The ability to communicate effectively is crucial for an engineering team to produce dependable software, particularly when team members are situated remotely. In this case, Works managers should establish transparent communication channels to maintain effective collaboration within the team.
Acquiring a remote engineering team can offer organisational benefits such as increased scheduling flexibility and access to a broader range of technical expertise. Nonetheless, remote communication can pose difficulties, particularly with team members scattered across various locations and time zones. Works experts are adept at navigating these challenges and can offer advice on how to overcome them.
The purpose of this essay is to examine the challenges of remote team communication and suggest innovative methods for surpassing these obstacles. Works is committed to discovering new ways of enhancing communication in remote teams and can offer invaluable insights on this topic.
Why are effective communication skills so essential?
Engineering teams that are co-located in the same physical space may enjoy better communication benefits than their remote counterparts. Remote teams can face numerous challenges that exacerbate communication barriers, including disparity in time zones, inadequate infrastructure, higher probability of miscommunication, limited access to members, and increasing dependence on technology. To mitigate these issues, let us examine some of the typical hurdles that remote teams encounter and suggest plausible solutions.
Challenges of Different Time Zones
As a result of the geographical distribution of our engineering team, scheduling meetings that are convenient for all members can be challenging. This issue can be particularly tricky when team members in the US and Australia have overlapping nine-to-five work hours. Works proposes flexible scheduling or a rotating meeting schedule, allowing team members to adjust their timings as needed.
Inadequacy of Physical Infrastructure
Remote teams may have different levels of access to centralised meeting spaces and technological resources, resulting in the need to rely on asynchronous text-based communication tools for more than just brief messages or chats. The drawback of such tools is that they might not be appropriate for holding candid discussions about challenging or controversial topics. Works suggests using video conferencing or other synchronous communication methods to improve the quality of remote team communication.
Problems with Expression Clarity
Research has shown that remote teams often encounter challenges with real-time face-to-face communication, emphasising the need to avoid excessive dependence on text-based communication, which can result in misinterpretations or errors. Works recommends utilising video conferencing or other synchronous communication channels and promoting the use of non-threatening language to limit misunderstandings among remote team members.
Without immediate responses, remote team members may feel unsure about their communications, which can result in overly direct, blunt or ambiguous language. Hence, technical teams must devote extra effort towards ensuring that communication is effective among team members who are remote. At Works, we prioritise effective communication and support our clients in navigating the challenges of remote team collaboration.
Difficulty in Connecting with Other Team Members
Remote team members may not have the opportunity to engage in informal conversations, which calls for a more structured approach to information sharing. This, in turn, can lead to difficulties in receiving prompt answers, as team members may have limited availability for communication. At Works, we recognise the significance of time-management and the need for contingency plans to ensure efficient communication and seamless problem-solving among remote teams.
Greater Dependence on Electronic Devices
In contrast to colocated teams, remote engineering teams rely heavily on technology to enable communication. Developers in distributed teams require dependable internet connections, as well as appropriate communication tools like laptops, mobile phones, microphones and webcams, for effective remote collaboration. Issues such as regional disparities in the availability, quality and accessibility of requisite technology can significantly affect your team’s overall communication capabilities. At Works, we understand the importance of seamless and dependable technical infrastructure for distributed engineering teams, and we offer support in this area to our clients.
What are some effective ways to facilitate communication on distributed teams?
Communication within a distributed team can present challenges. However, there are ways to manage these difficulties by utilising appropriate tools, strategies, and best practices. To facilitate effective communication in your remote team, Works recommends making use of the following resources:
Leverage the Advantages of Asynchronous Communication
When collaborating with distributed engineering teams, it is crucial to weigh the pros and cons of synchronous and asynchronous communication channels. Asynchronous communication often offers more flexibility and is therefore preferred for remote teams. Works understands the importance of considering communication style according to the remote team’s specific requirements, and we offer tailored support in this area.
Asynchronous messaging enables team members to deliberate before formulating and sending a response. For instance, instead of scheduling team meetings, you might send a detailed email containing a document outlining the problem. This provides remote team members with the space they require to process the details at their own pace, without feeling undue pressure. At Works, we believe that asynchronous communication channels can enhance remote team collaboration with the help of effective protocol and appropriate tools to support teams in remote work scenarios.
Consider using asynchronous communication as a means of preparing your team for real-time collaboration in the future. Creating private channels in which all remote team members can engage in real-time conversations can help to mitigate the difficulty of scheduling face-to-face meetings. At Works, we understand that collaboration styles will differ depending on the particulars of each remote team’s working environment, and we work with our clients to tailor communication strategies accordingly.
Although asynchronous communication is often preferable, it is important not to undervalue the importance of real-time, synchronous communication. Striking a balance between these two styles is typically the most effective approach, while ensuring that remote team members understand that immediate communication is not always the optimal course of action. At Works, we recognise the importance of finding the right communication style for your remote team, and work to support our clients in this area.
