Here's how you can effectively track and measure team performance as a remote product manager.

Setting goals per the SMART criteria (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound) guarantees that every team member is aware of their responsibilities and how they fit into the overall product vision. This clarity guides the group, establishes performance standards, and directs everyone's efforts toward the same objectives, all promoting a cohesive and effective remote work environment.

Productivity should be a measure of accomplishing goals than a measurement of time and check ins . There is a reason why a product manager is there see if that reason is addressed and the goals are met and people are happy and the company successful because of that product manager . Remote or not doesn't matter

When setting goals for your product team, it's necessary to differentiate between product managers and cross-functional team members like design, analytics, and engineering. Here are two key approaches: For Product managers: Implement the OKR (Objectives and Key Results) framework to establish clear goals and milestones. Ensure that product managers own their OKRs and are held accountable for achieving them. For Cross-functional team members: Align your goals with those of cross-functional team members who report to different organizations. It’s important to ensure there is a mutual understanding and agreement on roles and responsibilities to achieve the common goal.

When setting goals for your product team, it's crucial to differentiate between product managers and cross-functional team members such as design, analytics, and engineering. For Product Managers Implement the OKR (Objectives and Key Results) framework to establish clear goals and milestones. Ensure that product managers own their OKRs and are held accountable for achieving them. This framework provides a structured approach to setting and tracking objectives, fostering a sense of ownership and responsibility among product managers.

Completely agree. Setting SMART goals helps in clarifying expectations and aligning individual tasks with the overall product vision. Additionally, involving team members in the goal-setting process can enhance their commitment and ownership.

Leverage project management and collaboration tools that enhance visibility into each team member's contributions. Platforms like Asana, Trello, or Jira can track milestones, manage tasks, and keep everyone updated in real-time.

When we say regular check-ins, it often percieved as meetings. Regular check-ins could be a small huddle, a brief audio message or a standard meeting. Format can be anything but having a discussion with stakeholders about their progress, hurdles and requirements are crucial. They help in establishing trust, engagement, a sense of proactiveness into the team.

Regular check-ins are essential for maintaining momentum and addressing issues promptly. Consider varying the format of these meetings to keep them engaging, such as using video calls, rotating facilitators, or incorporating quick team-building activities.

I have a set of comprehensive metrics that I track my product/UX/dev teams by. They will help me identify constraints in the entire product/development lifecycle (ping me if you have questions). Story Rating, Design Rating, Adherence to Design, Dev Ready Story points, FE Dev Ready Story points, BE Story points committed, Number of devs, Carry Over Story Points (from last sprint), Story Points completed, Storpoints committed per dev, Story points completed per dev, # of added points after a sprint starts, Blocked by other services, Value to the customer

Spot on. KPIs provide tangible data to gauge performance and drive improvements. However, ensure that KPIs are balanced and do not lead to unintended negative behaviors, such as rushing through tasks to meet deadlines at the cost of quality.

Build a culture where feedback flows freely in your remote team! Encourage everyone to share insights and suggestions on their own and each other's work. This fosters a growth mindset and gives you valuable perspectives on team dynamics and areas for improvement. Regular feedback helps your remote team continuously learn, improve, and reach new heights – together!

I structure my feedback to address each component of the product team specifically. For UX, I track how many story points are ready for design ahead of each sprint. I ask the development team to rate the completeness of each story's design. Once a story is delivered, I ask the UX team to rate it for adherence to the design. We review these metrics during our retrospectives to provide consistent feedback to all teams. This approach is applied equally to product managers, QA, and engineering.

Regularly check in with your team to understand their workload and stress levels. While tools that provide visibility into workload distribution, such as project management software, are helpful, it's equally important to trust your intuition and have open conversations about capacity and well-being. These check-ins foster a supportive environment where team members feel comfortable discussing their challenges, enabling you to address any issues proactively. Prioritizing these discussions ensures that your team remains balanced, productive, and engaged.

I strongly advocate for balanced workloads in a company. Often, what one person perceives as an easy task might be a struggle for another, not because of differences in intelligence, but due to varying levels of experience, practice, and circumstances. Overloading someone with constant work can diminish the quality of their output. Instead, we should foster a culture of balanced workloads, allowing individuals to relax and enjoy their lives. As I like to say, "Work is not life; it's just a part of life," and "Life is more important than any part of it."