Studies have shown that teams that work from home tend to be more productive than teams that work in an office. A survey showed that 77% of workers were more effective when they could work from home.

Even though there are benefits to working from home, problems can still make distributed teams less effective. One problem is getting developers working in different time zones together. This can be a logistical nightmare. 

But with the right tools and platforms, remote developer teams can work together well and get the most out of being able to work from home. We will discuss the top 10 Tools to help remote developer teams work efficiently.

What is Remote Working?

Remote or telecommuting or teleworking is an arrangement where employees can work from a location other than their employer’s office. This means that instead of commuting to a designated workplace, remote workers can work from their homes, co-working spaces, or any other location with an internet connection. 

Remote working has become increasingly popular due to technological advances, making it possible to work efficiently from almost anywhere. This arrangement offers numerous benefits, including increased flexibility, improved work-life balance, and reduced commute time and expenses. 

Despite the advantages, remote working has a few challenges, such as potential communication and collaboration difficulties, isolation, and blurred boundaries between work and personal life. 

Nevertheless, with the right tools, training, and mindset, remote working can be an effective and rewarding work arrangement that benefits both employees and employers. Overall, remote working is a viable option for businesses looking to enhance productivity, reduce costs, and provide a better work-life balance for their employees.

What are the Benefits of Working Remotely?

Let’s discuss about the benefits of working remotely before going through the top 10 Tools to help remote developer teams work efficiently.

1) Freedom and ability to change

People who work from home like their freedom. They can also plan their day to fit work and home if they do the set hours at the right time. Having the freedom to go to doctor’s appointments, watch your kids’ basketball game, or take your elderly parents shopping can make things easier. 

It’s also less stressful not to ask for special permission or try to fit in with the rest of the team. When an employer gives this kind of freedom to employees, it builds trust and makes the job more satisfying.

2) Boost your efficiency

When you work from home, you can often get more work done than your co-workers, who may have to go to meetings daily or have personal conversations that take them away from their work. 

You can also attend meetings virtually, but you can get back to work as soon as the session is over instead of having to talk to other people or walk back to your desk in the office. When you work from home, you can get your daily tasks done without being interrupted as much.

3) Save time and money

Working from home can help you reduce or eliminate your commute time and save you money on gas and car maintenance. You can also save money on clothes for work, dry-cleaning, and eating out. This can make it easier to balance work and life since you won’t have to spend time getting to and from the office.

4) Motivate yourself more

When you work from home, you can create habits, routines, and best practices that help you get the most out of your workday and stay motivated. Also, having fewer co-workers around to bother you may make you feel more motivated to finish your work quickly. 

As a remote worker, you can always show up to work and log in from the office setting you like best. This flexibility is another thing that also helps people feel more motivated.

Why are tools essential for remote working teams?

In the past few years, working from home has become increasingly common, and the COVID-19 pandemic has only served to hasten the progression of this trend. The relevance of technologies specifically designed for remote teams has become increasingly apparent with the growth of remote work. 

So, no matter where they are located, remote teams can efficiently collaborate and maintain their productivity with the help of the appropriate technologies, which can make all the difference.

Improved Communication

1. Video Conferencing Tools – Video conferencing tools like Zoom or Google Meet allow remote teams to hold face-to-face meetings from anywhere in the world. It also helps team members to feel more connected and allows for more productive conversations than just email or chat.
2. Instant Messaging Tools – Instant messaging tools like Slack or Microsoft Teams make it easy for remote team members to communicate in real time. It can help teams stay on the same page and reduce the lag time that often comes with email.

Enhanced Collaboration

1. Project Management Tools – Tools such as Trello and Asana facilitate remote team collaboration on projects. Team members can assign tasks, set deadlines, and track progress in one location.
2. File Sharing Tools – File sharing tools like Google Drive or Dropbox allow remote teams to share and collaborate on documents. This eliminates the need to send large files back and forth via email and ensures that everyone is working on the most up-to-date version of a copy.

Increased Productivity

1. Time Tracking Tools – Time tracking tools like Harvest or Toggl helps remote team members stay on track and ensure they use their time effectively.
2. Automation Tools – Automation tools like Zapier or IFTTT facilitate remote teams to streamline their workflows and reduce time spent on repetitive tasks.

Top 10 Tools to Help Remote Developer Teams Work Efficiently

The world is currently digitalized. And working from home is growing easier due to the everyday development of technology. Everyone is moving to remote online employment since it is so comfortable. In addition, companies are utilizing this opportunity to save money on various activities. 

There are various programs and tools created to facilitate remote work, including communication, document storage, writing tools, etc. Communication between the parties, including the boss and the employee, is required to operate remotely. Daily, developers launch brand-new applications to facilitate work. Therefore, here are several communication-enhancing applications.

Jira

Jira is a must-have tool for everyone working on an agile development team. It assists your team in planning sprints, creating new user stories, and assigning tasks to keep everyone on track. Everyone, no matter where they are, can stay in the loop, thanks to issue tracking and reporting options. Jira can also be integrated with developer tools such as Confluence and Bitbucket.

InVision

Remote teams have unique challenges regarding prototyping and design collaboration, but InVision makes those challenges a thing of the past. You will have an easier time coordinating with your design team and sharing comments thanks to the interactive whiteboards and design tools that are integrated into. 

Because of its simple design and seamless connection with other platforms, such as Jira, Slack, and Basecamp, InVision quickly became a tool for distributed software professionals.

