Dealing with time zone differences when outsourcing your design work
Dealing with an offshore design team can feel a bit like trying to make a long-distance romantic relationship work.
You may be ready to review some files and make requests in the morning, but your design team is now offline and asleep as it is the evening for them.
Without proper communication and project management, you might feel lost in the design process, feel distant, and eventually lose trust in your team.
This is one of the reasons why people often get intimidated by the idea of letting people from the other side of the world handle their work.
We often get concerns from our clients, like, “How do we communicate with the time difference?” or “Will things get done on time?”
But you’ll be surprised at how convenient it actually is to let someone else take over your design workload.
Trust me, I would know. I’m based in London, UK, but we have a diverse team spread across the globe.
While some may see time zone differences as a reason not to outsource, we believe that this difference can be turned into a valuable asset for maximizing productivity and creativity.
In this guide, we’ll share insights and strategies on how to effectively manage time zone differences when working with a remote design team.
Strategic project management
Effective project management is essential for keeping tasks on track and ensuring timely delivery, especially when working with a dispersed team.
Here are some strategies we use at Deer Designer:
Agile method
Adopting an agile approach to project management allows us to break down tasks into smaller, manageable chunks and prioritize them based on client needs.
Tools like Notion or Trello help us visualize project workflows and track progress in real time, facilitating collaboration across time zones.
When we’re working with a new client, for example, their big tasks like website design are broken into smaller tasks like:
- We ask the client for the assets, brand details, and design references.
- The designer can come up with some potential logos and get them approved.
- The brand guidelines are made.
- Then the designer works on specific parts of the website, like the landing page, the About Us page, etc.
At each step of the process, the client is involved, and a projected date for completion is set so they have a clear idea of the timeline for the task.
Distributed leadership
When you empower your team members to take ownership of their tasks and make decisions for themselves, you promote accountability and foster a sense of ownership. That’s huge!
By distributing leadership responsibilities across the team, you ensure that projects keep moving forward even when team members are in different time zones.
At Deer Designer, when a designer sees that a client they work with hasn’t requested any design work for a while, they will take the initiative to look at the client’s website or social media accounts and suggest improvements and updates.
This helps ensure that the client can make the most out of their subscription without having to wait for the account managers to notice that no requests are coming in.
In the same way, when an account manager notices missing assets in a client’s brief, they’ll directly engage with the client to request these assets before the designers even start working on the designs.
This way, the design will not have to go through the designer and be approved by the quality assurance team, only for the client to later realize they were not able to communicate a specific reference or include an important asset in the design brief.
Overlapping work hours
Identifying overlapping work hours between team members in different time zones can help with real-time collaboration and resolving issues promptly.
At Deer Designer, we tend to schedule meetings and collaborative sessions during these overlapping hours to maximize productivity and minimize delays.
Effective communication
Effective communication is the key to any successful collaboration, especially when team members are spread across different time zones.
Here are some of the best practices you can use to encourage better communication between you and your team:
Asynchronous communication
Just because you are not constantly gathering a team for a meeting doesn’t mean nobody gets updated on tasks.
With asynchronous communication, the entire team can stay updated on important tasks and discussions without being constrained by the time zone of the client.
Platforms like Slack, Notion, Microsoft Teams, or Asana facilitate communication by providing a centralized space for sharing updates, feedback, and project progress.
Suppose our client, based in New York, views the design project outside of the assigned team’s working hours, and they are asking for a revision.
The revisions are being inputted into our platform of choice, Freshdesk.
Our designer in the Philippines, who is in a different time zone, can review the client’s feedback and make necessary adjustments during their workday.
They then document the changes in our project management tool, such as Notion or Trello, ensuring the rest of the team is aware of the updates when they come online.
Even if the designer isn’t in the same time zone, the client can expect that the tasks are being passed on to the people who need them and that they will be done within the same workday.
Clear documentation
Documenting project requirements, guidelines, and timelines ensures that all team members have access to essential information regardless of their time zone.
Tools like Notion, Google Docs, and Box allow real-time collaboration on documents and files to encourage transparency and accountability.
If a designer needs access to a brand’s guidelines and details, they can easily view them in the client’s profile in Notion.
Regular check-ins
Just because your team is in a different timezone doesn’t mean you can’t collaborate with them anymore.
We have scheduled video conferences or creative calls that allow our creative directors and clients to have real-time interaction and collaboration.
While it may require some adjustment to accommodate different time zones, regular check-ins help make sure everyone is on the same page.
Cultivating a productive work culture
Maintaining a productive work culture across different time zones requires building trust, collaboration, and work-life balance.
Here are some ways we cultivate a positive work environment at Deer Designer:
Flexible work hours
Instead of having strict work hours and tracking every task they are doing, we allow our team at Deer Designer to manage their own time.
After all, we are paying them for the quality of their work, not how long it takes them to do it.
As we trust the team to manage their time effectively, they are encouraged to be accountable for their deadlines for the day.
They can also work with other members without having to sacrifice work-life balance.
For example, an account manager in a time zone can start their workday earlier to align with a remote team in another time zone, thanks to their flexible schedule.
This enables them to coordinate with the team during shared working hours, promoting efficient communication and seamless project collaboration across time zones.
Respect for out-of-work hours
While we have flexible work hours, we have strict off-times. Designers can set their workday to only 8 hours. Any time after that set time is off-limits.
While they are still receiving feedback from clients and co-workers who work in different time zones, they may turn off their notifications and take a break.
We know that having a set downtime is essential for preventing burnout and maintaining the well-being of our employees.
You can help promote work-life balance by encouraging your team members to disconnect outside of working hours and setting clear expectations regarding communication. Give it a go!
Embracing diversity
One of the most significant advantages of collaborating with a global design team is the diversity of perspectives and ideas it brings.
Different cultures and backgrounds foster creativity and innovation, enriching the design process.
At Deer Designer, we celebrate this diversity and encourage open communication among team members regardless of their geographical locations.
We also organize virtual events, cultural exchanges, and team-building activities to strengthen bonds and promote collaboration across borders.
Working with different time zones
Collaborating with a design team spread across different time zones presents unique challenges.
But it also offers incredible opportunities for creativity, innovation, and productivity.
By embracing diversity, having effective communication strategies, and implementing strategic project management techniques, we can take advantage of time zone differences to deliver exceptional results for our clients.
Together, we can turn challenges into opportunities and unlock the full potential of global design collaboration.
Key takeaways
- Working with an offshore team with multiple time zones can be intimidating, but it doesn’t have to be.
- With strategic project management, you can make sure that everyone is on the same page and working together to get the work done.
- Effective communication is important for anyone working remotely; this can help make sure deadlines are met while keeping the standard of work high.
- Having a flexible work schedule can help the team maintain work balance while still being able to collaborate in real-time with teammates across time zones.
- Diversity in the workplace should be celebrated as it helps promote creativity, collaboration, and sharing cultures with one another.
