How to support teams during times of CONVID-19, no matter the barriers

We are facing unprecedented times, and businesses across the globe are having to adapt rapidly to the new challenges presented by the evolving COVID-19 pandemic. Working from home will become the new normal and in many instances the necessity for the well-being of workers.

Being able to play a critical role while delivering projects during testing times will not only the lead to the success of the team but just as importantly the overall well-being of the team. As organisations begin to make this shift to working remotely it is crucial that employees or team feel they are still in touch with each other and have the opportunities to thrive!

It is best to be equipped with the tools needed to maintain 'business as usual' as much as possible, and inoculate the team and company against the uncertainties of the current health crisis.

In particular tools to master strategies to boost productivity and eliminate procrastination.  By fostering healthy work cultures that transcend geographical obstacles and hone sophisticated communication skills to enhance collaboration.

Remote work has been a catchword in the financial papers, but for many it’s never been a reality until faced with a worldwide pandemic. What to do when the office isn’t open, but still expected to carry on and keep up productivity? There are tools and practices already in place to ease the transition to a remote working environment. The following is a collection of the best tools to maintain connectivity, in communication and collaborating successfully.

Projectmanagementcompanion.com is an online reference tool which provides access to the most common online project management software that lets teams plan, manage and track projects together in real time. Everyone on the team is connected no matter the location or time. Tasks can be provided to the team from any of the multiple project views, such as the Gantt chart, and attach directions and documentation as needed. Team members can manage their work with a task list, calendar or kanban board view.

Once an assignment has been sent, working together with teammates is easy. Projectmanagementcompanion.com references collaboration by creating a virtual office space. Team members can comment on their tasks and bring others in on the conversation by tagging them. They can also add as many files and images as needed to communicate effectively. No more scrounging through email histories; the information they need is always at their fingertips.

The online tool should enable team updates, always be available, and project progress is visible. The real-time dashboard should reveal task progress, project costs, project slippage, team workload and more—as it happens. This high-level view keeps everyone on the same page.

When a more granular view is needed, ensure the tool has one-click project reports for a variety of different metrics, including variance, progress and cost. These reports can be filtered to show just the data needed. It’s an ideal feature for tracking team productivity, but also for reporting back to stakeholders and showing them that work is getting done, even if the office is dark.

It can be difficult to know if people are overworked or have nothing to do when they’re not in the office. All of the better online project management tools provides a workload page that is colour-coded and shows at-a-glance who has too many tasks and who doesn’t have enough, so keeping track of work balance across the team shouldn’t be an issue.

Other tools to consider are;

2 Slack

Slack bills itself as an alternative to email, but it’s so much more than that. It’s an online communication and chat tool that keeps the entire organization connected. Organizations might already have embraced the technology. It’s become a darling of the working world and for good reason.

Slack makes email all but antiquated. Attachments can be added and messages sent individually or in groups. Groups can be set up to include company-wide correspondences, which is great for general announcements. Channels can be set up as well for more targeted sectors of your company, such as IT, marketing, etc. Plus, GIFs and emoji’s add much needed levity to lessen the sense of isolation and stress because of the coronavirus.

3. G Suite

G Suite is Google’s answer to Microsoft Office. It offers a number of online tools, but Google Docs, Google Sheets and Google slides are the most useful for collaborating on work. Unlike MS Office, it’s free, at least for personal use of up to 15 GB. That means a word processing program is available, spreadsheet and slideshow software for free.

G Suite helps with collaboration, as files can be private or shared. When they’re shared, they’re updated in real time, so there aren’t multiple versions of a document floating around and creating confusion. Instructions can be given, comments can be made and teams can work together on tasks.

4. Dropbox

Dropbox is like a digital file cabinet that’s been supersized. It’s a cloud-based way to share files, so it keeps all of your company files in one place. These files can be shared or kept private.

From a home office, with only a few keystrokes, get the documents and assets needed to complete tasks.

5. Dia

Dia is an open-source tool for making network diagrams. Possibly considered as a free version of Window’s Visio, though it’s more for making informal diagrams for casual use.