Google Drive

A reliable method of file sharing is essential for any group. Google Drive provides users with 15 gigabytes (GB) of free cloud storage space, which is adequate for storing source codes, photographs, stories, drawings, and any other documents that may be required for their development projects. 

The adaptability of the cloud storage platform also enables remote developers to access data using any device, files synchronization instantly, and the auto-save option has helped save numerous project plans in the event of an emergency.

Every Time Zone

There are times when even the most basic of technologies have the most significant impact on the capability of a virtual team to function effectively. Every Time Zone displays the current time in each developer’s respective location. However, a developer can fix an issue on their own or go on to another task instead of waiting for an answer from a colleague who is offline and working on the same project. 

When you know each person on your team is online, it is much simpler to organize meetings and adhere to deadlines, which is especially helpful when team members have flexible schedules. Intelligent managers can also construct remote units that always have someone online. This ensures that there is continuous coverage with no lag time.

Google Hangouts

Another helpful communication platform that includes video and text-based chat options is Google Hangouts. To connect with your team using Hangouts, you must create a Google account first. After that, all you will need is the appropriate permissions. 

The whole Google Suite can be synchronized with the platform as well. This also eliminates the need for you to sign in repeatedly with each link, making it possible to discuss schedules derived from your Google Calendar or exchange files stored on Google Drive.

Slack

Slack is one of the most effective communication platforms available today. It offers a primary interface that divides departments into multiple channels. This also allows remote developers to concentrate on their specific jobs. 

It is an excellent platform for both small and large groups. You can also swap files with your team while interacting with them. Slack’s ability to interact with other popular platforms remote teams use is another helpful feature. It can connect to Google, Trello, Zoom, Dropbox, and other services.

Zoom

Zoom has been available since 2011, but it has only recently gained popularity as more and more companies have used remote workers. It can host video conferences with a high-definition (HD) Resolution that can include hundreds of people. 

In addition, the free edition of Zoom can be utilized for short calls that are less than forty minutes long. Zoom also includes a screen recording tool, which you may use to share the coding process you are going through with other developers.

Bitbucket

Bitbucket, formerly known as Stash, is a productivity-enhancing application for Git developers. It provides a solution to organize Git repositories with an intuitive and user-friendly interface. Git repositories have the potential to become unmanageable very quickly. 

Bitbucket is a platform that, similar to GitHub, enables users to organize projects, collaborate on code, test their products, and release them. In addition to that, you may create free limitless private repositories.

Basecamp

An excellent alternative to Jira is the project management platform Basecamp. The benefit of using Basecamp is that it consolidates all of the tools a distributed team needs into a single, easy-to-navigate location. 

A remotely located worker will, according to the platform’s assurances, “know what to do, where things stand, and where to find goods, they need.” Basecamp provides features such as message boards, to-do lists, file storage, group chat, and more for an excellent all-in-one productivity solution.

Screenhero

Screenhero is a solution that was built exclusively for remote coders to share their screens. Voice chat and utilizing several mouse cursors make it simple to cooperate on coding or to find and fix bugs simultaneously. 

One reviewer states that “designers may iterate faster by examining designs with stakeholders or clients in real-time. No transferring files back and forth,” which allows for faster iteration. You must go beyond screencasting to work electronically for a more collaborative method.

Tips to Help Remote Developer Teams Work Efficiently

Managing remote teams can be challenging for any leader, but it is becoming increasingly necessary in today’s work environment. With the rise of remote work, knowing how to manage remote teams is crucial to ensure productivity and success effectively. Therefore, here are five tips for effectively managing remote teams:

Establish Clear Communication Channels:

Clear communication is essential in any team, but working remotely becomes even more critical. Remote team members don’t benefit from face-to-face interactions, so establishing clear communication channels is crucial. 

Leaders can use tools like video conferencing, instant messaging, and email to communicate effectively with their remote team. It’s also essential to set expectations for response times and establish regular check-ins to ensure everyone is on the same page.

Build Trust and Connection:

Building trust and connection is essential in any team, but managing remote teams is even more critical. Leaders can foster a sense of connection by hosting virtual team-building activities and creating opportunities for team members to get to know each other. 

Trust can be built by setting clear expectations, following through on commitments, being transparent, and providing opportunities for team members to give and receive feedback.

Define Goals and Expectations:

Defining goals and expectations is essential for any team, but managing remote teams becomes even more critical. Leaders should set clear goals and expectations, communicate them clearly, and ensure that team members understand their roles and responsibilities. Establishing clear deadlines and holding team members accountable for meeting them is also essential.

Prioritize Productivity:

Productivity is critical for any team, but it’s even more important when managing remote teams. Leaders should establish clear productivity goals and track progress regularly. It’s also essential to provide team members with the tools and resources they need to be productive, such as access to the right software and hardware.

Provide Support and Resources:

Every team needs support and resources, but it’s especially critical for managers of remote teams to make them available to their employees. Leaders must always be approachable to field queries and offer direction. 

Additionally, they should make available to the members of the team resources that will assist them in achieving success, such as training, access to mentors, and possibilities for professional advancement.

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Conclusion

The development work that is done varies from project to project. Productivity solutions facilitate the ability to exchange work and keep to deadlines for remote developers. In addition to using productivity tools, businesses can employ a workflow builder that can be adapted to meet the company’s requirements. Maintaining a close eye on production is essential to guarantee that the project will finish on schedule. It is also necessary to maintain efficiency to ensure developers deliver high-quality outputs to realize their objectives.