Setting Up Accountability Structures for Remote Teams

Running a Remote Team? Do This or Struggle. Managing remote teams isn’t about keeping tabs—it’s about building systems that drive results. Here’s what actually works: ◦ Set expectations like a contract, not a suggestion – Define success with clear KPIs, deadlines, and ownership. “Do your best” isn’t a standard. ◦ Communicate with precision, not noise – Default to async. Use video updates, loom recordings, and written briefs. Meetings should be rare, short, and necessary. ◦ Use tools that drive action, not just conversations – Slack is for discussions. Asana, ClickUp, or Notion are for execution. Keep chat and execution separate to avoid chaos. ◦ Measure outcomes, not activity – Stop tracking hours. Track deliverables, impact, and efficiency. The best remote workers optimize their time, not just clock in. ◦ Culture is built intentionally, not by accident – Remote teams don’t bond in hallways. Schedule virtual coworking, recognition shoutouts, and team rituals to replace “watercooler moments.” Remote teams fail when leaders try to copy in-office strategies. They thrive when they optimize for clarity, autonomy and trust. If your remote team isn’t working, the problem isn’t remote work—it’s the systems. What’s the best system you’ve implemented for your remote team?

Most founders suck at delegating to remote teams. They either micromanage every detail or throw work at people and pray something good happens. Here's the framework that fixes both problems: The CLEAR Method: Context - Tell them WHY this matters. Not just what to do, but why it moves the needle. Limitations - Set the boundaries upfront. Budget, timeline, scope. No surprises. Expectations - Paint the picture of what success looks like. Be specific about deliverables. Accountability - When do we check in? How do we measure progress? Set the rhythm. Results - What outcome are we driving toward? Keep everyone focused on the end game. One of our Pearl clients used this framework and went from constant firefighting to having his remote team operate like a well-oiled machine. The breakthrough? He stopped assuming people could read his mind and started being obsessive about clarity. We drill this into every placement because remote work amplifies everything. Clear communication becomes crystal clear execution. Vague instructions become expensive mistakes. Most founders think remote delegation means losing control. Wrong. It means being so clear about what you want that people can execute without you breathing down their necks. Stop being the bottleneck. Start being the blueprint. #startups #entrepreneurship #leanstartups #leadership #hiring #recruiting

THIS measures remote success (not hours) I left “strictly” in office life behind. My secret to remote work is measuring what matters. I'm not focused on: - Counting hours worked - Micromanaging tasks - Stressing over attendance - Following old metrics Instead: - I set clear goals - I value outcomes - I trust my team - I use the right tools - I encourage feedback It pays to measure productivity differently. What truly drives success in remote teams? When you shift your focus, it opens new possibilities. A path towards a results-oriented culture. Are you still stuck in outdated methods? Or ready to embrace a new approach? Key Strategies to Measure Productivity 1. Set Clear Goals and KPIs - Define SMART goals for everyone. - Align with the company's vision. - Use KPIs that fit remote work. 2. Focus on Output Over Hours - Measure what gets done, not time spent. - Look at task completion and quality. - Gather client and peer feedback. 3. Utilize Project Management Tools - Tools like Asana and Trello keep teams on track. - They help monitor progress without hovering. - Increase visibility and accountability. 4. Emphasize Quality of Work - Quality matters more than quantity. - Use feedback to assess deliverables. - High-quality work shows true productivity. 5. Encourage a Results-Oriented Culture - Shift focus from activity to results. - Trust your team to manage their time. - Regular check-ins keep everyone aligned. 6. Leverage Time Tracking Tools Thoughtfully - Use tools like Toggl to track time wisely. - Avoid being intrusive; build trust instead. - Balance monitoring with employee morale. 7. Break Down Tasks into Milestones - Divide projects into smaller tasks. - Set clear deadlines for each milestone. - Celebrate small wins to boost motivation. 8. Collect Feedback Through Surveys - Use surveys to understand team challenges. - Anonymous feedback encourages honesty. - Identify barriers to boost productivity. Best Practices for Implementation Build Trust and Transparency - Communicate expectations clearly. - Avoid surveillance that harms morale. Regularly Review Metrics - Monitor performance data often. - Adjust strategies based on trends. Tailor Metrics to Roles - Customize metrics for different jobs. - Focus on what matters for each role. Focus on results. Use technology wisely. Build trust. Then you can you can measure productivity effectively. Which ultimately leads to a thriving remote work environment. What are you thoughts about this?

I’ve hired hundreds of remote employees and have been running remote-first businesses for 12+ years. I’ve made thousands of mistakes myself, and learned from the failures of others. Here’s where everyone goes wrong when building a remote team… Problem #1: No accountability In an office you keep your team updated naturally by chatting about how work is going on the way to lunch, or just mentioning progress while on a coffee break. It’s an unmeasured, unintentional, organic byproduct that comes from working in an office. Which is totally absent in a remote environment. So, you have to add it back in! At Process Street, we have a few channels of communication and policies to keep us accountable. - Slack channel - Process Street workflows (of course)  - Two short meetings every week During the meetings, we present our tasks for review as proof of work (plus an activity log recorded in PS/Slack), and go through the tasks together. This approach leaves absolutely no room for a lack of accountability. If team members aren’t working on their tasks, it will be obvious because there will be no record of it. Problem #2: No centralization of information In an office, you can literally look over someone’s shoulder and collaborate on a project together. Again, this is not possible with a 100% remote team, but you still need an equivalent solution for remote employees. As I said earlier, Our Process Street Workflows can hold links, attachments, images, and even spreadsheets, so there’s no excuse for not centralizing information when it’s that easy. We use Google Drive for documents, ensuring we can always access what we need, no matter where we are. Problem #3: Poor team building In an office, there’s usually opportunities to get-together after work to get to know each other. That’s rare in remote teams. But you can still get 90% of the way there if you do a few things exceptionally well: a. Onboarding Onboarding is the first impression you give to an employee as soon as they start working in your organization. Most other organizations will give a new employee a few hours of interactive training videos and have manager check-ins a couple times a day. That’s not a great impression. To be better, proactively introduce them to their teammates via zoom/slack and get them chatting with everyone. Also, some of the below activities early on in an employee’s first couple weeks will help… b. Fun comms channels We have a couple slack channels just meant for fun. People sharing movies, music, memes, gifs, emojis. One of my friend's companies has a slack channel dedicated to his team member’s pets adventures. IME people are very expressive and enjoy this stuff. Finally, consider doing fun one-off events… c. Fun events We’ve done, - gaming tournaments (Hearthstone) - virtual board games - Group Trivia - and more So if you’d like to skip 12 years of learning how to build remote companies and learn more about this stuff Give me a follow!