Agile teams are built to be adaptable. However, even the most seasoned Agile teams found it difficult to adapt to the changes brought about by COVID-19.

In this article, we look at how the Appomate Agile team responded without missing a beat and without losing its sense of synergy during the abrupt transition to remote work.

If you’re looking for tips on how to keep your Agile software teams productive and motivated while working remotely, read ahead.

Creating pairing rooms

Typically, virtual pairs use the latest online meeting technology and resolve connectivity issues after “stand-up”. 

This works well when all you have to focus on is your partner and your tasks, but the team connection will deteriorate over time if the entire team is working remotely. 

By creating static pairing rooms with persistent URLs, we made virtual spaces that anyone could find, similar to a traditional office huddle room.

In the office, if someone needs to ask a question of a teammate paired in a huddle room, they can drop in and have a quick conversation. The static pairing rooms allow people to quickly catch up in the same way.

Approach in brief iterations or sprints

In our team, we break down large projects into smaller tasks, which enables us to more easily notice any quick changes.

This also works for project management.

For instance, we have a daily morning “stand-up” meeting that ideally takes no more than 15 minutes.

The stand-up is our opportunity to decide which tasks to tackle that day, or to ask for assistance from our colleagues.

Working remotely enables us to quickly identify and resolve issues and avoid potential bottlenecks.

Creating a team room

It was also important to us to instil a sense of consistency and concreteness to our ceremonies.

Agile teams value their ceremonies and introducing ephemeral meetings into what should be the most predictable time of the week adds friction. 

We addressed this by creating a team room with a static URL. 

Every ceremony, from stand-up to retro, was held in the team room. 

Additionally, similar to the team’s office arrangement, the product manager worked primarily in the team room to be available for questions.

Equip your team with the right tools.

As with any new process or system, if you want your remote team to succeed with this new way of working and collaborating, you have to arm them with the necessary tools.

All remote teams at Appomate use a few fundamental tools: group chat, video, and some sort of task management system.

Because we’re working remotely, it’s also critical to invest in tools that enable collaboration among our team members — regardless of their location.

At Appomate we discovered how to utilise breakout rooms, acquired knowledge of how to use whiteboards, and learnt to draw and design collaboratively online.

Discord

As a starting point, every mobile development team should have a team chat application. They are invaluable for businesses of all sizes.

Whether you’re hosting a meeting or simply having an informal chat, Discord enables you to create multiple channels to keep things focused.

We use Discord to collaborate, ask questions, exchange files, compare notes on new releases, and much more.

It’s also a place where we can discuss anything, or simply have a vent, even about things that aren’t work-related.

Zoom

Zoom includes a plethora of useful features that make it simple for remote businesses to create and record meetings, and screen share. Plus, the audio and video quality are consistently excellent. 

Video calls can also include ‘Zoom rooms’ with up to 1,000 video participants.

At Appomate, we use Zoom to conduct video conferences with both current and prospective customers, often across different time zones. Zoom also enables us to schedule upcoming meetings and appointments.

Jira

Jira enables us to plan ahead, track progress, and manage the complexities of Agile project management quickly and easily.

For instance, each team member has access to visualised real-time data, which includes lanes marked as “in progress,” “to do,” and “completed.”

Once a task has been marked as “complete,” it can be revisited and reviewed at any time to ensure its quality.

But that’s not all Jira offers us.

We also use Jira’s “time tracker” to stay on track, accurately estimate delivery dates, and deliver software on time.

The result is improved team coordination, faster development times, and higher-quality code.

Facilitation techniques

It’s critical to employ structural approaches to communication and collaboration. At Appomate, we use techniques such as liberating structures (which promote a balance of tightly structured and looser brainstorming sessions) to help teams bring everyone into the conversation, including team members who are hesitant to participate in conference calls.

Make time for fun.

Constant video conferencing, tight deadlines, and the inconvenience of external distractions can create a stressful work environment. When working in a co-located team, you rely on others for assistance, but it’s much more difficult to receive assistance or even relax with teammates in a distributed team environment.

That’s why we make it a priority to incorporate social activities, such as virtual happy hours or team-building exercises, to reduce anxiety and provide an outlet for communication without the constraints of meeting agendas and defined outcomes.

Agile tips for remote work by role: Leaders, teams, and individuals

While distributed teams are now the norm in many organisations, they can be difficult to manage. The following are some tactical actions that leaders, teams, and individuals can take to improve their performance.

Source: smartsheet.com

These are Agile project management secrets that enable us to build a connected remote team.

We hope you’re establishing a routine for your daily work, as people worldwide adjust to these new circumstances.