Stfalcon has 15 years of experience and almost 350 clients scattered all over the world. So, we know all the minute particulars and benefits of remote cooperation. Our expertise is proven by our clients’ feedback and reviews, and a 4.9 rating on Clutch.
More than 50 specialists have carried out successful projects from start to finish. Our clients are from the USA, Canada, Europe, Great Britain, Cyprus, Nigeria, and Saudi Arabia. That’s why we have what to share and want to give you the benefit of our knowledge of how to build a remote software development team in this article.
Let’s start with the bare facts and stats. IT sphere was an early adopter of work-from-home opportunities. The pandemic accelerated this trend. More software engineers started to work remotely 100% of the time. Now, working from home is a new normal and a global trend. 70% of full-time professionals work in remote software engineering jobs.
However, building a remote software development team remains what many business owners fear. This goes to those who are used to controlling everything and believe employees should be primarily motivated with a stick. They do not believe the development process can be organized at a distance. Our expertise and positive customer feedback give us the ground to state the opposite.
Development teams comprise specialists with diverse skills and expertise. They cooperate to design, develop, test, launch, and maintain software solutions. Remote dedicated software development teams do work productively. They demonstrate high performance, fostering innovation and collaboration. It has been proven by GitHub, Basecamp, and even Google that hire remote developers. The trend for remote development has remained and even gained popularity after the COVID-19 pandemic. Stfalcon has gained even more experience in remote team members management in recent years. Today we sharing our tried-and-true tactics, best practices, and practical tips. We want to help you steer through the process of building a remote team. Read on.
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Client Manager
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Get a Free ConsultationFind the Right Team for Remote Software Development
Remote cooperation is the answer if you consider software creation and do not have an in-house development department. Building an effective team requires careful planning and a good strategy.
Firstly, your remote software development team members should be experts in their field. They should have experience in your niche. However, a high-performing team requires effective communication, careful planning, and a strong sense of collaboration manifested in team spirit. It’s critical, so let’s pay more attention to this point.
Being team players
Remote employees should not only possess excellent hard skills but also share your corporate culture and values. As a part of your project, they should be good and effective team players. That’s why it’s vital to check the candidates' ability to communicate, make decisions in collaboration, and mutually achieve goals. Hire remote developers only after interviewing them.
You can talk to potential candidates and check if they have already worked in a team. Then ask them about the working process and experience of carrying out projects in your domain. Questions about a favorite project, product, client, or type of work are helpful to find out the potential candidates’ values. So, you can decide if they coincide with your and your project goals.
When the team is formed, you can proceed to the next stage.
Set Clear Roles and Responsibilities
The software development team consists of different specialists. The list depends on the type of project and your business needs. In most cases, it comprises a project manager, a UX/UI designer, and software and QA engineers. Sometimes, a business analyst is included to define the product’s scope and to gather project requirements. A team may additionally include a product owner and product manager. The first translates business needs into software solution requirements. The second advises on the product development cycle and product-market fit. A product manager is in charge of the product’s development roadmap value proposition. A chief architect may be needed for complex projects with multiple departments. They manage remote and coordinate the workflow between the divisions.
To provide flawless project flow, you should set up an effective onboarding process. It may include the following steps.
Introduction to company culture
It’s critical to help new employees comprehend the identity of your company and the course it holds. That’s why you should introduce your corporate culture and values to the remote software development team.
Hire remote developers and get them immediately acquainted with your business’s mission, vision, and priorities. Explain their role in all these. A company blog, workers' handbook, and leadership presentations can be helpful at this stage.
Company policies and remote policies overview
New employees should be introduced to the company's code of conflict, inner regulations, and ethics. It will facilitate establishing a clear behavior and compliance framework.
The remote work guiding principles should include communication guidelines. Provide your new employees with work schedules, equipment specifications, and security measures.
Further on you should grant access to the software, project management tools, and communication channels. We are speaking about it further on based on Stfalcon's experience.
Provide the Right Tools and Technology
Google software tools have for a reason become a must-have for any business today, independently of its size. Introduce your new employees to the Google Workspace of your company: Gmail, Google Drive, Google Docs, Google Calendar, etc.
Google Workspace is more for general communication. GitHub is in its turn a professional cloud-based collaboration tool for software developers. So, your remote development team should have access to GitHub. It facilitates storing, editing, merging, and managing code. GitHub allows doing code reviews and pulling requests.
To choose the right tools and technology research the needs of your remote workers. Select what best suits the team needs and complements their existing workflows. The right chosen project management tool helps cope with remote product development and workflow challenges. Select user-friendly and reliable tools that ensure data protection and robust security.
Set Up the Communication
A well-organized team with effective communication is the secret ingredient of a thriving product. It’s critical to select comfortable means of communication and project management. Below, we are sharing some tools and tips for effective communication. Everything is based on Stfalcon’s in-field experience.
