HOW TO MANAGE YOUR OFFSHORE DEVELOPMENT TEAM IN UKRAINE
OFFSHORE MANAGING
Actually, remote teams and remote work in general peaked in 2020, when people were simply forced to work from home due to the pandemic. Of course, these changes entailed many features of working remotely. And one of these features is the management of a remote team.
Moreover, the concept of management combines many aspects of working with a team, it is control, motivation, and even planning. The goal of management is quite clear: the coordination of human, financial, natural, and technological resources to complete the task. So, what is the difference between managing a remote team? How to manage and motivate your new remote team? This is precisely the main goal of this article. We will take a close and detailed look at the main differences and understand how well-functioning management can improve an existing business and establish teamwork even remotely.
The most important thing to understand is that a remote team requires a completely different approach than full-time employees. At least in the beginning, a remote team will require more time and attention, but over time, with proper management, it can become almost completely autonomous.
THE RIGHT SELECTION OF A TEAM IN UKRAINE (TEAM SELECTION METHOD)
Let's start with the selection of a remote team. This case only seems simple, but it pulls a mountain of nuances and subtleties. The first thing a foreigner should choose when selecting a team in Ukraine is the method of selection.
Nowadays, there are completely different ways. In theory, a foreigner can find a team without the help of anyone, through freelance sites, on the job market, etc. But, as experience suggests, it is very difficult to select and combine workers with your own hands, and most often it is impossible at all. That is why there are outstaffing agencies in Ukraine that will do this complex and very labor-intensive work for you.
Most often, such companies will adjust and find a team according to the clearest criteria of the customer, as well as organize a place for it to work. It is gaining more and more popularity because of the ease of use and the maximum result after working with such agencies. In general, you need to approach the task of selecting a team very responsibly. Using the right recruitment method, you can create the perfect offshore software development center in Ukraine.
RULES ARE THE BASIS OF DISCIPLINE
In any case, it is worth understanding that one of the significant disadvantages of remote teams has always been discipline. Most often, this is not the complete fault of the employees, because the lack of discipline is a shortcoming of the manager. Before starting full-fledged work, establish clear rules in the team and make conditions where these rules will be respected.
Set clear goals for days and weeks - this is how people will understand that with each completed task, they are getting closer to improving themselves and the common cause as a whole. The reward and punishment system also has a place to be, but here you should be very careful. Many managers establish a system of fines as a form of punishment for an employee, but this is absolutely the wrong approach. In the event of such a punishment, the employee will feel deceived and robbed and most likely will leave the team very soon.
So, an experienced manager should approach the choice of rules with great responsibility. Consider the smallest details, and the characteristics of your team, and then, properly selected rules will help your common cause develop faster.
CREATE A FRIENDLY ATMOSPHERE (BE A FRIEND TO YOUR TEAM)
Surprisingly, many people argue that there can be no friendly relations between an employee and a boss. But this is absolutely false. On the contrary, experienced managers try to establish the most comfortable relationships and an informal atmosphere at work so that people feel more confident and try to work even better.
Besides, you can achieve such an atmosphere in absolutely any way, for example: arrange as many informal meetings as possible, corporate parties, find out about the personal life of an employee, and so on. If you create a remote office in Ukraine, then you should pay attention to the national characteristics of Ukrainians. Such as, for example, the openness and purposefulness of the Ukrainian people. It is very easy to find a common language with such people and build trusting relationships. It is also worth paying attention to the hard work of Ukrainian developers, which will also play a big role in building further communications and work.
In general, try to be something between a boss and a friend for your team, so that at the same time and not relax them, but at the same time give them proper support. This will help both parties to do their work more responsibly and efficiently.
SET A SCHEDULE AND DEADLINES (PROCESS CONTROL)
Sometimes, a remote team can really work completely autonomously from you, but in any case, you need to be aware that at the first stages of work you will have to control a lot. Most often, managers face the problem of schedules and deadlines.
Due to time differences, many have flexible working hours for their dedicated team. This is one solution, but it is not always possible to keep a constant workflow due to a floating or inconsistent schedule. Most likely, a flexible schedule is suitable for tasks that do not require daily work. Also, the quality of work very often suffers when an employee remembers the deadline is over too late and does the whole project in haste. That is why it is worth spending a lot of time controlling your offshore software development center in Ukraine.
In general, it's not a good idea to completely let go of your dedicated team's workflow, it's better if you participate and help developers find the best way to get the job done quickly and efficiently. Also, don't forget to have videoconference or face-to-face meetings, this will improve the understanding between you and the employee, and employees will understand that you are aware of the entire process and observe their work.
NEVER STOP THERE (DEVELOP YOUR TEAM)
It is very strange that many people miss this point in articles about development, management, or team building. Development is the action without which it will not be possible to work in any team. Every team needs to see the growth and progress they will strive for.
Especially in Ukraine, people love to improve themselves. Create training courses for your team, invite trainers to a lecture, or brainstorm how to improve the project. The main thing to know is that studying always pays off and it is better not to spare the budget for such events. Many people lose sight of this point, because at the beginning of work, most often everyone is satisfied with the qualifications of employees, and few people really set themselves the goal of improving their existing knowledge. But for long-term cooperation, without improvement and additional training, more and more problems will arise due to a lack of qualifications. It is in order to create a team for long-term work you need to use the development of the entire team.
It is also important to show employees the course of your business and celebrate the achieved goals together. Set goals for weeks, months, or even years, so that every day, when you come to work, a person sees where he is going and why he is doing his job. For each completed goal, it is worth encouraging your team, and then each new goal will be achieved even faster.
СONCLUSION
Summing up, we can conclude that for a dedicated team, in comparison with full-time employees, new actions and decisions are required, which must be carefully considered and calculated. We've talked about controls, rewards, schedules, and team atmosphere, but that's just the basics you need to learn before building your own team. For complete control over the situation, it is worth studying each of the points in more detail and delving into every little thing, so that later you can bring your business to a new level, and not be disappointed before making a rash decision.
If we talk about offshore software development in Ukraine, then it is only gaining momentum. Despite the difficult situation in Ukraine, foreign companies monthly recruit Ukrainian developers for remote work. After the end of the war, business in Ukraine will gain even more popularity, so it may be worth paying attention to the still-emerging IT sector of remote work in Ukraine.
The popularity of dedicated teams also shows growth every year, because according to the calculations of many companies, remote employees cost the business much less than full-time ones. And in business, a lot depends on cold calculation, so a dedicated team is profitable not only financially, but also due to its mobility, convenience, flexibility, and so on.
So, we hope the article was useful for you, and perhaps after this article, you will want to create your own dedicated development team in Ukraine.
If you have any questions or have an idea about hiring a team of professional developers in Ukraine, we would be glad to fuel your business idea with our services: contact.us@gointeractive.co
