Remote working was getting popular even before COVID-19. From 2005 to 2017, the US experienced a 159% growth in people who work outside the office. Many businesses like Facebook have extended work from home policies to save on overheads and boost productivity.
But how do you manage a remote development team? Will you be able to make them work together to achieve your business objectives?
Managing remote development teams needs a different approach. You can't meet face-to-face and use resources like whiteboards and sticky notes to stay on track. Plus, what about the vital brainstorming sessions? When you hire software developers online and work with your tech team remotely, it is crucial to structure your working process conveniently to communicate through all the stages and control all the tasks and results.
Fortunately, technology has got you covered with a variety of tools to manage remote software developers. In this post, we will take a look at 5 must-have tools that will ease your remote cooperation.
1. Slack for Remote Communication
Slack is a popular business communication tool to collaborate with your software developers. You can create individual channels for your teams and communicate from the same interface. Slack also comes with a mobile app to connect on-the-go and is used by over 12 million people.
A cool perk of Slack is its simplicity. The interface looks like a forum where you have all your communications neatly grouped. The tool also lets you make voice calls and directly message your contacts.
You can also use tools like Zoom to make video calls directly from Slack. Additionally, virtual drives are also supported for uploading your files.
Slack also keeps a record of all conversations for easy searching.
Pricing
Slack has a free plan for small teams for unlimited time. The Standard plan starts at $2.67 per active user per month. You also have more advanced programs for large businesses.
Pros
- Integrates with Google Drive, Trello, and more
- Good security
- Easy file sharing
Cons
- Sends unnecessary notifications
2. Jira for Task Management
Jira is a comprehensive task management software for managing even the biggest teams. Leading players like Airbnb and Toyota use Jira to manage their projects and remote tech teams.
The tool is geared for agile development and comes with customizable workflows. You can take advantage of the kanban and scrum boards right out-of-the-box. Plus, You can make Jira the center of your development, coding, and releasing processes.
Jira is ideal for any team and features project templates to create your workflow. Reporting, user permissions, issue tracking, release planning- everything is possible using this tool.
Jira is perfect for software developers, as it even integrates with DevOps tools.
Pricing
Jira offers a free plan for 10 users with limited features. The paid plans start at $7 per user per month and go up to $14 for the Premium plan.
Pros
- Organize tasks with tags
- Great for agile methodologies
- Generate reports on demand
Cons
- Complex integrations
3. Gitlab for Code Management
Gitlab is the best choice for teams that follow a DevOps approach. Your dev, ops, and security team can use a single platform to collaborate and create top-notch products. You can use Gitlab from the early stages of product development to the final release.
The benefits of Gitlab include faster developments and lower costs. You can also get a complete picture of your team's performance and how far you are from achieving your objectives.
Gitlab is ideal for creating and auditing codes and ensuring compliance. Your codes are also safe, and you can restrict any unauthorized access or edits.
Companies like Goldman Sachs, Ticketmaster, and NVIDIA rely on Gitlab for their success.
Pricing
The free version of Gitlab comes with a complete DevOps platform. Growing businesses can go for the Premium plant at $19 per user per month with more advanced features.
Pros
- All DevOps features like CI/CD
- Create pipelines for easy management
- Track issues
Cons
- Complex permission management
4. Dropbox for Document Management
Dropbox is a great place to store your files and documents. The tool has geared itself for business users and provides an ideal platform for collaboration. Today, Dropbox is valued at over $8 billion and used by a wide range of businesses.
You can upload and share files easily on Dropbox. Even people who don't have the tool can access files shared from your account. All your files are safe, with countless layers of security for your peace of mind.
Dropbox lets you track updates and changes made to documents. You can also streamline your workflow and manage your content. The tool also allows comments to provide feedback and track your projects easily.
Pricing
The business plan for Dropbox starts at $12.50 per user per month and gives you 5TB. Big teams will need to pay $20 per user per month for unlimited storage.
Pros
- Very simple
- Share files with everyone
- Easy backups
Cons
- Expensive
5. Mural for Project Visualization
Mural is a virtual whiteboard to bring your ideas to life. You can collaborate with your remote team and let each member share his or her ideas. Today, the tool is used by hundreds and thousands of users.
Everything begins with a Mural where you can add members, just like a project management software. You can add text, shapes, images, or even draw using your mouse.
You can define what the colors of sticky notes can indicate for the highest priority. Plus, you can zoom in or zoom out to solve problems visually. It is the best tool to visualize all your plans, strategies, and ideas to show them to your remote team.
Mural works as a web browser extension and supports all leading browsers. You can also access native apps for iOS and Windows 10.
Pricing
The Starter Pack will make you spend $12 per user for every month and is fit for teams of 1 - 50 members. For bigger teams, you will need the Plus package for $20 per user per month.
Pros
- Voting tool for decision making
- Add viewers for free
- Great for group events
Cons
- Viewers cannot be identified
Final Thoughts
Of course, there are many other useful tools and software that would help you with your remote employees. But using all the tools from the list above is a must to cover all main areas of the software development process. These tools will help you communicate and stay on the same page with your remote engineering team.
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