When I speak with people about my remote team and how my business runs with team members located all around the world, I often get asked one simple question – How do I manage them? In other words, how do I know that the work gets done, that it happens on time, and that it is at the standard that I require.

The answer is very simple – I set clear expectations.

There may be tools and resources that I use for collaboration and communication, but at the end of the day the most important aspect is that expectations are set and they are clear and understood.

What does it mean to set clear expectations?

 

1. Communicate the deadline.

A task is only effective if it is properly assigned and a deadline or due date is communicated. One of my first employers that I worked with would give me a deadline regardless of how simple, or quick the task was to complete. I once queried why simple tasks had to be a given a deadline even if they only take a few minutes to complete. I was told that a task with a deadline is given a priority ,and even if it is done at the last minute, it is still completed in time.

It is the same for us working with our remote teams. Even if it is a basic, or repetitive task, we still need to set a deadline or a due date to ensure there is clear expectation of when it needs to be completed. I know with my own to-do list if something does not have that ‘urgent priority’ then it would be the first task that gets bumped to the bottom of the list when something more important or something with a due date arrives in my inbox. When you assign a task to your remote team, give it a time frame of when it must be completed, or if it is a large project, set-up a series of milestones.

For example, with a four week project you might list what needs to be reported as completed at the end of each week. If you use a system like BasecampHQ that my team does, you can set the milestones within the schedule. Whether you do it via e-mail or even instant messenger, just ensure that there is a clear due date and deadline for that particular task.

 

2. Outline the outcome.

For my team, and the type of business that we operate, a task can be simply titled, but yet very detailed in its application. For example, if I said to one of my team to design a website without giving a detailed brief, the outcome that could be delivered will definitely be very different to what I was expecting. Instead, when I assign a task like ‘design a website’, attached to it is a very detailed brief and that clearly outlines what the outcome of that task should be. In this example, what features they should include, what color theme, what logo and any other expectations that needs to be set.

Without determining or outlining the outcome, it really relates to the analogy used for poor goal setting – firing an arrow and then painting a target around wherever the arrow lands. Clear outcomes need to be communicated to your remote team so that both parties have a clear understanding of what the outcome of the task should be. You will need to experiment with your team to determine the best way to communicate this.

For example, for some of my team members I have found that creating a video screen cast of ‘pointing and clicking’ is the best way to communicate an outcome to them. Others are simply via e-mail with a step by step process.

 

3. Ensure understanding.

The most important aspect when setting clear expectations is to ensure that the other party has a clear understanding of you what you are communicating. This may sound very simple but in reality, a lack of understanding or confusion, can really cause major problems when it comes to project delivery and keeping to schedules. There has been numerous times where I have failed to communicate an effective and optimal outcome to my team and when they have met the due date, we have realized that there was confusion in the initial brief.

I learned the hard way the importance of ensuring that my team understands the expectation that I have set for them and once again this is why I prefer to use video screen cast as a communication method with my team as it clearly shows what I am expecting as to outcome.