As the footprints of remote work expand, software development teams, accustomed to regular face-to-face meetings over a cup of coffee find themselves part of virtual teams. Adapting to the new mode of work, and engaging with colleagues spread across the globe raise fresh challenges. This IT blog for technology professionals lists out the key challenges to overcome for virtual software development teams.

1. Keeping Focus

The biggest challenge with virtual work is maintaining focus and productivity. The lack of active supervision leads to laxity, or worse, work taking a trajectory in the wrong direction. At the other end of the spectrum, some employees risk burnout due to a lack of a set cut-off time.

The onus is on team leaders and the top management to:

• Define specific and clear-cut roles and responsibilities for each employee.
• Make sure everyone works, without intruding into privacy. Tools such as keyloggers or screen recorders are the best ways to alienate remote workers. Rather, set clear expectations for each role and gauge progress through regular check-ins. When the work involves billing the client by hours, tools that track hours may become inevitable though.
• Have an agreed-upon on the minimum viable product (MVP). Break down the MVP into three to five parameters, such as project features, cost, quality, and time. Define the quantitative metrics for each parameter.
• Plan short iterations, fix milestones and review progress regularly. Hold regular road map reviews, to discuss alignment with the product vision and the next steps.
• Document a simple product vision, or a single version of the truth, as a ready-reckoner reference. Make sure the single version of truth accessible by employees is also the latest version of the truth.
• Conduct regular one-on-ones between team members, to improve accountability and offer support interventions.
• Encourage regular business hours even when remote working. Check for warning signs of burnout or overwork, such as erratic or moody behaviour, emails sent at odd times, and a drop in work quality.

2. Effective Collaboration

Distance affects communication, which in turn degrades teamwork. The antidote is a robust and seamless collaboration.

• Institute a robust collaboration platform with a single sign-on and an integrated dashboard. Have options for chat, videoconferencing, scheduling, wikis, discussion boards, and workflow automation. Piecemeal apps retard productivity, as remote workers have to log in to each channel and grapple with multiple UI. A unified platform streamlines data and improves security.
• Have a group check-in each day. Daily stand-ups or huddles improve productivity, transparency, and collaboration. A daily check-in, even if informal, keeps the team on the same page and improves accountability.
• Create a cloud-based shared workspace to share interim work products. This improves transparency and collaboration.
• Publish release planning documents and boundary conditions to render clarity on the collaboration.
• Have version control protocols for documents. Factor in time-zone differences.

3. Maintain the Integrity of Agile Methodologies

Many software teams adopt agile. But most agile principles imply a collocated team. For example, the Agile Manifesto lists face-to-face meetings as the most efficient and effective method of conveying information. Physical separation poses a risk to the integrity of such agile processes.

To reconcile agile with virtual work:

• Focus on the elements of the Agile Manifesto that apply to virtual teams. For instance, one of the agile principles: “continuous attention to technical excellence and good design enhances agility” apply to virtual software teams.
• Define and put in place the minimal set of required agile events, such as meetings prescribed to carry out the Scrum framework.
• Use technology to actualize remote agile. For instance, apps enable essential agile tools such as backlog, burndown chart, and release plan. 

4. Sustain the Culture

Company culture is invisible and often taken for granted. But culture has a big say in process efficiency, customer satisfaction, and competitive advantage. A culture of openness and transparency encourages the free sharing of information and discussions.

Sustaining the desired culture requires positive cues and reinforcements at the workplace. With virtual work, such familiar signposts break down. To sustain the cues and positive reinforcements:

• Have periodic virtual meetings with colleagues and mentors outside the team. Focus on the strategy, personal development, and other relevant issues outside of the project.
• Establish a shared vision and goals among team members, to improve trust. A well-articulated mission statement gives a sense of purpose and appeals to the workforce.
• Entrust managers, and other influencers to promote the desired culture at every opportunity. Reinforce the cultural values through each communication, including announcements and updates.
• Find virtual replacements for real-life bonding, such as sharing personal weekend plans or even a virtual happy hour.
• Conduct virtual retreats and strategy workshops. Have retreats that mix recreation, competency training, and other interventions. If team members live within commutable distance, organise a face-to-face interaction at least once or twice a year.

5. Overcome Hiring and Onboarding Challenges

Many virtual teams struggle to hire and onboard new members. Time zone and language barriers post impediments on virtual onboarding. Bringing in someone who will not see the company office for six months or longer is a tough ask.

• Take recourse to specialized hiring firms that have developed their niche in online hiring.
• Interview using virtual mediums, to make sure the new team member can communicate through online channels. Offer training to bridge the gap wherever required.
• Document the onboarding process through wikis, videos, and other content types.
• Have mentors to guide the recruits.
• Replicate an office desk at home or the remote location, free from disturbances. Remote work does not equate to working off an orange create or the pantry table.
• Ensure broadband internet connectivity at the remote location. Devise clear-cut policies, with unambiguous dos-and-don’ts. Focus on connectivity, usage of VPN to access the corporate network, whitelisted apps, and other essentials.
• Use scripts that configure a laptop for instant productivity. Offer tools preloaded for code repositories, development environments, and links to company resources.

Remote work has its benefits but is not a magic bullet. Without a conscious effort to overcome the challenges, the team will deliver the wrong solution at the end of a long and expensive dev cycle.