Working Successfully in Agile with Remote Teams

Agile methodology has been a go-to in the software world for years. In fact, a recent study by Organize Agile conducted among professionals in 19 countries, shows that nearly half of all organizations have been using the Agile methodology for three years and longer.

When asked what is the main reason why most of them have turned agile, they responded that this framework helps their teams deliver work in small but consumable increments while valuing adaptability and flexibility to their processes and plans.

In recent times however and especially with the outbreak of COVID-19, more and more companies are leaning towards a remote setting. So the following question arises – Can we mix agile principles and remote working?

The answer is YES. If you want to create a collaborative remote environment, which empowers employees to do their best work, then the agile framework is the way to go.

For that same reason, we encourage you to continue reading, as, in this article, we will share insights on how remote teams can adopt agile practices in their everyday work and be highly productive and efficient.

What is Agile methodology?

Before we dive deep into agile practices and how they can make your remote teams thrive, let’s quickly talk about the basics of agile methodology.

Agile practices break down projects into short iterations known as “sprints.” Sprints typically last anywhere from a week to a month, and teams have a clear picture of what they need to be working on, what needs to get accomplished, and when.

The facilitator of the agile team is known as the scrum master. Every morning, the scrum master hosts a short meetup (known as a “stand up”) where the entire team shares status updates. At the end of the sprint, the team gets together for a more in-depth meeting—known as a retrospective, or “retro”—to review the sprint and identify opportunities for improvement moving forward.

Clearly, the agile framework is effective for a variety of team structures. But it’s especially effective for remote workplaces because it allows leaders to quickly discover what’s working, and what’s not working, and make changes in real-time—which is especially important in maintaining efficiency in remote teams.

So, the question is, how can you adopt agile practices to encourage efficiency, productivity, and collaboration with your remote team?

Get your team on the same page

Before you start rolling out the agile practices, make sure everyone is on board. We often make the mistake to go into the agile process fast, especially at the beginning without even realizing that when we start to work remotely we are also changing the culture of our organization.

Start off with a meeting, where you’d discuss topics such as: What tools are you going to use? How are you going to communicate daily? Are there any security protocols you need to follow?

Taking the time to set clear expectations and make sure your team understands how your workflow is going to shift going forward will make the transition to agile much smoother.

Get your team the right tools

If you’re going to be working remotely, then make sure you have a setup that works for you, your company, and your team. Think of it as an office move and invest the time upfront to evaluate the options and make sure you have everything you need to be productive, comfortable, and in a space where you are least likely to be distracted.

Because you’re working remotely, it’s also important to invest in tools that allow your team to collaborate—no matter where they’re working from. Ultimately, you want to assemble a suite of tools that encourage connection, collaboration, and efficiency within your distributed team.

Adopt Agile meetings practices

If you want your teams to be successful, then meetings are A-must when working remotely. Here are a few tips to adopt agile meeting practices and make the most out of your meetings with your remote team:

• Make sure, you work out any tech issues, before starting the meeting, whether it’s checking the functionality of the video, audio, screen sharing. In case you come across an issue, fix it before you dive deep into the sprint.
• Each morning, host a “stand-up”, which is a quick check-in where everyone shares their current status on ongoing tasks.  It’s a short meeting—typically, between 10 to 15 minutes and a great way to identify any setbacks (and find solutions), and keep things moving forward.
• Eliminate all those “meetings that could have been an email” – if your team’s schedule is packed with back-to-back meetings, then not a lot of work can be done. What we suggest is to first take a look at your current meeting schedule.

Are there any meetings that can be eliminated completely? If so, get rid of them. And are there any meetings you can reframe in a way that allows your team to engage in the content without it interfering with their work?  For example, instead of hosting an all-hands meeting to share company updates with your team, can you share those updates in a video they can later watch or do a checklist that you can send via email?

If you want the process to be successful, you need to be consistently looking at what’s working, what’s not working, and what needs to change. And that’s where retrospectives (or “retros”) come in. Retros are an opportunity for the entire team to get together and discuss what worked, and what didn’t, and collaborate on how to improve for the next sprint.

Hosting a retro at the end of every sprint allows your team to continually evaluate their workflow and identify areas for improvement—and they’ll come out on the other side with insights that will make them stronger as a team and more productive overall.

Adapting agile to a remote environment is already the next big step for the agile community. It’s already happening in a lot of organizations worldwide and it’s a big challenge for every team and every organization. Now that you know how to incorporate agile practices into your remote team management, you have everything you need to give your team that structure—and watch them thrive in the process.

Debating whether agile remote teams are what you really need? Contact us and our consultants will help you make the right decision!