Mastering Distributed Team Management with Platform Software

Building a distributed team allows businesses to hire the very best talent by not being limited to a single area of the world. But it’s no doubt that having team members across different time zones comes with significant collaboration and productivity challenges. If you are navigating distributed team management, you need viable tools that can turn a divided team into a central company unit.

The solution is a centralized virtual workspace that makes collaboration possible even when team members are in different locations. With the right software, you can track project timelines, establish core procedures, train teams effectively, convey roles and expectations, and foster a culture of teamwork.

Distributed Team Management and Integrated Solutions

Consider some of the major pain points that come with remote and distributed work. You might be managing team members in various time zones. You certainly have people with different working styles and scheduling needs. You need a way to bring together collaborators, resources, and critical tools in one place so as not to miss creative opportunities for efficiency and teamwork.

So, how can a collaboration and project management platform help you to effectively manage your distributed team?

Centralize Resources

Think of each one of your distributed team members as a puzzle piece. Ideally, they will fit together if given the opportunity, and the right software solution that’s flexible enough to meet your team’s needs can offer that.

An all-in-one platform is the space for team members to come together and tackle projects with:

• Centralized workviews to keep track of projects and tasks
• Cloud-based storage for the files and resources necessary to get the job done
• Internal chat tools that foster collaboration and help keep everyone on the same page 

Manage Workflows

A distributed team management system will help you stay in the loop on team progress. The right platform will give you a clear view of all workflows even as team members are empowered to manage their own projects. It’s easy to maintain both assignments and deadlines and troubleshoot workloads in an adaptable workspace.

With a centralized platform, it’s possible to gracefully manage work happening in multiple time zones because this workspace imposes no working hours or limitations. Team members can access their projects, tasks, and resources 24/7. They can participate in conversations even when collaborators aren’t online, and everyone will receive timely updates when they do log on for the workday.

Train Team Members Efficiently

Training is one of the most difficult tasks in a distributed team setting, and learning new software tools can sometimes be more trouble than they’re worth. A distributed team management platform that is easy to learn and use gets team members on track sooner. They are able to learn as they go when the system is intuitive, enjoyable, and adaptable to their individual working styles.

And because tasks and resources are centralized, you can onboard new team members remotely with less stress and greater efficiency.

Enhance Communication and Collaboration

It’s no secret that team connections and communication are more challenging with remote work. This may be even more true for distributed teams working on different schedules. Solid collaboration needs to be a priority or project success and larger goals are at risk.

A collaboration platform can help your team stay connected with:

• Reliable file-sharing tools
• Real-time updates
• Task chats, group chats, and direct messaging
• Intuitive activity dashboards
• Simple assigning and following of tasks
• Status updates so team members can keep track of others’ availability at a glance

Promote Community and Company Culture

Creating a culture of teamwork instills a shared sense of identity among distributed team members. When everyone is regularly coming together in your centralized workspace, you can easily keep important shared goals top of mind. Plus, when people feel entirely supported and empowered to handle their responsibilities effectively, confidence rises. And with greater confidence, team members are more likely to speak up and contribute in increasingly creative ways. This kind of culture breeds a continuing cycle of inspiration.

Of course, you will continue to run into new challenges with distributed team management. But those challenges are not out of reach with the right software solutions and with a confident and resourceful team committed to constantly improving their shared workspace.

Flow offers a project management solution to help your distributed team stay well connected. To try our complete toolbox, sign up for free!