Technology is the foundation for managing a remote team. It simplifies communication, enables real-time workflow creation, and facilitates remote team success evaluation. Video meetings, collaboration software, file sharing, and KPI analysis empower remote team collaboration and identify opportunities for improvement.
If you are a remote team manager or a business leader with remote teams, then data-driven analysis is essential. But how do you determine your remote team’s success, whether assessing the potential of a new team or the performance of teams currently working remotely? The answers can be found in the data.
Let’s explore data-driven approaches for assessing remote team success and improving your teams’ performance.
Define Your Goals and KPIs
The first step in data-driven leadership is to define specific goals and key performance indicators (KPIs) for each team. Goals determine what the team is working toward, while the speed and quality of goal completion measure success. KPIs provide insights into workflow progress before assessing a goalpost measurement.
For example, a team responsible for processing client invoices might track KPIs such as the daily processing count or the average time required to process a single invoice. Identifying goals and KPIs can help you create a data-based structure for assessing remote team success at any point in the process.
Track the Completion of Tasks, Milestones, and Deadlines
The completion rate is often a key measure of how efficiently a remote team works. Since departments, projects, and workflows differ, it’s crucial to define ‘completion’ appropriately for each context.
For example, a remote team’s progress on a project can be measured by its completion percentage, such as research conducted, assets prepared, and so on. A team focused on completing a series of defined tasks can assess productivity based on the number, speed, or percentage of tasks completed within a given period.
For longer deadlines, measure by the milestone. Determine whether remote teams are reaching each milestone at the intended pace. If your remote teams are going faster or slower than expected, assess why.
Time and Task Tracking
Another key to assessing remote team success is tracking how your teams use time and when they focus on tasks. Time and task tracking is the perfect balance between attention and micromanaging. Ask your employees to track their work on tasks, such as building an asset, attending a meeting, or consulting with a customer.
Simple time records can reveal how employees manage their time. It can show how long they focus on specific tasks, which tasks take longer than others, and where bottlenecks occur in the workflow.
The success of each workflow recorded through time and task tracking should also be considered. For example, a remote employee might spend more time than usual on a project, yet the client remains satisfied with the results.
Use Software That Provides Valuable Data Insights
One innovative feature of recent remote work platforms is their ability to gather valuable data seamlessly through the software. Many business software products today generate automatic reports based on team usage patterns. For example, you can track how frequently team members edit a shared document, the average number of messages they exchange daily, and the success rate of employees logging into the company learning platform.
Software that generates reports from usage data provides highly valuable insights. It can also reveal KPIs you may not have considered but are statistically relevant to remote team success.
Apply Efficiency Reports to Remove Bottlenecks
Data from tracking and software reports can help you identify system bottlenecks. For example, you may see that your remote teams lose time while waiting for reviews and approvals. You may also find opportunities to automate time-consuming manual processes or streamline collaboration in response to workflow interruptions.
The data will be the most helpful for removing bottlenecks by revealing blips in productivity related to certain conditions and sections of your remote team workflows. Accepting feedback is also a valuable way to identify bottlenecks. Encourage remote teams to share spontaneous feedback and schedule open sessions for suggestions on improving workflows, tools, and processes. Your team understands their tools and workflows best, so gathering their insights helps refine processes and enhance efficiency.
Gauging the Right Balance of Collaboration and Focus Sessions
Effective communication is essential for remote team success. Too little can hinder collaboration and guidance, while too much can lead to wasted time and lost focus due to excessive meetings.
Each team should be empowered to talk face-to-face with their leadership and to collaborate to achieve greater productivity without sacrificing their focus sessions on unnecessary communication. Use the data to help you determine the ideal balance of meetings and collaboration sessions compared to the power of uninterrupted focus.
Iterate Analysis and Improvement Cycles
Last but never least is the iterative improvement cycle. Data-driven insights make it possible to identify opportunities for improvement, make those changes, and assess the success. When evaluating remote team success or performance, identify opportunities to eliminate bottlenecks and enhance tools. Streamline workflows, gather feedback, and measure strategies using the latest data reports.
Successful Remote Teams Start With Great Leadership
Remote teams can be a powerful element in your business. They are often capable of greater focus, bringing in experts over long distances and creating new workforce opportunities. Of course, the success of any team depends on their tools and leaders. You can assess remote team success using the right software and data-driven insights, guiding your teams toward an optimal workflow with informed leadership practices.
Contact us today at BrightR for more insights into building and managing successful remote teams.
