from a remote location or their homes using the Internet. What makes remote working a powerful option to work from office? To answer this question, let’s make a small list of some of the major tasks that can easily be accomplished remotely.
1. Software development
2. Content and Digital Marketing
3. SEO and Social Media Marketing
4. Accounting and Bookkeeping
5. Legal Work
Simply put, whether it is promoting the website or writing an article, everything is possible remotely just like it can be done from office. What makes virtual teams beneficial? Let’s find out the answer to this question now.
Top Business Benefits of Virtual Teams
On managing effectively, the remote teams or virtual teams have many advantages for the company. Some of them are-
- Reduced Costs- Virtual team does not need office space, supplies, and other utilities. So, having a virtual team is a cost-effective option for any size company.
- Work-life Balance- Remote workers can get a healthy work-life balance and become more productive.
- Access to Highly Talented Resources- The virtual workforce has no restrictions of time and location, so you can hire talented workforce from across the world
- 24/7 Operation- Your business can be run on a 24/7 basis thanks to time zone advantage while practicing remote working model
However, it does not mean that work from home or remote places is not all roses. Here are three common and big challenges of virtual team management.
Also Read : Ten Must-have Tips to Manage Tasks Effectively At Your Workplace
Top Challenges of Virtual Team Management
These issues can be resolved by two ways- One, by setting guidelines for remote team members and Two, by using robust communication tools. While creating guidelines, it is better to set common business hours while clearly stating timings for lunch and tea breaks. It should be ensured that the entire team should be available for virtual collaboration. It is better to define the time limit for response to resolve doubts quickly.
Talking about communication tools, companies can bank on tools for specific functions. For example, Slack can be used for instant messaging and Google Meet can be utilized for holding video conferences.
Project management software or a team task management tool can effectively manage all the virtual teams for daily project-related activities. The task management tool can be used for project planning and enhancing collaboration with remote members.
Talking about the major benefits of a team task management tool, it can help managers create and assign tasks to the virtual team, assists users to split their tasks into subtasks, and enable them to set priorities. Finally, the project management software can enable users to establish a seamless virtual collaboration over comments. Users can also exchange project-related information with other members in real time. The task management tool also facilitates users to share files and links to improve the collaboration in the virtual team.
Productivity issues are the biggest drawback of virtual teams. As an entrepreneur, you need to create a dedicated virtual workspace. Such a workspace can help remote teams work undisturbed for enhanced productivity. It is better to use productivity monitoring tools like Time Doctor for teams that are working from home.
The virtual team and the company management can track time spent on tasks, websites, and apps during working hours remotely. The time management tool can benefit the management as employees tend to avoid visiting unproductive websites and remain active all the time.
How to Manage Remote Teams Virtually?
Managing remote teams is not child’s play. From establishing effective communication to using a team task management tool, companies can implement various techniques and create a dedicated virtual workspace. It is fair to mention that the project management software or task management software can enable the company to manage the virtual team efficiently. A team task management tool like TaskOPad or a productivity monitoring tools like Time Doctor can be a great help in managing the virtual tem.
Wrapping Up
Corona outbreak has forced enterprises to adapt to remote work across the world. Though remote working in a distributed team is challenging, these tips and a robust task management software implementation can help you out! You can consult a reputed project management software developer to know more techniques to overcome challenges related to virtual teams.
Originally published at https://www.taskopad.com on November 10, 2020.