It can make many different kinds of diagrams, such as relationship diagrams, UML diagrams, flowcharts, network diagrams and others. These diagrams can help illustrate ideas in an email or during video conferences. They can be saved and exported in a number of different formats.

6. Evernote

Evernote is a cross-platform app (desktop, apps, web apps, mobile apps) for taking notes. Notes, of course, are the seeds from which great ideas spring. Evernote makes it easy to jot down a note or share ideas with others, even while in the middle of working.

But, Evernote does more than simple note-taking. It integrates with many other app, has browser extensions, syncs with iOS and Android devices and can even save a web page with just one click. Wherever information is being collected, it’s all saved and easily accessible in one place. It’s safe, simple and makes sure that nothing falls through the cracks.

7. Zoom

Zoom is a virtual meeting space. Meetings will not be denied, coronavirus or not. Teams will need to talk, and managers will need to lead. Zoom provides a virtual conference room for anyone with a computer and an internet hook-up.

Zoom acts as a phone, instant messenger for business, video webinar and a conference room. It’s a social way to stay socially distant.

8. OFFTIME

OFFTIME is an app for iOS and Android devices to curb social time. Social distancing doesn’t apply to social media, but when it comes to wasting time its epidemic. People can’t help but distract themselves from a stressful assignment with cute cat pictures.

OFFTIME restricts social media time on smartphones, it can set limits on usage and schedule timeouts.

9. Pocket

Pocket enables articles to be saved whenever something interesting is encountered. When in the course of a day, an article or video is shown that captures interest it can be saved. Pocket allows saving, no matter where it was published. That way, remaining focused without getting pulled away from work.

10. Noisli

Noisli is an app that uses music to both soothe and be more productive. It doesn’t provide pop, classic rock or hip-hop, but the app does have over a dozen sounds, from nature to trains and coffee shops.

Noisli sets the mood and creates an aural soundscape that improves focus and productivity. The sounds can be mixed, adjust levels and curate a perfect chill vibe to provide calm during stressful times.

Tips for Working from Home with Remote Teams

Now that tools have been covered, the following are some tips that will help better regulate time and improve ability to collaborate, even with people in different time zones.

Daily Scrum

One thing is the daily scrum. Scrum is a framework for working in a more agile fashion, which means faster and more iterative. An essential part of scrum is the daily scrum, a meeting where the team gets together and briefly states what they did yesterday and what they are doing today.

Whether working that way or not, just having a moment at the beginning of the day when the team can video conference and talk about what they’re all working on is helpful for context and morale.

Set Up a Productive Work Station

If forced to work from home, then a workstation would need to be setup, a quiet location away from family to ensure concentration. Therefore, find a private place, preferably with a door that can be closed, so there is space and silence necessary to work. Ensure there is a good desk, chair, computer, lighting, etc., just like it would be expected in a work office.

Keep Regular Hours

It is suggested to keep regular hours when working from home. By setting a schedule and sticking to it, at least most of the time, it will give the day more structure.

With structure comes discipline and, believe it or not, most will need more discipline without the group modelling productive behaviours. So, follow the same morning routine every day to get in the right mindset, have lunch at the normal time and take periodic breaks—but act as if the boss is watching.

Go Outside

It might sound counterintuitive with a pandemic, but leaving home is important. It is possible to go stir-crazy being locked in a house. That’s not going to help with productivity.

A change of environment is essential. It refreshes the senses and brings you back to your desk with a new and better perspective to handle the coming challenges of the day.

Considering the infectious nature of coronavirus, though, keep away from public spaces, don’t go to coffee shops or restaurants and keep a safe and recommended distance from other people. But do get out and walk.

Stay Sharp by Diversifying your Downtime

Finally, take advantage of your home office. Instead of taking a break and chatting with a co-worker, do the laundry, prep for dinner or take a break to read. That doesn’t mean slacking off on work responsibilities, but rather managing time wisely.

Set Deadlines

Tracking a team’s progress with one of the online tools found in Projectmanagementcompanion.com and daily scrum meetings will also help, but there are other things that can be done to make sure the team is focused and staying productive when working from home. For example, set more aggressive deadlines for the team and assign them concrete tasks. This will promote productivity.