管理遠端或混和工作型態的團隊深具挑戰，與以往在辦公室的模式不同，團隊成員無法證明每日的出勤狀況，主管因此很難衡量員工實際的工作時間與掌握工作進度，身處不同空間也無法親自給予指導。然而，使用正確的工具和流程能讓管理遠端團隊更輕鬆。以下我們提供創新的方法和工具，除了協助維持遠端團隊向心力，還能適當地追蹤團隊的工作進度。

以下介紹的任務型方法（TASK），其名稱來自英文每個流程開頭的字母縮寫：

（T）在設定專案方向之前花時間研究和企劃

（A）分配和協調責任歸屬和完成期限

（S）事先解決可預期的問題

（K）讓所有利害關係人隨時了解專案的狀態、意見回饋和事後檢討

根據哈佛商學院研究人員Robert Pozen和Kevin Downey的說法，長時間工作並不代表更高的生產力，能夠聰明地工作才是提高效率的關鍵。因此，衡量遠端人員每項任務的完成度才最為適切與有效。記住，數量並不代表質量。

運用任務型方法可以為遠端團隊建立系統化的流程，協助確認遇到的挑戰、工作的完成度、以及衡量每位成員的績效和生產力。當您管理一個遠端或混和型團隊時，以員工投入的小時數來判斷績效是不切實際的，評斷的標準應該根據員工的產出或產質。

一、在設定專案方向之前花時間研究和企劃

這是您在開始專案時，管理遠端或混和型團隊最重要的步驟。首先，您可以將所有能協助專案的資源都匯集在一個虛擬平台上以供參考，包括研究資訊、客戶回饋、競爭對手的活動、團隊成員的責任範圍、策略和目標、預算等等。這能讓每個人更了解整個專案，同時幫助您為團隊設定和傳達正確的方向。一個虛擬平台有助於避免溝通不良，並確保每個人都朝著相同的方向邁進。例如，您可以使用內建協作功能的看板式專案管理軟體Trello，它的線上公告、事項清單和資訊卡讓用戶能創建任務、共享文件，並與遠端團隊保持有序的合作和交流。

二、分配和協調責任歸屬和完成期限

本步驟的目的，是讓團隊中的不同成員了解專案各部份的完成期限以及您的期望成果。不要假定團隊成員會自動知道負責的工作範圍、交付期限和您的期望。過多的假設可能會導致溝通不良並帶給公司巨大損失。缺乏溝通技巧的領導者可能會導致專案進度的延遲和龐大的成本開銷。例如，每位成員可能都認為某項任務將交由其他人負責，但實際上並沒有人在處理，因為這個責任範圍應該共同分擔。

除了避免溝通不良，本步驟還可以幫助團隊專注。切記交付成員每項任務的完成期限，這樣就不會影響到下一階段的負責人，連帶影響整個專案的進度。您可以使用線上甘特圖來追蹤時間軸並了解團隊的工作排程、進度狀態，以及有待上級核准的事項。除了Trello，Asana也是另一個值得推薦具有內建時間軸的線上專案管理軟體。

三、事先解決可預期的問題

當您為團隊分配完責任歸屬和完成期限，接著就是事先解決可預期的問題。這可以協助您提早規劃備案選項，但並不意味著要改變原先的專案目標。當團隊成員都在遠端工作，事先判別障礙就變得更重要。通常，辨別的最佳方法就是監測進度時間軸，當任務出現延誤，就是需要快速診斷並解決問題的信號。您需要保持專注並讓團隊成員與專案目標的方向保持一致。

四、讓所有利害關係人隨時了解專案的狀態、意見回饋和事後檢討

憑藉著科技，您可以隨時隨地與任何遠端員工聯繫。藉著使用Microsoft Teams或Zoom等線上對話軟體，您也可以讓利害關係人了解專案的狀態並得到他們的意見回饋，利害關係人的階段性回饋也能在事後檢討時提供協助。分析失敗的原因並確定改善的步驟有助於未來專案能更有效地執行。

結論

現今的線上管理工具可以有效協助遠端掌控整個專案，然而如果沒有正確的流程，即使有良好的工具也無助於提升遠端團隊的效率。任務型方法提供了流程系統化的框架，讓遠端管理團隊更輕鬆，並確保交付質量。

近期，PERSOLKELLY 推出了 2022線上培訓課程，協助領導者提升技能並站穩趨勢先端。有關課程的更多資訊，請點選連結觀看。

Applying TASK-based Approach & Digital Tools For Effective Remote Team Management

Managing a remote or hybrid team can be challenging. Unlike the traditional work style of working from the office, your team members are not physically present in the office to justify their attendance every day. So, it’s hard to measure how much time your team members have spent on the work. Also, it can be hard to get a sense of what they’re working on, and you may not be able to offer them guidance physically when they’re not in the same room. However, with the right set of tools and processes, managing remote teams does not have to be difficult. There are steps and innovative tools to help you track and follow through with proper processes while you keep your remote team engaged.

