Nowadays, having a team that can tackle all the challenges without any hassle is like a blessing, especially when it comes to the Remote engineers’ team. However, in the evolving world, finding the best remote engineers is not as easy as it sounds; it is like finding a needle in a haystack. Fortunately, with evolving technology, the way we hire or look for IT professionals has also evolved. If you’re following the same years-old traditional approach to bridge the skill gap, then you are most probably losing both time and money.
Now, let’s get real, building a remote engineering team is not just about hiring professionals randomly, it’s about finding your pain points and then grabbing the best talent in the industry, so even your weaker professionals can learn and grow with them. Here at JumpGrowth, we’ve helped several U.S.-based mid-size and start-ups to build their dream team of engineers who not only cut down the cost but also improve the output quality.
In today’s JumpGrowth guide, we will dive into the 7 ways to build a high-performing remote engineering team. These are all about remote software team management, building a remote developer team, and scaling an engineering team remotely. Grab a coffee, and let’s talk about it through like we’re on a quick call.
1. Hire People Who Can Work on Their Own
First up, if you want a remote development team that delivers, you need folks who don’t need constant check-ins. Sure, coding skills matter, but you really want people who can manage their time and get stuff done.
Here’s how to do it: Use video calls to see how candidates talk and think, which is super important when there’s no office to stop by. Give them a small test project to show they can work solo. For U.S. companies, hiring from places like India can save you 50-60% on costs while getting great engineers. Just make sure they fit with your team’s style and ask about their past remote jobs to avoid problems.
One thing I always say: Don’t hire the same type of person over and over. Mix U.S.-based leaders with offshore devs for a team that works around the clock. (I’ve seen teams mess this up and end up with groups that do not talk.) Get this right, and your high-performing dev team is off to a great start.
2. Make Communication Really Easy
We all know communication is the most important aspect of any project as it can make or break any project. So, whenever you are working with a remote team, make sure communication is neat and clean.
Especially when you have professionals working remotely. So always ensure that you use the best practices to make communication really easy, and your remote engineers have good communication skills. Otherwise, it will be like playing the same song with a different song sheet which is next to impossible.
Today there are several tools (such as: Slack for fast messages, zoom and teams for face-to-face talks, and Trello and asana for project management) available on the internet which makes communication and collaboration pretty easy and straight forward. For more enhanced communications et clear rules like a 15-20 min. catch up call every day or reply within a specific period.
Here’s a tip I love: Tell your team to share more than they think they need first. Tools like Loom for quick video updates are awesome, they cut down on long email threads. I’ve seen teams reduce mistakes by 20% just by doing this. It’s not hard, but it makes your remote engineering team work like a well-oiled machine.
3. Get Your Tools to Work Together
When working with remote teams, tools that don’t get along are the most annoying things. And if you are looking to scale your remote team, you need to make sure that you provide them with the tools which improve their productivity without any hassle.
We personally recommend cloud-based tools as they can be accessed from anywhere and anytime. This way your team can get in a loop or check the feedback or improvements anytime. Tools like GitHub for code, AWS or Azure for hosting, Jira for tracking tasks. Along with these tools, keep security in the center of team building.
In case any of your remote engineers don’t know about these tools, give them a little time, or train them with your tools.
4. Create a Team That Feels Connected
A good team culture isn’t just about virtual pizza parties; it’s what keeps your people from feeling alone. Without it, you’ll have unhappy devs who quit. It’s like the glue that makes your team want to show up every day.
Start with effortless ways to connect: a Slack channel for fun stuff like pet photos or movie talks. The best way to keep your remote teams happy is to praise them during the team meeting (same as you highlight their mistakes). Quick excellent job feedback can help boost their morale to the next level and enhance their productivity. One more thing which you can do is celebrate holidays from diverse cultures to show you care.
5. Set Clear Goals You Can Measure
The worst thing one can do with remote engineers is set goals that are next to impossible to hard. For example, if you start an app development and ask your team to build it within one month then it’s not possible no matter who skilled a remote workforce you have. Setting unexpected goals always leads to lower quality or too many bugs.
Always setup the goals that can be easily met or at least achievable for everyone. Also, concentrate on things that are trackable such as quality of code, speed of task completion, or time taken to fix bugs. This will help you to deliver faster without compromising with the quality.
