Measuring success in virtual environments

Measuring your team’s success in a remote working environment can be tricky when you don’t share an office with them. 

Measuring success 

There are several ways to measure the success of hybrid and virtual teams:

• Task completion: One of the most basic ways to measure success is to track the completion of tasks and projects. This can help you see whether the team is meeting its goals and objectives.
• Quality of work: Another way to measure success is to assess the quality of the team’s work. This could involve evaluating the accuracy, thoroughness, and overall effectiveness of the team’s output.
• Communication and collaboration: In hybrid and virtual teams, effective communication and collaboration are key to success. You can measure success by evaluating the team’s use of communication and collaboration tools, as well as the effectiveness of those tools.
• Team morale: Another important factor to consider is team morale. You can measure success by assessing how engaged and motivated team members are and whether they feel supported and valued.
• Customer satisfaction: If the team is working on projects or tasks that involve external stakeholders, such as customers or clients, you can measure success by assessing the level of satisfaction of those stakeholders.
• Financial performance: Depending on the nature of the team’s work, you may also want to consider financial performance as a measure of success. This could involve tracking revenue, profits, or cost savings.

Share your thoughts

Before you continue, reflect on your personal experience of success measurement;

• What are your key performance indicators (KPIs)? Make a list on a piece of paper.
• Which KPI would be difficult for you to meet when working in a virtual or hybrid environment? Share your response in the comments section at the bottom of this page.

Now, read the following tips on using performance metrics to measure success in virtual and hybrid team environments.

• It’s important to have better metrics that don’t just focus on job roles but on how the individual’s goals align with the organisational goals.
• Frequent performance conversations are important, as employees should know what success looks like even in a virtual environment. It’s useful to measure the number of these performance conversations and have this as a metric for managers to work towards.
• Managers must also consider equity and always provide equal access to all employees. Some employees may be able to have more in-depth conversations with managers in the office, and managers must make an effort to avoid a split between those who work remotely and those who work in the office. We should always ensure that employees are as equal as possible in this regard. As leaders, we should ensure that we have frequent communication with our team to check that this is indeed occurring and build a culture of equity into our team KPIs.

References: Facilitating homeworking for extended periods[4].
Measure performance: Strategies for remote and hybrid teams[5].
Metrics for hybrid work must change: 5 mistakes to avoid[6].

Tips for leaders

KPMG offers ten helpful tips that can be used by leaders as success metrics for virtual environments.

As you read each tip, reflect on the similarity and differences to traditional work environments.

• Communicate a consistent message to reinforce your leadership’s values and goals.
• Follow a step-by-step approach that prioritises the well-being of employees, customers, and stakeholders.
• Take responsibility for the collective good within your role and make an impact on areas within your reach.
• Be present and lead by example in virtual meetings.
• Connect with your team regularly and listen to their needs.
• Create time and space for personal connection and open-ended questioning.
• Trust your team to deliver on clear expectations and avoid micromanaging.
• Be empathic and allow people to adapt to new ways of working.
• Use this time to work on important but non-urgent tasks, such as education, training, and long-term planning.
• Be a motivator and bring energy to the team.

Reference: Facilitating homeworking for extended periods: Recommendations and guidelines[4].

We can see that many of these are different to the traditional KPIs that we might focus on. Measuring KPIs and working towards KPIs is very important, and we should always set goals and stretch goals for the team to achieve. However, in a virtual environment, we must also understand that success comes from the small things that we measure and do. For example, we can set a goal for each of KPMG’s suggested tips, such as connecting with our team once a week to discuss personal things on a one-to-one call. 

Measuring performances as we would do in a face-to-face environment is also critically important in a virtual environment. It’s important to set organisational goals that feed down to the team and individual goals – with each team member having input on these goals. Regular check-ins on goal progress and rewarding excellent performance are other important steps in goal setting for virtual environments.

References

_{4. KPMG. Facilitating homeworking for extended periods: Recommendations and guidelines [Internet]. Amstelveen: KPMG; 2020 [cited 5 January 2023]. Available from: https://home.kpmg/be/en/home/insights/2020/03/pc-facilitating-homeworking-for-extended-periods.html}

_{5. Hickman A and Maese E. Measure performance: Strategies for remote and hybrid teams [Internet]. Washington: Gallup; 2021 [cited 5 January 2023]. Available from: https://www.gallup.com/workplace/341894/measure-performance-strategies-remote-hybrid-teams.aspx}

_{6. Brower T. Metrics for hybrid work must change: 5 mistakes to avoid [Internet]. New Jersey: Forbes; 2022 [cited 5 January 2023]. Available from: https://www.forbes.com/sites/tracybrower/2022/10/31/metrics-for-hybrid-work-must-change-5-mistakes-to-avoid/?sh=6260726b3a62}