Table of Contents
- In-Person Methodologies Don’t Translate to Remote Environments
- A Lack of In-Person Collaboration
- A Loss of Productivity
- Lack of trust and cohesion within your team
Today, agile is the mindset of choice for many software development companies. But like so many other techniques of working, the methodology has encountered several challenges now that businesses and workers have been thrust into a remote work atmosphere.
- 71% of companies are implementing Agile. (Capterra)
- By 2030, artificial intelligence will automate 80% of routine Agile work. (Smarter with Gartner)
- 85.9% of 101,592 international surveyed software developers use Agile in their work. (Stack Overflow)
Agile depends on independent problem-solving and collaboration aimed at meeting the needs of the end-user, the approach, considered a mindset by those who adopt it, asks the employees to work together.
While they still have organizational insight and oversight, they are mostly self-organizing. The objective is to continuously enhance products to meet customer satisfaction, the first item in the Agile Manifesto, which is supported by 12 main principles.
The advantages of using Agile are apparent for a lot of teams but, given today’s disruptions, there’s a question that becomes unavoidable: how do you adapt Agile practices now that the world has gone largely remote — without negotiating your products?
Challenge #1: In-Person Methodologies Don’t Translate to Remote Environments
Various teams are finding that Agile methodologies aren’t working for their newly adopted remote environment. There is no longer access to a physical scrum board. E.g, Not only can the transition be unsettling for employees who are used to working distinctly, but it can also disrupt the flow.
The solution: Review the rules or consider alternatives
Make clear your teams understand the rules. They may need a refresher If it’s been a while since they’ve reviewed them, especially with a new landscape to consider. Remember to keep employees notified of procedures and any substantial operational changes.
Another way to adapt is to work with external teams to modify your strategy and fix issues. If you outsource specific projects, you may find it considerably easier to adjust to a different environment and fix problems much more efficiently.
Challenge #2: A Lack of In-Person Collaboration
The hallmark of a successful agile team is termed collaboration. This is more effective when you’re working together face-to-face and is more difficult when not working face-to-face. With agile, tasks depend on working in conjunction in sprints — short structured periods of completing requirements -which is disrupted when businesses move in remote environments.
When there isn’t a physical environment for collaboration, the work culture is also disrupted. No in-person communication can impact professional rapport and the ability to receive and deliver feedback quickly. In fact one of the main principles of Agile Manifesto is in-person collaboration.
The Solution: Offer remote tools and plenty of support
Encourage your team members to support one another in addition to showing support as a business, as well as troubleshoot for one another when issues arise.
Consider providing collaboration tools like Slack, Zoom, whiteboards, and in-house communication software to facilitate powerful employee-to-employee contact.
Challenge #3: A Loss of Productivity
For people working remotely, Productivity can be difficult. Distractions abound children attending school from home, nearby constructions, neighbors playing loud music, and so on.
This is difficult in Agile, which depends on productivity for successfully meeting project requirements. When working solo, rather than in teams, employees may succumb to distractions or not feel like they’re being held accountable.
The Solution: Be respectful of team members, but hold them accountable
Now is the time to afford your team members flexibility. You probably don’t know all the challenges your employees are confronting, so afford them as much leeway as you can during this hard period.
Challenge #4: Lack of trust and cohesion within your team
Daily communication and face-to-face interactions create feelings of trust and bonding within the group.
With a remote team, you don’t have that same advantage, and that can lead to diminished trust and cohesion between you and your employees and even between the team members themselves.
This means a couple of things for remote teams. Team-building and trust-establishing exercises are particularly important.
Remote managers must be comfortable trusting their employees and giving them a lot of freedom. Even in the most cohesive and functioning remote team, there’s simply going to be less oversight of remote employees. Check out the best social media companies san diego and get your social media on track.
The Solution: Employees need feedback often to correct problems early on and become satisfied, top performers in their role.
While address issues, be sure that all managers are giving frequent feedback regarding blockers or challenges people are facing. This will allow the managers to develop trust with the team members and give them the flexibility needed to make virtual teams work.