We recommend video chat applications such as Jitsi, Zoom, or Google Hangouts to facilitate real-time conversations among remote staff. While not as robust as in-person meetings, the visual engagement offered by these applications can enhance interpersonal communication and team-building. At Works, we recognise the value of employing technology effectively to enhance remote team collaboration, and we provide tailored support to our clients in this regard.
Conduct a Comprehensive Inventory of Your Communication Tools
Apart from videoconferencing platforms, there are other communication and collaboration tools that can be advantageous to a distributed team. Platforms such as Slack, Asana, Trello, Confluence, Jira, Basecamp, Google Docs and Notion have all been successful in enhancing communication and group productivity in remote engineering teams.
To assist in selecting the ideal tools, here are several key characteristics to consider:
- User-friendly interfaces that do not presuppose any prior tech knowledge.
- Meeting and calendar scheduling features that accurately consider the local time of each user.
- Provision for creating dedicated channels for use by different groups working on multiple projects.
- Effortless and swift sharing of all files, screenshots, and binary formats used by your team during the course of their work.
- Linkages to other services that facilitate real-time communication and activity-sharing among users.
- Ability to collaborate with others on a single document in real-time.
- Reliability and compatibility of software across both mobile and desktop platforms.
Engage in Team-Building Activities Online
For remote engineering teams, engaging in virtual team-building activities can be advantageous, as they help to instill a sense of togetherness and enhance communication and collaboration. These activities can be conducted via the internet, and their enduring impact on teamwork and productivity can be substantial.
If you’re seeking recommendations for team-building activities, we suggest the following:
- If you’re seeking a way to foster team bonding and have some enjoyable moments, why not attempt a game such as Skribbl or GeoGuesser? Both of these games can be easily accessed online and offer great amusement for all participants.
- Ensure that everyone is informed about the rules and mechanics of the team-building activity to avoid any confusion or feelings of exclusion.
- Make certain that team-building activities do not substantially overlap with the work hours of employees who have urgent deadlines to meet.
Recognize Successful Accomplishments
We must seize opportunities to applaud triumphs, both on an individual and team basis. Celebrating achievements strengthens feelings of togetherness and integration, enabling team members to feel like they are part of something greater than themselves.
An effective method of acknowledging and incentivising employees for their hard work is through a company-wide or team-wide communication channel that enables any team member to share positive feedback on outstanding work. It can also be advantageous to send a weekly email commending the efforts of individual team members. This approach can help to foster a culture of gratitude and impart a sense of recognition to employees.
Master the Art of Being Clear and Concise in Your Communication
Effective communication is vital to prevent misunderstandings and miscommunication. Here are some tactics to promote clear communication:
- Prior to dispatching a message, consider how it fits into the broader conversation and how the recipient may interpret it.
- Using caution when selecting your words during communication is crucial. For instance, opting to use phrases such as “Please remember to run the tests from now on” is more courteous than saying “Don’t forget to run the tests next time”. The former accentuates the positive action of remembering, as opposed to emphasising the criticism of forgetting. This approach may assist in maintaining the receiver’s concentration on the intended task.
- While communicating with people from diverse geographic or cultural backgrounds, it is recommended to abstain from using idioms. Regional expressions may not be universally understood by people from various parts of the world.
Establish Guidelines for Acceptable Communication
When collaborating in a team, it is advantageous to establish communication standards, such as the tone and pace of interactions. This may involve enforcing deadlines for emails to be sent and stipulating that a meeting agenda be circulated prior to any gatherings.
Consider documenting these standards and guidelines in a central location accessible to all members of the team.
Incorporate Images into Your Written Reports
When it’s necessary to convey a message to your team, well-crafted written communication can be a professional and succinct approach. Utilising effective visual aids is a helpful tool to ensure clarity and avoid confusion.
To keep all team members, regardless of their location, informed, using visual aids can be advantageous. Instead of expecting employees to read lengthy written documents, visual aids offer a fast and efficient method of conveying complicated information. For example, an architectural diagram with the right level of detail can convey the same information as several pages of text.
Schedule Regular Check-ins
Periodic check-ins are advantageous in ensuring that everyone is well-informed and unexpected issues are avoided. Providing updates to colleagues on progress and receiving feedback from others can promote effective teamwork.
For smaller remote engineering teams located in the same time zone, weekly check-ins are usually sufficient. However, for larger teams spread across different time zones, it may be necessary to schedule more frequent check-ins than once a week.
Recognise and Appreciate Individual Contributions
Familiarising oneself with the cultural backgrounds of team members can assist in identifying potential communication challenges. Despite all team members being able to communicate in the same language, their fluency level may vary.
It’s essential to consider that certain situations may demand different modes of communication to benefit the team. While some team members may prefer email communication, some may favour video calls instead. Conducting a poll to determine preferred communication methods and peak activity periods can help customise meeting and check-in schedules to suit individual needs.
Final Analysis
Enhanced communication can improve the quality of your product, reduce the time spent resolving issues, and strengthen the relationship with your remote engineering staff. Determining the best communication approach for your team requires time and careful consideration, as each group has its own unique requirements.