The TASK-based approach is the acronym for a set of processes for each project which stands for:

• Take time to do research & plan before setting project directions
• Allocate & Communicate the scope of work & deadlines
• Solve anticipated problems in advance
• Keep all stakeholders informed on the project status, feedback & postmortem reviews

According to Harvard Business School Researchers Robert Pozen and Kevin Downey, working longer hours does not necessarily mean higher productivity, but, working smarter is the key to being more effective. Therefore, it is more relevant to measure the effectiveness of your remote workers based on how well they complete each task. Remember, quantity does not mean quality.

Applying the “TASK-based” approach could help you create a systematic process for your remote team to identify the specific challenges, get the work done, and measure the effectiveness or output of each member. When you manage a remote or hybrid team, it’s not realistic to measure staff performance based on the number of hours they put in. Rather, it should be measured on the output or quality of their delivery.

1. Take Time To Do Research & Plan Before Setting Project Directions

This is the most important process of managing a remote or a hybrid team when you begin a project. First and foremost, you would want all resources to be compiled under ONE virtual platform (also known as “one drawing board”) for everyone’s reference which includes useful resources to support the project – (ie. researched information, customer feedback, competitor activities, job scopes of team members, strategies and objectives, budgets, and others). This allows everyone to better understand the whole project and helps you set and convey the right direction to the entire team. This ONE virtual platform helps avoid any miscommunication and ensures everyone is aligned in the same direction. For example, you may use Trello - a web-based Kanban-style project management software with a built-in collaborative function. Kanban is a Japanese word for “signboard”. Trello has digital signboards, lists and cards for users to create tasks, share files, collaborate and communicate with all remote team members to stay organised.

2. Allocate & Communicate The Scope Of Work & Deadlines

This is where you make known the deadline and your expectations or desired outcome for each part of the project to a specific member of the team. Do not assume that your team members know their scope of work, deadlines and what you want. Most of the time, assumptions could cause miscommunication and great losses to the company. Leaders who are lacking in communication skills could cause huge costs or delays in project deliveries. For example, each team member may think that the work is still pending from someone else, but in fact, no one is working on it because the scope of work may be a shared responsibility. Besides avoiding miscommunication, it helps the team stay focused on the work assigned without distraction. Do remember to give each team member a realistic deadline for each scope of work, so that it won't affect the person in charge of the next step, which will eventually affect the whole project's timeline. You may want to use the online Gantt Chart to track the timeline and get an overview of the team’s calendar, project status, as well as any pending approvals. Aside from Trello, Asana is another online project management tool that has this inbuilt timeline view.

3. Solve Anticipated Problems In Advance

Once you have laid out the scope of work and deadlines to your team, it is time to solve anticipated problems in advance. This is the stage where you plan out your OPTIONS in advance, which does not necessarily mean changing from the original objectives of the project. It simply means that you need to be able to identify the roadblocks even when all your team members are working remotely. Usually, the best way to discern this is by monitoring the timeline. When there’s a delay in whichever part of the scope of work, it’s a signal for you to dive in to diagnose and treat the problem quickly and creatively. While working at it, you need to stay focused and keep your team members aligned with the vision of the project.

4. Keep All Stakeholders Informed On Project Status, Feedback & Postmortem Reviews

Though everyone is working remotely, with technology, you can communicate with anyone at any time from anywhere. You can keep all your stakeholders informed on the status of the project and get their feedback, including your remote team using online communication tools such as Microsoft Teams or Zoom. Interval updates and feedback from all stakeholders can also help during postmortem reviews. It can be useful to analyse the causes of failure and determine corrective steps while helping to navigate more effectively for future projects.

Conclusion

There are plenty of online project management tools available today, which help in managing the entire project remotely. However, having a great tool without the right processes will not help in increasing the effectiveness of the entire remote team. The TASK-based approach is a framework for a systematic process that helps you to manage the entire project team remotely to ensure effective management and quality delivery of projects.

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