Software development is now something that is typically done with a team that is remotely distributed, with video meetings and web-based collaboration tools occupying routine duties. In-person teams aren’t a prerequisite – and haven’t been for a long time, as a matter of fact. Hiring and working with remote developers therefore is now the norm, but this still requires a set of factors to adhere to, if businesses wish to ensure that the right candidate is added to the team.
In this article, we shed light on some tips that can ensure smooth coordination with remote software developers, as well as hiring the right folks to determine suitability towards your current work environment.
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Maintaining a schedule of meetings, be they on a daily or weekly basis is essential to keeping your entire software development team in check. Even if it may feel like there isn’t anything substantial to discuss, it is surprising how many productive discussions can still take flight during a regular standup.
Albeit having a reliable system of asynchronous communication in place i.e. real-time and cloud-based collaboration tools such as task or project management platforms, nothing beats a (virtual) face-to-face conversation when it comes to both routine concerns, as well as spontaneous ‘light bulb’ moments that your team may have. As a result, meet with your remote software development team on a regular basis to go through what each team member is working on, while also executing scrum practices as part of agile project management effectively.
Remote software development teams also need to deal with team members across multiple time zones. While this makes coordination more challenging, it isn’t impossible; figuring out the most hospitable time frames for all team members with an online meeting planner can help suggest the best meeting times. However, it is very much possible that some team members may have to burn the night oil in order to attend meetings – which is part and parcel, when it comes to remotely distributed teams.
When teams are remotely distributed, a cadence becomes extra important as the benefit of bumping into team members within a physical office is now absent. This means that each team member needs to be fully aware of what their duties are at any given point in time, while also being notified as soon as an update occurs. With real-time team task management and collaboration tools, differences in time zone may not be as much of a hindrance as when having to set up a meeting, but ensuring team members are notified of any changes to project requirements and/or deadlines is imperative in order to keep everyone aligned towards one common goal.
Remote software development teams also have the flexibility to work asynchronously. This means that work is being executed in some way, shape or form round the clock, thanks to team members being scattered across varying time zones. If a cadence is established correctly, your management teams can wake up to tasks already executed and delivered – while the next batches are worked on while they sleep (literally).
Although problem management needs to be addressed as soon as an issue is identified for any kind of project, it becomes all the more crucial to ‘nip problems in the bud’ for remote software development teams. This is majorly due to the fact that a lack of face-to-face communication and asynchronous schedules distributed across various time zones can exacerbate instructions and ideas that may be misunderstood.
Which is why regular meetings can help address any concerns and misunderstandings through verbal communication. Additionally, instilling the principle of raising questions as soon as someone feels confusion of any kind, at any point in time is highly advisable. This way, project managers and scrum masters can address these well before any tasks have been executed, saving time, effort and resources for everyone involved – well ahead in advance.
Whether you manage an in-house software development team that’s looking to augment existing operations with a remote software developer, or partner with a dedicated software outsourcing company to build your software, the things to keep in mind when sourcing, screening, interviewing and eventually hiring a remote software developer are more or less the same.
Here, we outline three key steps to ensure you hire remote software developers that are suitable for your business needs:
Establish KPIs, and evaluate your developers’ performance regularly against these KPIs. While formal performance evaluations shall determine your remote software developer’s overall quality of work and collaboration, their skills can still be evaluated well beforehand. By observing their soft skills around how well they communicate ideas and raise questions, as well as solving any problems that may arise in due course of building and iterating software, this in itself can help managers determine whether they are a relevant addition to your team – or whether extra coaching may be needed for improvement.
Remote software development is now a highly versatile way to build software, while also enabling swift scalability across a business environment that’s fast-paced, with customer demands constantly shifting. Hiring remote software developers needs to involve a combination of knowing what your business truly needs, and whether any specific skills are required on the part of a new hire, in order to meet said needs.
Although remote software development can help companies significantly save on costs, many ground rules and systems need to be established in order to ensure all teams are aware of and aligned to common goals. From virtual meeting schedules to asynchronous collaboration via task management tools, your remote software developers need to be constantly kept in the loop, so they can execute and deliver based on business goals and other expectations.
With IT outsourcing in Sri Lanka now being a thriving industry, many agencies in the country now cater to supplying remote software developers either as part of a fully remote team, or for augmenting an existing team with a developer who may be a subject matter expert across a specific area.
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