A few weeks ago, most of your team worked in the same building. Now they’re at kitchen tables, spare bedrooms, and the occasional ironing board, and you’re still expected to deliver. If you lead projects, you didn’t get a chance to plan for this. Here’s what we’ve seen work for teams that moved to fully remote delivery almost overnight, using ordinary tools and a calm approach.
Set a rhythm, and keep it short
In an office, a lot of coordination happens by accident: a question at someone’s desk, a comment in the hallway. Remote work removes those moments, so replace them on purpose. A short daily check-in of 10 to 15 minutes is enough for most teams. Ask three things: what moved, what’s next, and what’s in the way. Keep the video on if people can manage it, but don’t make it a rule. Not everyone has reliable bandwidth.
Then protect the rest of the day. Back-to-back video calls are tiring, and they’re a poor substitute for the work itself.
Write things down
Default to written communication. A decision made on a call that nobody records is a decision half the team will remember differently. After each meeting, post a few lines: what was decided, who owns the next step, and by when. Written updates also respect time zones, childcare schedules, and shared household internet connections, which are now part of your project constraints.
Make the work visible
When you can’t see people working, it’s tempting to ask for more status reports. Resist that. Put the work on a shared board instead, whether it’s a Kanban board in Jira, Trello, or Microsoft Planner, or a simple spreadsheet. Keep it small and current. If everyone can see what’s in progress and what’s blocked, you spend less time asking and more time helping.
Name the decision owners
Decisions that used to take a quick conversation can stall for days when people can’t find each other. For every significant decision, name one owner and a date. Tell the team which decisions they can make without asking. This single habit removes more delay than any tool.
Look after people
Your team is working in unusual conditions. Some have small children at home, some live alone, and some share a laptop. Ask how people are doing, and listen to the answer. Be flexible about hours where the work allows it, and be clear about what truly can’t move. You don’t need to solve every personal situation, but you do need to know about it before you set expectations.
Key message: “Replace the accidental coordination of the office with deliberate habits.”
We won’t pretend this is easy, and you’ll adjust as you learn what your team needs. Start this week with three changes: a daily check-in, a written summary after every meeting, and a shared board that shows what’s blocked. Review them in two weeks and keep what helps. If you want a second opinion on how to set up remote delivery for a larger program, we’re glad to talk it through.