With remote work becoming increasingly common, companies are focusing on developing strong remote management processes. From tech tools to management styles, there are many ways to assign and keep track of your employees' workload. But which one is right for your team?
To help you find out, we asked members of Young Entrepreneur Council to share their preferred method of handling remote task management and why it works so well. Follow their tips to ensure productivity and accountability among your dispersed workforce. These answers are provided by the Young Entrepreneur Council (YEC), an invite-only organization comprising successful young entrepreneurs. YEC members represent nearly every industry, generate billions of dollars in revenue each year and have created tens of thousands of jobs.
Online project management platforms
"The best way to handle task management is by using an online project management platform. Two great options are Monday.com and ClickUp.com. You can automate routine work [and] stay updated on whether a task is in progress, needs review or [is] done, and you can easily delegate using this system as well." – Diego Orjuela, Cables & Sensors
G Suite
"Google's G Suite has a number of applications that make remote working possible. It's a great single platform for emails, document creation and sharing, and calendars. It also has other important features that remote teams can benefit from. It's secure and is cloud-based. We can share content easily and store them as well. It's a must-have tool for remote jobs." – Syed Balkhi, WPBeginner
Trello
"As an agency with many clients and projects, we use Trello (and Asana at times) to stay organized and ensure all deadlines are met on time. Trello works really well because I can track each task, work with as many team members as needed, and have the app downloaded to my phone so I can monitor all projects – whether I am at home or traveling." – Kristin Kimberly Marquet, Marquet Media LLC
Basecamp
"As a 100% remote growth agency, we utilize a cloud-based program, Basecamp, for task management. Projects are organized and bucketed along with associated documents, information, and to-dos. This type of format works very well, as the assigned party and due date are clear, supporting information is visible and accessible, and other team members can jump in at any point to collaborate." – Traci Beach, Craft Impact
Asana
"Asana is a great tool for assessing workload and assigning new tasks. With a few quick clicks, I can easily gain a big-picture view of what their day-to-day currently looks like, what is outstanding and what work has been completed. This helps me understand what is left to be done on a certain project and what other tasks may be added." – Leila Lewis, Be Inspired PR
Slack
"There are a number of great websites out there that help companies with their task management. I, personally, love Slack. A lot of the time, we are working remotely, and getting a regular team meeting can be difficult. But with Slack, no matter where you are, you can monitor the progress of different jobs while communicating with your team. It's user-friendly and has kept us all on the same page." – Rana Gujral, Behavioral Signals
Multiple tools that promote communication, reliability and quality
"Managing a remote team can be difficult if not set up correctly. We've found three key elements that are crucial in managing remote teams: communication, reliability and quality. We use a number of tools to ensure we're operating at a high level, including Jira and Basecamp for project management, [and] Slack and Skype for communication and email as needed. Multiple platforms help add transparency." – Joel Mathew, Fortress Consulting
A long-term plan
"We only hire people we can trust, and they usually don't disappoint. When managing remote teams, we set clear objectives so that they know our expectations. We always offer opportunities for them to work for the company so that they can see themselves with us in the long run." – Maria Thimothy, OneIMS
Consistent follow-up
"As obvious as it may sound, it isn't often done. After initial meetings or putting all of the tasks in your project management tool, there is almost always a seemingly natural lack of communication. This doesn't mean you should stress constantly. Make sure that you and the team leaders constantly check on progress and intervene when necessary rather than just wait out deadlines." – Joey Bertschler, bitgrit
Weekly reports
"Our entire team does weekly reports on what they've accomplished in the week, as well as what they're focused on in the next week. It's the most efficient way we've found to keep everyone on the same page and accountable to what they say they're doing. Not only that, it helps us correct people when they plan to do things that might not align with our current priorities." – Karl Kangur, Above House
Hyperorganization plus overcommunication
"Working with 100% remote teams has made it abundantly clear that being extremely organized, taking the time to properly set up workflows within whichever software systems or platforms you use, and overcommunicating with your team are the must-have components of remote work success. Change when necessary, but don't fix what's not broken. And for the love of all things efficient, use APIs!" – Sasha Rowe, Rivvly
Weekly sprints
"As a remote company, we meet weekly through video chat to discuss what projects need to be completed and what team members need to be a part of each one. Later, these teams meet separately and divide tasks in a way that is manageable and efficient for everyone. Working these projects in weekly sprints allows everyone to determine their priorities and work at a proficient pace." –Chelsea Rivera, Honest Paws
Time-tracking tools
"Businesses can use a tool like Time Doctor to track time and measure productivity. A time-tracking tool can help monitor your employees' activities, track clicks, words typed and more. Using a time tracker will ensure that your remote team is pulling their weight and also helps with payroll." – Blair Williams, MemberPress
Firm deadlines and outcomes
"When working with remote teams, or any team, the more clearly you can define what outcome you want and when you want it, the better. The outcome can include deliverables but also things like how well the team communicated to meet the deliverables. That way, everyone has a clear expectation and can make the results happen, even when working remotely." – Monica Snyder, Birdsong
A master KPI spreadsheet
"We hold a 'master KPI spreadsheet' meeting each week, and each of my remote teams owns a line on the sheet. Having this shared accountability helps keep our teams on track and beholden to the results." – Rachel Beider, PRESS Modern Massage
EOD reports
"When handling task management when working with remote teams, the approach that works best for me is making the team complete an end-of-day report, which follows the progress of each task. There are also many tools that help get organized with remote teams, such as Monday.com and Trello. It's a good investment for a business owner to bet on those tools as well." – Alfredo Atanacio, Uassist.ME
Focusing on the big picture
"Focus, motivation and communication are key to successful remote teams. I've found that focusing on the big picture and how each task fits into the overall goal helps motivate my team and drives them to accomplish each task. We use G Suite to give detailed weekly feedback and constantly communicate how the team's work fits into the overall goal. We also use video chat to build closer connections." – Shaun Conrad, My Accounting Course