As more local, state, and federal authorities take action to restrict the spread of COVID-19, a company’s ability to support an effective remote workforce has taken center stage in operational conversations around the world. At Moovila, we are fortunate to be able to shift to a fully remote model for the next several weeks to protect our employees, families, and communities. Although remote work can be challenging, we are grateful for the technology and tools available to keep us connected and running at full speed. Here are some best practices our team has implemented to keep everyone informed and accountable.

Ensure leadership is virtually present 

When teams are physically separated, frequent reminders of the broader mission and goals are essential to keep employees aligned and motivated. Your leadership team needs to be present and available. 

• Schedule a weekly all-hands meeting with company leadership. 
• Get your entire leadership team involved. Rotate through leaders from each department and have them present updates from their project portfolios. 
• Create a clear, company-wide vehicle for collecting questions or feedback. Team members should know where to go when they have questions that need to be answered. 

Conduct daily stand-up meetings 

Nothing beats actual conversation for addressing questions and issues quickly, so take a hint from Agile methodology. 

• Begin each day with a virtual 10-minute team meeting. Have each team member cover what they completed yesterday, as well as what they have planned to work on today.  
• Use this as a time for team members to escalate any impediments to ensure that roadblocks are remediated as soon as possible. 
• If there are new requirements or additional needs that arise, make sure new tasks are documented immediately and that owners are assigned to each task, so nothing slips through the cracks. 
  
  

Create a positive online experience 

If you aren’t used to working remotely, seeing your face on camera can be a little intimidating. However, embracing the technology you have available can help maintain your teams’ routines and cadence. 

• Whenever possible, turn the camera on! It’s important to create face time via video conferencing, even if some people feel a little awkward initially on camera. Reassure your team that t-shirts and cluttered offices are acceptable for internal meetings. No one is judging! We’re just trying to get through this together
• Use screen and document sharing solutions to eliminate confusion and create cohesion. It’s easier to follow along and keep everyone on track when everyone is looking at the same sheet of music.  
• Make sure your team knows where to go when they need answers. Simplify systems to streamline communication and tracking so everyone knows exactly what they should be working on and when.
• Let a little small talk in. Given the current social distancing guidelines, it’s OK to encourage some small talk at the beginning of meetings if it feels appropriate. Connection is key, so take five minutes to ask about homeschooling, pets, art projects or TV shows before you get down to business.
  
  

Increase documentation for clearer communications 

Leverage software solutions, like Moovila, to increase transparency and accountability. Avoid wasting time chasing status updates by email and chats asking, “How is this task coming along?” 

• Keep all project-related tasks and ad hoc work in one, centralized location so that managers have a clear picture of exactly what each team member is working on and the overall progress of each project.  
• Write clear requirements for each task and be sure to include supporting documents and links to reduce the back-and-forth necessary to get started.  
• Look for solutions with automation that send daily reminders around due dates and status updates. Chasing down updates becomes increasingly more difficult in remote environments, so technology can help support your managers and peers to reduce their workload. 

If you are looking for new ways to increase efficiency, transparency, and accountability within your projects and  teams as you transition to a remote workforce, Moovila is here to help! Reach out to our Sales Team to learn more about our solution and the extended free Test Drive opportunities we have available to teams during this challenging time.