Why Consider Remote Projects?
So, at this point, we have all seen just how prominent remote working has become. The Covid-19 virus has made it imperative that we keep distance from each other as much as possible and as a result, working remotely has become the new normal. Jobs that were once fully in person have now moved to mostly, if not completely online, and the thing about it is, it works for a lot of people. Because of this, more people are considering starting remote projects for the pros to cons ratio they present.

The Beautiful and the Ugly of Remote Work
Remote working doesn’t just mean staying in bed later and preserving your social energy, though that is a definite benefit. Firstly, having a remote project can mean cutting costs, whether that be in office space, or transportation and food costs daily, which can really add up over time. It also means having a wider cross-section of people to choose from to join your team, so you have the perfect fit for your vision and you’re not confined to choosing from one place. Like we mentioned earlier,working remotely can mean more of working with flexible hours that align with your and your team’s way of life and as a result, improve productivity. The thing about businesses is that, at the end of the day, you have to meet your bottom line. There is a goal to be met and your aim is to meet it as efficiently as possible. The benefits of remote working can work in your favour to make that happen.

It wouldn’t be fair to sell you a story without giving you different angles to look at it from. While working from home can be just what some people need, for others, it is the perfect recipe to put them in a slump. There are those who function best when stimulated by others, sitting in an office everyday among their co-workers fills them with a sense of purpose. When that scenario is removed, it’s almost as if their wings are cut. Not to mention that there are those who don’t have a sufficient home environment to do work in. It could be a case where they have constant internet connectivity issues so they can’t update tasks on time or their homes are loud and distracting so work can’t get done or done well. These are definite things to consider when planning a remote project. The good thing is, these things can be mitigated.

Here are some tips to help you if you have heard the good and the bad and still want to try pursuing a remote project.

Have a reliable, dependable, efficient team:
What does this mean? So earlier in the benefits it was mentioned that you can have wide array of people to choose from different walks of life once you consider remote working. Since remote projects requires little face to face interaction, your main focus should be getting a collection of people who want to get things done. These people are goal oriented, efficient, helpful, reliable and ideally, can work independently if need be. When the team is good, the work will be as well. The better the quality of work, the better the chance of becoming a more successful project.

Make sure the workspace is sufficient:
This can be taken two ways. The first is that regarding a physical workspace. If the job is more hands on, you may need a work area that the different team members can come into whenever necessary in order to do whatever it is they have to do. This will mean having sufficient space for whatever equipment is needed can be held. It may not be a bustling office every day, but it should be somewhere that can facilitate getting the job done. For example, if you make custom clay goods, one part of it is connecting with clients, that can be done remotely, once you start making things however, and need a kiln to bake your products, a need for a specific space will come up. The other way to consider work spaces is in the case of internet availability and possible online project management tools. Project management tools can show who is assigned to what project, when they were assigned, by whomever, a description of the project and an area for asking any questions if necessary. If you are a potential employer, you have to ensure that tools like this are ready and waiting or in the process of getting built for your team. This helps with efficiency as well so no one ends up asking the same question a million times.

Plan ahead: You have to know how much staff you’re interested in having and how to deal with the different types. This can eliminate possible issues in the future. If you plan to have a certain number of staff, you tailor your work spaces accordingly. That way, there is no stalling when work needs to get done. Additionally, as mentioned before, while some team members may be fine with working by themselves with little human contacts, others might operate differently. Planning things like weekly or monthly staff meetings can help keep the team connected, especially when everything can seem so far away because of the current epidemic. When you show an interest in your team, they will feel valued which can improve their quality of work which, in turn, helps meet the bottom line.

Creating a remote project won’t be easy, you have to collect staff members, check that you have up to standard working conditions and all in all, do a lot of planning in advance. However, despite how difficult it can be, investing in a project such as this can be worthwhile. If it’s something that you may have been pondering for a while, weighing whether or not it will be feasible for you, Creating a plan and trying to put it into action is your best bet at discovering how possible it really is.