The challenges around remote communications will never be more noticeable than when you’re trying to collaborate on a project. This means that when you’re working remotely it’s even more important to develop strategies for keeping people together.
There’s a gorgeous African proverb that can help you think about the importance of collaboration. It says “If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together”. This perfectly expresses the strength you gain from a positive collaboration. In business, keeping everyone on the same page in your projects is vital to your long-term success. Even more so when you’re working remotely, and you can’t have those incidental face-to-face moments to keep everyone on the same page.
“If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.” African Proverb
The very nature of working remotely raises obstacles for you to overcome, especially when communicating with your remote team. So today, five tips for you to keep everyone moving together.
Clear Project Guidelines
Make sure everyone in your team knows the aim of the project and the key milestones along the way. When your staff know what they’re working towards it minimises distractions and getting sidetracked. It also lets them know what success looks like for all of you, and gives your team a sense of achievement when reaching those milestones.
Invest in Planning
Take a bit of time to plan out the timelines for your milestones. Outline exactly who is doing what in your team and how the resources will be pulled together to make it happen. It’s said that if you invest in one minute of planning, then you get back 10 minutes in execution. So save your time and stress by planning properly.
Assign Tasks Clearly
Who is doing what at any given time needs to be clear and precise. Especially in regard to remote communications, where things can be lost in translation. Hold your team members responsible and accountable for the contribution they make. This way you support them with knowing what they have to do, but also they know how they fit together with the rest of the team.
Schedule Realistic Deadlines
Make sure everyone knows when their work is due, and when the other deadlines are. This is not only so their work is completed in good time, but also so the rest of the team may finish within the desired timeframe. By scheduling deadlines in a realistic way with each other, you keep the project flowing in productivity and efficiency.
Use Collaboration Tools
There are various collaboration tools specifically designed to facilitate smooth workflow when you’re managing projects. Especially for your remote communications. Monday.com is a fabulous tool and so is Clickup. We’ve also found success with Trello with a lot of our clients.
Getting your remote communications right for collaborations is vital. The resulting productivity and unity will lead you to achieve amazing outcomes!
