Corporate conference rooms are no longer the norm as private spaces, including home offices and local coffee shops, are preferred for meetings. However, virtual meetings pose a challenge for teams with members lacking experience in video conferencing technology and etiquette.
Managing virtual meetings can be a challenge, particularly when several people are involved. It’s essential for leaders to keep the meetings concise, comprehensive, and efficient while giving attendees the opportunity to contribute.
Agile methodologies promote meetings to encourage collaboration, productivity, and teamwork. The Agile methodology developed the Daily Standup, a brief 15-minute meeting where team members discuss their objectives for the current day and their work from the previous day. This provides leaders with a broader understanding of their team’s performance and identifies any obstacles.
Ensuring efficient and productive Agile meetings, including Daily Standups, requires considering crucial factors. However, the main challenge currently is providing efficient and effective video conferencing for remote teams.
Discover 5 Methods to Optimize Your Next Agile Video Conference
Essential Equipment for Live Video Meetings
The foremost requirement for remote workers is to have the necessary equipment which is not powered by a hamster wheel. Works is confident that all our clients can access this technology.
Remote teams have experienced problems with the quality of audio and video from their video conferencing systems, especially this year, when many staff had to work remotely unprepared. As a result, teams have resorted to using outdated microphones which produces a low-quality walkie-talkie sound.
To guarantee a successful Agile video conference, it is critical to provide participants with cost-effective and dependable high-quality video conferencing equipment. Although it need not be the most advanced equipment, it should still have excellent quality.
Enable Your Cameras!
In-person meetings are usually more productive, as you can read body language and notice when people are disengaged from the conversation.
Geographically dispersed teams rarely have the chance to meet in person. Nevertheless, online video conferencing can help you recognise colleagues and build stronger connections, creating a more favourable work atmosphere.
Agile best practices propose using video conferencing when collaborating with remote teams. For instance, Daily Standups can be conducted on a platform like Zoom or any other appropriate video conferencing tool. This guarantees that all members can switch on their camera and actively participate in the meeting.
Network Bandwidth
The efficiency of your online meeting rests on the speed of your network connection. If the bandwidth of your network is too low to support even the minimum number of participants, then even the most advanced video conferencing software will be ineffective.
Having sufficient bandwidth is critical when conducting virtual meetings with many remote participants, especially when hosting webinars with over 300 attendees. Not having enough bandwidth may result in connectivity problems, visual lag, freezing, and delays.
Establish Appropriate Meeting Etiquette
Preparation is critical for a successful meeting. The Agile framework encourages a series of meetings, each with its own purpose. ‘Deep dive’ meetings enable software development teams to become more organised and motivated towards their goals, which is especially beneficial during tight deadlines. This principle also applies to other teams and areas that adopt Agile practices.
When scheduling a meeting, consider its aim and intended outcomes. It is vital to make a list of the two or three critical points you want to convey during the virtual meeting and take the time to listen to your team members’ thoughts.
Secure Your Wireless Network
Poor network capacity can affect the quality of your video or audio; however, your internet connection’s quality is also worth considering.
If your current internet service provider does not meet your expectations, it may be worth switching to a new one. Otherwise, you will likely encounter the same problems over an extended period. While public spaces with wifi access have some advantages, a reliable home connection is usually the preferred option.
For optimum Wi-Fi connection during crucial online meetings, we suggest that you sit near your router. This helps decrease any interference between your device and Wi-Fi. Please note that walls, floors, and even televisions can cause interruption to your Wi-Fi connection, even if it isn’t immediately noticeable.
Your network has been set up to give precedence to video conferencing applications. Please note that there are different types of routers, and each has a different control panel that may require some experimentation to configure.
Summing Up
When examining the cost savings that result from utilising Agile practices and a distributed workforce, it is evident that investing in a strong communication infrastructure is a valuable pursuit.
Works is the leading remote recruitment firm worldwide, providing businesses with an efficient and timely approach to finding and hiring top talent. Our innovative recruitment methods have earned widespread popularity, and we have successfully placed software engineers and IT professionals in companies throughout the United States. To learn more about how Works can assist you in building top-tier teams throughout North America and to discover more about our IT Recruiting Experts, please visit our website.
