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What is the basis of a quality product? Different people will give different answers to this question. However, we are convinced that to create high-quality software, the first thing you need to take care of is a team. And if we are talking about a modern, professional, and well-communicating remote development team, creating it can be tricky. And if this is your first time doing it, but you need to develop a software product from scratch, you may have many questions. That’s why we’ve gathered the basic information on this topic for you in this article.
Why is it worth contacting remoting specialists?
When did the world start talking about switching to remote work? Of course, this way of working has existed since the Internet was invented. However, companies began to switch to remote work on a massive scale in 2020 — with the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, when many countries worldwide were forced to close for lockdown. Companies had to adapt quickly to the new conditions to continue working, paying salaries, and providing services.
Nowadays, remote work is popular for cooperation convenient for both customers and service providers.
There are the following advantages to hiring a remote software team:
- You don’t need to pay for an office. This is a significant part of the cost if you do the math because the cost of renting premises is growing every day. Plus, more than rent is needed: pay utility bills, equip the space with furniture and appliances, hire additional employees to maintain the office space… In short, renovations are often another opportunity to save money. This can be critically important if you are a small business owner.
- People from different parts of the world can work for you. If you start a business in a small city, for example, it can be quite challenging to find enough qualified employees within that city. But if we’re talking about remote software developers, people from any country can join the work, even in a different time zone. The experience of our team shows that developers have no problem working at a time that is convenient for them, but all critical issues are resolved at the most convenient hours.
- A wide price range. Again, this is possible because people from different countries can work for you. For example, in the US, the cost of qualified developers is relatively high, while the services of developers from Eastern Europe are somewhat cheaper, and the quality remains high. This means you can save extra money without losing the quality of services.
- The adaptability of processes. Thanks to the SCRAM methodology and similar methodologies aimed at organizing teamwork, all processes are as transparent and clear as possible. Using one of these methodologies, you can build a high-quality team. And you don’t even have to be in the same city or even the same country.
What criteria should team members meet?
An essential stage in building a remote software development team is the selection of specialists. People need to have specific skills to work remotely:
- High level of self-organization.
When working in an office, a person does not have direct access to their favorite sofa, bookshelf, and favorite snacks in the kitchen. This means they can and will devote most of their time to work. At home, however, there are many temptations: from the opportunity to watch a TV series to various distractions such as children and pets. These are the arguments made by opponents of remote work. But in reality, it all depends on the level of self-discipline and the ability to self-organize of a particular person. Those working remotely for a long time are very good at organizing their work, meeting all deadlines, and having a little more time for themselves and their families.
- Proactivity.
To work effectively in a remote team, a person must be proactive and proactive. Often, ideas are born on the sidelines of offices when people discuss problems they have encountered during development over coffee. In the case of remote work, finding solutions will require a little more effort — and a person must be willing to make this effort.
- Empathy.
This is extremely important. After all, team members won’t see each other in person, so it will be harder to determine each other’s emotional state. Therefore, team members should be as attentive to each other as possible – that is, they should have at least basic empathy skills and emotional intelligence.
- Responsibility.
It’s a must. A person must clearly realize that the responsibility for their segment of work lies solely with them — and that they are responsible for getting the job done by the deadline.
You’ve probably noticed that we’ve moved into personal qualities, even though you might have expected us to talk exclusively about technical skills. But in fact, the so-called soft skills are now valued almost as much as technical skills or hard skills. Why is this so? Technical skills are easy to learn: take courses, study information in open sources, ask for advice from colleagues, and so on. In the case of soft skills, we are talking about deep work on your character. Not all people are capable of this.
So how do you find people for remote software teams who will have the necessary soft skills? You will need a high-quality interview that includes not only a conversation about previous work experience but also questions about more general topics or habitual behavioral patterns in different situations. A good HR specialist will be able to recognize which person has the necessary skills and which does not.
How to organize the process
One of the most accessible options is to hire a scrum master for a remote software development team (if you want to build work using this methodology). In this case, the work will consist of sprints that usually last two weeks. During the planning process, developers will determine the scope of tasks that can be completed within these two weeks. This approach helps structure the work and make it measurable because there are a certain number of hours in a week — depending on the number of developers, minus team meetings and focus factor.
Entering scrum can be difficult for those who have not worked in this way before. However, the methodology is quite adequate, dividing the work into understandable segments, making all tasks visible to other team members, and helping to keep you on track. At the same time, scrum involves many team meetings so that all team members stay on the same page in the work process.
If you prefer something other than scrum, there are different ways to organize your work. Either way, it will be essential to prioritize tasks and distribute functions among team members. You’ll also need a roadmap to guide you through the process. All new information should be communicated to the team clearly and on time.
Plus, an important note: we recommend that you trust your team’s experience because they have been working with development for a long time, while you may be new to this industry. If you want to get high-quality software, you can consult with the lead or project manager of the development team: they will tell you about the available options and describe their advantages and disadvantages. Based on this data, you can already make a decision. And remember that building a team takes time and some effort. In particular, corporate events. They are possible even with remote teams: for example, you can always organize a drink sync every few weeks, i.e., informal meetings where the team can talk about things other than work.
Who can help
You always have an easier way: instead of building a remote team from scratch, you can contact a contractor who is ready to provide you with a ready-made team. We at Magnise will be happy to assemble a development team for your product and take care of all organizational issues. Our specialists work with various technologies and have extensive experience in teamwork.
To discuss the details, sign up for a consultation. We will be happy to help you create new software for your company!
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