Project Management Strategies to Track it Remotely

Introduction

Project management Strategies are an essential need for every corporation right now and with their agenda to expand their business in a wider and broader network, collaborating with people from all around the world has become crucial. People from every book and corner with a relevant set of skills are brought together to work on Project management Strategies. But how to properly manage and track it? Before answering the question, let us look at the common needs that a project manager has in order to track a project remotely. A project manager must keep in mind the following things before the execution of a remote project. 

1. Effective communication
2. Making sure the teammates understand the scope,  objectives, and expected results of the Project Management Strategies
3. Coordination between teammates
4. Tracking your team’s productivity
5. Setting up timelines in a way that aligns with the availability of the teammates.
6. Project management Strategies budgets and resources
7. Deadlines

Remotely working on a project can have its own advantages and disadvantages. The manager has to sift through all of these and then make the perfect strategy to do the project effectively. Here are a few merits and demerits of a remote project 

Merits:

1. Teammates have enough room to brainstorm and work according to their comfort and availability. This reduces stress, frustration and increases productivity 
2. Delegating tasks to the fellow workers becomes easy.

Demerits:

1. Since the associates are from different parts of the world, communicating with them at the same time can be a difficult job.
2. Not everyone will be at the same time online which can cause a delay in meetings and follow-ups.
3. Tracking can be tricky since the associates need to update the manager regularly which is entirely in the hands of teammates. The manager cannot go through their work without them showing the work they have done so far at first.

In consideration of all these factors, strategies are adopted in order to obtain maximum efficiency. 

A few of the strategies that you can adopt are given below. These are applicable to all organizations across the globe.

Find your perfect team and engage them from the beginning 

It is important to assemble the right people possessing the relevant skillset in order to complete the projects. The associates must be given proper inputs and be briefed about their roles and responsibilities from the very beginning. Adding people midway leads to slowing of the project execution and also can cause disorientation in the whole process. Everyone must be updated about the developments and given opportunities to express their opinions and how the workflow must go on.

Avoid Micromanaging

You should give the teammates enough space where they can put up their viewpoints on certain issues about the project which will help them in putting their best foot forward and they will feel less intimidated and more welcomed. This can definitely lead to higher levels of productivity and with the given advantage of the teammates that they have in having flexible work hours owing to their residence in different parts of the world, work is efficiently done. 

Conduct Meetings only when necessary 

With time and distance constraints, it can be difficult to assemble everyone involved in the project together for a meeting regularly which is why scheduling them only when absolutely is important. It is also advisable to not have a compulsion for everybody’s presence at the meeting. The presence of only the ones who are relevant can bring clarity and avoid friction. 

Check project status regularly 

Giving tasks and setting deadlines does not suffice in an optimal world environment to complete a project. You should keep yourself updated with everything that the associates are doing and keep track of each task that has been done and that has to be done. Only then can you achieve results at the time up expect. Use tracking software like Trello, Timecamp, Hey.Space etc. It is of much help if you track the work weekly. 

Be Assertive, and at the right time

Disagreements are common in every team project but as a leader, it is your responsibility to make sure that the right decisions are made and discussions do not become redundant and loopholes are avoided. 

Provide Incentives

It is always appreciable to the associates when their work is rewarded. Give your teammates motivation and incentives which can increase their productivity on a higher scale and also encourages the members of the team to work for better rewards. Although in the long run this might not work but giving an incentive does not prove of any loss either.

Usage of project management software has become the norm for most companies for remote tracking. Platforms like Hub staff provide tools to track your project, communicate with your teammates, resources available and much more in order to facilitate efficient planning.

Also, the manager must always make sure to emanate a “human touch”, not just using technical correspondence as a means to get the work done but also putting thought into the teammates’ actions, appreciating them when they do well and having conversations which can make them feel more welcomed and comfortable. Here is a list of few other tools which are available online that help in remote tracking of a project.

1. Slack
2. Dropbox
3. Toggle 
4. Calendar – Google
5. Beesy.me 

Conclusion

Using the tools and the strategies mentioned above, remote tracking of projects can be efficaciously done avoiding internal conflicts and tackling the roadblocks in the process in the right way.