How to Equip a Newly Fully Remote Team: Essential Tools for Productivity and Collaboration
A week into transitioning our 17-person team to a fully remote model, we’re enjoying the flexibility and autonomy that comes with it. Yet, as founder and CEO, I’m mindful of how a too-casual environment could impact performance. This curiosity has sparked a deep dive into the best tools for remote teams, and I’m sharing our current setup along with a call for additional recommendations.
Current toolkit and use cases
Project management
– Jira (https://www.atlassian.com/software/jira)
After evaluating Asana, Monday.com, and Trello, our team selected Jira for its robust project tracking capabilities and scalability.
Documentation and training
– Scribe (https://cursive.io/scribe)
Scribe helps create step-by-step tutorials and training materials for new staff and contractors, saving significant time and ensuring consistency.
Communication and collaboration
– Slack (https://slack.com)
Our primary platform for team management, daily communications, and quick updates.
Time tracking and efficiency
– Harvest (https://www.getharvest.com)
While I’m personally not a fan of micromanagement, Harvest has proven valuable in remote settings by helping allocate time by task and by integrating with Jira for streamlined reporting.
Voice and video conferencing
– UberConference (https://www.uberconference.com)
A long-standing alternative to Zoom, offering reliable meetings and straightforward features.
Security and access
– LastPass (https://www.lastpass.com)
Our solution for securely sharing passwords and managing credentials across the team.
File storage and documentation
– Google Workspace (G Suite)
Our central hub for documents, file sharing, and collaborative work.
Open invitation for recommendations
These selections reflect our current needs as a growing remote team, prioritizing clear project visibility, scalable documentation, smooth communication, and secure access management. If you’re part of a fully remote organization, what tools do you consider indispensable? I’m especially interested in any absolute must-haves that have stood the test of time for remote teams. And just to be transparent, these aren’t affiliate links—curious to hear what others are deploying in similar setups.
If you have experiences with different tools or setups that improved efficiency, accountability, or onboarding at a distance, please share your thoughts. Your suggestions could help us refine our stack and maintain strong performance as we continue to scale remotely.
