As you are grappling with your new environment as a team leader in your company, we are sure that many of you do not have a large amount of experience in telecommuting software and strategy. Here at Architect-US we are also dealing with this new reality, and have researched strategy and software combinations. Below are the fruits of our research:
Strategy
Nowadays with so many different companies creating applications for us to use and increase our efficiency, it can be difficult to sift through all of the options. Thus, it is always important to ask yourself the question, why do I need this software and/or application on my devices?
Telecommuting requires having applications that can assist you with understanding and regulating the following information:
- Time, Attendance, and Measuring productivity
- Communication
- Project management software
Time and Attendance software
Allows you to not only track time, but make sure projects stay on budget. It integrates directly with Basecamp and provides your team with a full picture of where they stand in the process. Thus, better time management is achieved, as well as better communication between team members.
Provides you with the ability to track required hours, screen capture, and provides you with reports of application usage, resource management, process tracking etc.
Allows you to forecast resources and plan capacity accordingly, so you know when to schedule your co-worker’s hours. Ability to integrate into your browser and track application usage, as well as provides you with ability to track goals via data analytics.
Communication and Collaboration software
At times telecommuting can be an advantage considering there tends to be less distractions, but a key disadvantage is the communication barrier, which must be tackled head on to ensure high efficiency and productivity.
Here are some possible software options to help facilitate communication between team-members:
Allows you to constantly have team chat open for a variety of teams, which creates a sense of a collaboration space. Also provides shared screen option and quick sharing of content. The basic features are free, and the premium paid option provides further integration through products such as a Skype number and dedicated voicemail.
Operate across many platforms and remotely access co-workers computers to track progress and leave notes for active processes. Best-In-Class Usability, Image Quality, and File Transfer Speeds. Very good option for those companies that require transfer of heavy files and use of various programs at the same time.
Great application for teleworker collaboration that focuses around designs or any visual elements. Jing allows you to make comments on images or to record quick videos of your computer screen. Ideal for rough drafting and back-and-forth reviewing process.
One way of reducing your dependency on email services is using channels, shared and narrowed, to communicate with counterparts. Google Drive and Office 365 able to integrate and has a workflow builder, which allows for workers to collaborate on scheduling as well as projects.
Project management software
In the architecture and design field it is crucial to have a project management application for your firm. In doing so, your company will be better prepared to weather the storm, and improve efficiency and collaboration via these tools.
Here are some possible software options to help make project management easier:
An all-in-one platform that allows your team to communicate across all process steps. Report on progress, kick off projects faster with included templates, and control your work with private and comment-only project options. Asana has been proven to improve team efficiency by up to 45%!
Allows you to coordinate a variety of company facets through a message board, automatic check-ins, policy change alerts, project activity updates, and more. Integrates with most applications including Google Suite, Office 365, and more productivity tools.
A highly-rated telecommuting application used by Google and Fitbit, which focuses on building a path to success. This means that the program forces you and your team to breakdown the process step-by-step in order to set up a realistic timeline, prioritize & visualize, and then eventually analyze the results.
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