This approach will build trust without having you monitor everyone all the time. Teams that I have witnessed getting this right achieve 90% on-time delivery. Continue to set goals as you grow and ensure they are equitable across different time zones. That is how your remote engineering team remains robust.
6. Keep Your Team Learning New Things
As mentioned earlier, technology is its pinnacle and it is growing rapidly, which are latest today getting outdated a month after. So always make sure you provide your remote engineers with an environment where they have access to modern technology. Make sure your team keeps up with the tech and implements it into development. Same as we prepare or upgrade our weapon before going to war.
You can provide your team with access to learning platforms like Udemy or Pluralsight for courses on things like AI or cloud tech. Pay for certifications they’re worth it for the boost they give. Pair new devs with experienced ones for mentoring; it works wonders.
Try weekly “tech talks” where someone shares a new tool or trick. It spreads knowledge fast. U.S. teams I’ve worked with see 15-25% better results when they do this. Make learning a habit, and your remote engineering team will always be ready for what’s next.
7. Make Security a Top Priority
Security should always be the first priority for you no matter whether you are working with a remote team or in-house. Always make sure you check and security first before onboarding a high-performing team.
The best way to keep things safe is to use a zero-trust approach. Naah it does not mean don’t people, it means only giving access to what people need and checking things regularly.
Use tools like Splunk to watch for problems without being noisy. I’ve helped teams avoid big security issues this way, saving them stress and money. As you grow, good security keeps your remote software team running smoothly, keeping your data safe.
What is the best way to Onboard remote engineers?
In the last few years, the world has changed a lot from technology to onboarding hiring staff; everything has come a long way. Today the best approach to build a great remote engineering teams that gets job done is probably the GCCs in India.
GCCs are kind of your extended branch solely working on your idea following your approach and most importantly you’ll have control of everything. Also, when you choose professionals from India, you get world’s best developer or U.S. quality in way less price.
JumpGrowth has been helping businesses to onboard the best developers or build Global Capabilities Centers (GCCs) in the most effortless manner. Let us not stretch things, you can know more about the GCCs here.
Wrapping It Up
There you go, you know the 7 ways to build a great remote engineering team that gets the job done in an effortless manner. We have tried almost everything in the guide, from hiring people to ensuring the security of your data. If you follow these steps to onboard remote engineers, you can get the best talent in the industry. For more understanding or to get industry’s top 3% talent, connect with JumpGrowth, a pioneer in bridging skill gaps in start-ups and mid-size organizations.
If you are thinking about a high-performing GCC in India, give us a call, we will make it easy and support you all the way. Let’s build something awesome!
FAQs
Q1: How do I handle time zones for my remote engineering team?
A: Time zones are the biggest challenge when hiring remote engineers, but they are doable. Try to pick a mutual time when your in-house team and remote engineers can catch – up. This will help you in many ways.
Q2: How do I find good talent to build a remote development team?
A: Don’t just trust resume test skills with a small project. Video calls show if they communicate well. Use recruiters to find skilled devs in places like India. Check references every time. For U.S. companies, GCC partners make hiring top talent easy and stress-free.
Q3: How do I make a global high-performing dev team feel like a team?
A: Start with shared goals and respect for everyone’s background. Try virtual coffee chats or fun Slack channels. Celebrate different holidays to build connections. Talk openly about work styles. This keeps U.S.-led remote software team management smooth and your team happy to work together.
Q4: What tools work best for remote software team management?
A: Today there are several tools in the market that can be used for software team management such as Slack for messages, Jira for tasks, GitHub for code. Zoom’s great for meetings, and Google Workspace handles documents. You can use these tools to enhance workflows with remote teams.
Q5: How do I know if scaling my engineering team remotely is working?
A: Track things like how fast code ships, bug fix times, and team morale with surveys. Set goals tied to business needs, like quicker features. Regular check-ins spot issues early. This helps U.S. teams grow well, keeping your remote engineering team strong.
Q6: What mistakes should I avoid with a remote engineering team?
A: Don’t skip clear communication rules or use too many tools; keep it simple. Ignoring work-life balance leads to burnout. For U.S. companies, skipping legal checks on global hires can cause trouble. Fix these early for smooth remote software team management and a happy team.
