The article was initially published on Vilmate Blog.
Thanks to contemporary means of communication, working relationships and business cooperation are under constant transformation. A wider reach to specialists around the globe has made the approach of distributed development teams an efficient management tool for projects of any scale.
Let’s briefly cover the main advantages of assembling distributed teams and why managing remote staff is becoming the new normality.
Traditional vs. Remote vs. Distributed
The deal with traditional teams is quite obvious, so we won’t be stopping on that. See the picture below. But despite the definitions of the remote and distributed team being primarily similar, they still entail certain distinctive features.
Firstly, being a part of a distributed team is not just performing tasks remotely. One has to be positioned as a member of the main bulk of the team.
Secondly, a distributed team has to be fully operational and all-sufficient in terms of the scope of their responsibilities. Meaning that the awareness of each member’s main goals and role is vital. Simply performing segmented tasks coming from ‘the above’ is enough for the role of a remote peripheral employee but thin for a distributed team member.
Thirdly, working in a distributed team has to arouse the feeling of community and unity. So the matter of social inclusion is just as important as the technical side of the managing process.
Top 3 benefits of distributed teams
1. Global accessibility
In the IT sector, physical presence is not determinant for most processes. Your developers, QA engineers, managers, and sysadmins may be the residents of multiple countries or even continents. Nonetheless, they can still operate as a cohesive whole, using online tools and the universal set of terms of the digital language.
So the absence of limitations allows potential employers and entrepreneurs to have access to a broader pool of specialists and promising talents.
You may find it interesting: Five Reasons to Outsource Web Development to Ukraine
2. Reduced & more targeted expenses
This point befalls from the previous one. Online tools don’t require huge rented buildings, coffee machines, and other expenses related to office supplies.
Even if someone enjoys the atmosphere of the office routine, there are plenty of co-working spots, meeting rooms, and other corporate spaces with low hourly rates, catering, and basically, any supplementary service that you may require right away.
It allows, if not to exclude office-related bills, but at least to manage them more efficiently and corresponding to the immediate needs of remote workers.
Moreover, the cost of living may vary immensely in different countries, affecting the service rates as well. And common practiсe illustrates that the quality of service doesn’t necessarily correlate with the fees. Each case is individual, and there’s a high chance of finding someone who would do the same job for less money.
3. Never-ending workflow
Maintaining a project and keeping the technology stack up-to-date may require even more effort than its initial development. It means that the stream of creative thoughts and the presence of someone in the flow have to be close to unstoppable.
Keeping that in mind, the variety of time zones of potential mates of your distributed team is a jackpot. A properly adjusted schedule and load balance allow setting up a 24/7 workflow.
On a final note
If you find the topic interesting, please get familiar with the full article here: Distributed Development Teams: Advantages and Challenges.
You will find out about a couple more benefits of distributed teams, which challenges you may encounter while managing them, and the real successful experience of Vilmate.
Also, don’t forget to check our Portfolio and find the right Services for your projects.
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