We talked to the Team Leaders at Future Processing and prepared a list of tools they find particularly useful while working from homes. Some of them are related to improving team’s communication, other helping organising workshop and retros or managing the projects. Most of them have got free plans or demo versions so that it is possible to try them without any strings attached. 

We hope you’ll find them useful as well.

Communication platforms 

• Microsoft Teams https://products.office.com/en-us/microsoft-teams/group-chat-software  -sharing files, chatting and organizing individual and groups calls/teleconferences – integrated with Microsoft 365 

• GoToMeeting https://www.gotomeeting.com/en-pl – video conferencing with HD quality  

• WebEx https://www.webex.com/ – video conferencing – integrated with Microsoft 365 and Google tools  

• Skype https://www.skype.com/en/ – sharing files, chatting, organising individual and groups calls/video conferencing 

• Slack  https://slack.com – open and private team communication as well as sharing files.   

• Krisp   https://krisp.ai/ – muting background noise during calls – compatible with various communication platforms. 

Tools for remote workshops & online whiteboards 

• Miro  www.miro.com – collaborating with a remote whiteboard that is easy to use and rich in options  

• Mural https://mural.co/ – collaborating remotely- tool for brainstorming, workshop, planning, designing and more 

Kanban boards for project management 

• Jira https://www.atlassian.com/software/jira – planning and tracking your team’s work with available reports 

• Trello https://trello.com/ – organising and prioritising individual and teamwork 

• Asana https://asana.com/ – planning and structiring work, setting priorities, sharing details and managing tasks 

Cloud for accessing documents from wherever you are 

• Office 365 www.office.com – storing files, sharing it with other people- integrated with all the Microsoft tools  

• Google drive https://www.google.com/drive/ – storing files, sharing it with other people- integrated with Google apps  

Tools for conducting restrospective meetings 

• FunRetro  https://funretro.io/ – organising quick, collaborative team sessions  

• Retrium https://www.retrium.com/ – organising team sessions with industry examples 

Tools for creating polls & surveys 

• Poll maker https://www.poll-maker.com/ – creating nicely looking pools quickly with no signup  

• Polleverywhere https://www.polleverywhere.com/ – creating polls – integrated with PowerPoint, Keynote and Google Slides  

• Typeform https://www.typeform.com/surveys/ – creating fully customisable surveys with a lot of templates to choose from 

Tools for feedback 

• Chimp or Champ http://chimporchamp.com/ – measuring anonymously team happiness frequently in an engaging way 

• The Team Canvas http://theteamcanvas.com/ – organising team meetings, resolving conflicts and building productive team culture 

• Office vibe https://officevibe.com/ – creating surveys, planning 1-on-1s, anonymous messaging, tracking progress (reports) 

Time management tools 

• Rescue time https://www.rescuetime.com/ – helping to better organise your day and manage time efficiently 

• Clockify https://clockify.me/ – tracking time software and increasing productivity  

• Timezone  https://timezone.io/  – informing “when” your team members are at the time if working from different timezones 

Document editing and writing tools 

• Confluence https://www.atlassian.com/software/confluence – team workspace for creating and collaborating 

• Google Docs https://www.google.com/docs/about/ – creating and editing files that can be easily shared with others  

Tools for creating graphs & mindmaps 

• Canva https://www.canva.com – graphics with ready-made templates and simple design tools  

• Mindmup https://www.mindmup.com/ – easy and quick mind maps  

• X-mind https://www.xmind.net/ – mind maps with a lot of available graphic design options  
  

There is a great load of software solutions that help to manage a remote team. They are powerful tools that can positively influence your team’s efficiency and sense of working together as a team, even if not located together in one office.  
 
If you have problems managing your remote time or don’t know how to start, why not try using the ones from the above list?  

Looking for more information?