Establish Strong Communication Protocols
Stfalcon’s experts work for clients in different parts of the world. We carefully plan meetings with a client and team. Planning sessions, team updates, and backlogs are important as well as daily personal check-ins with each team member. The key point is that meetings should be regular. Yet, they have nothing to do with controlling. It’s about motivation, progress tracking, aligning plans, trust-based relations, and a healthy work environment.
Speaking about the tools, we’ll mention corporate emails, slack for daily collaboration, and Jira as our primary set. We manage remote tasks in them. Our designers use Figma and Notion for design development. Conferences with clients and specialists on their side we often arrange in Zoom or Google Meets. They are also helpful for ongoing discussions with the developers and team lead.
Build a Collaborative Team Culture
Building personal connections and a collaborative culture is vital. At Stfalcon we do it through team building, informal meetings online and offline, small talks, and 1:1s. They should not be stricklty about project or business. They are aimed at establishing and keeping personal contact with all the members of the team.
A reasonable idea is to prepare for 1:1s. Choose the topic of conversation in advance and make the meeting productive within your schedule.
Monitor Progress and Provide Feedback
Progress monitoring and performance assessments are vital aspects of any project. Make sure your remote team holds the right course. Keep a continuous focus on regular performance evaluations and provide feedback to the team. Recognize their success and strengths. Appreciate big and small achievements. Spotlight areas of improvement, and motivate.
Stfalcon defines clear performance standards and metrics for remote dedicated software development teams. We set short-term targets and goals for the team and distribute them among team members. The team regularly reviews results and establishes long-term objectives. Stfalcon embraces data-driven approaches and tracks the team’s efficiency through relevant metrics.
That’s why we know firsthand how to manage a remote development team and craft cutting-edge software for our clients.
Hire a Remote Software Development Team with Stfalcon
Stfalcon is a Ukrainian company, yet our software serves people in different countries. We have 15 years of practical experience in remote development and dedicated team forming. Guess you can believe that we know a thing or two about how to manage a remote software development.
Already after the Russian invasion, our team has increased the number of employees by 20%. We continue active remote development. The company gets positive feedback from our clients on Clutch. What’s important Stfalcon has completed its management system certification. Now we meet the requirements of ISO 9001 : 2015.
A customer can control the whole process of development as it’s quite transparent. We guarantee fast performance and attractive prices for cooperation, especially long-term. Development rates in Ukraine are 3-4 times lower than in the USA or Europe, however, the level of experts is high.
With Stfalcon you get
- Access to our 15 years of expertise in diverse niches,
- A team 100% involved in your project,
- Transparent communication and management,
- Faster development cycle,
- Great flexibility in terms of team composition and adjustments to project changes,
- Cost-effectiveness due to lower rates compared to in-house team salaries. Add here savings on equipment, operational costs, and expenses, characteristic for in-house employees,
- Possibility to hand-pick candidates from the company’s shortlist. You can choose specialists matching your business principles, project objectives, and budget restrictions.
Conclusion
Remote software development teams is what Stfalcon specializes in all the 15 years of the company’s growth. If you consider remote development schedule a call with our manager. You can ask questions and discuss all the details. We can evaluate your unique project, provide advice and guidance, and discuss the approximate budget. If you decide to cooperate with Stfalcon as your vendor, we’ll build a dedicated or distributed team of experts to meet your technical, business, and personal requirements. We are eager to craft a new leading-edge solution and share our best practices to grow your business.
FAQs about how to build a successful remote software development team
Why should companies consider building remote software development teams?
A remote development team offers numerous benefits to the company that hires. First of all, it’s access to a global talent pool and better technology, and cost savings. You avoid expenses related to setting up and maintaining an in-house IT department. You can foster greater innovation by cooperating with experts in different fields and manage remote processes. Remote development does not restrict you to a certain region or country.
How do you hire the right developers for a remote software team?
With the rise of remote work numerous sites, marketplaces, and job boards offer lists of experts and companies, specialized in different fields. You can look for IT contractors and get in touch with vendors who are relevant and experienced in your field. Hold video interviews, and check the experts who would fit into your company. Work out certain criteria such as level of expertise, communication skills, work style, and others. The best way out is to choose an experienced company like Stfalcon. A company can form a dedicated team for your project based on your business requirements and general preferences.
How do you build a strong team culture in a remote software team?
For building a strong remote team culture it’s critical to onboard your new employees in the right way. Make their team environment supporting. Motivate them on a personal level, beyond project prospects and deadlines. Keep regular contacts. Recognize accomplishments, and help them master new skills to advance their careers. Communicate about hobbies or common interests. Combat burnout through gamification in everyday routine and consider in-person company events. Encourage flexible working hours and support a healthy work-life balance for your remote worker.
