The strategies outlined are the same for remote teams. One thing I would add is that as part of your planning you should set overall team and organizational goals. Identifying what it is you ultimately want to achieve, the impact you need to create. When conflicting priorities arise you then take the team leads back to the overarching goal and ask them what will create the highest (or fastest) impact. I generally found that they then come to the priorities themselves. And you create buy-in…

Conflicts often arise due to poor communication and unclear expectations. Without consistent communication, especially on priorities, conflicts are inevitable. Here are a few tips to prevent misunderstandings: 1. Clearly communicate priorities from the start. 2. Encourage regular updates on progress, either daily or as per agreed timelines. 3. Acknowledge and appreciate progress when it aligns with expectations. If there’s room for improvement, provide constructive feedback by praising the good work while subtly highlighting areas that need more attention."

To resolve conflicting priorities with remote teams, establish clear communication channels and set well-defined goals. Encourage regular check-ins and use collaborative tools to keep everyone aligned. Prioritize transparency to ensure all team members understand the big picture and how their tasks fit into the overall strategy. Promote active listening and foster a culture of flexibility to accommodate different time zones and work styles. If conflicts arise, address them promptly through open dialogue and by involving stakeholders in decision-making. Finally, maintain consistent follow-ups to track progress and adjust plans as needed to ensure a unified approach.

Balancing priorities with remote teams can be challenging, but it’s manageable with the right approach. In my experience: 1)- Start by acknowledging the difficulty and sharing a personal story. 2)- Set clear expectations; for instance, I set weekly check-ins during a project to ensure alignment. 3)- Use tools like Teams to reduce misunderstandings. 4)- Encourage open communication by creating an open forum for discussion. 5)- Be flexible with schedules; once, I allowed flexible hours for a team member in a different time zone, improving productivity. 6)- Lastly and really important, celebrate successes to keep morale high and motivate the team!

Priorities should not change regardless of remote or in-person teams. Teams often utilize tools/applications to apply visual management to work in progress. There seem to be misconceptions that remote working or delivering in an agile way means that there is lack of communication, lack of trust, lack of focus and productivity; however, I have not found that to be the case. Taking time to train your teams to an Agile Mindset , including accountability, remove many of the misconceived notions of struggles with remote workers.

Make sure that each team member understands the main goal, their role and how results are measured. Besides speeding up operations it can help with setting priorities, expectations and boundaries with other teams as well. Conflict need to be discussed and there needs to be an agreement. When the conflict can't be resolved, the decision taken by a senior 3rd party will be respected by all.

Adding on top of those, I’d add setting clear boundaries, responsibilities and roles so everyone can understand what is their position in the team.

Lidar com prioridades conflitantes em equipes remotas exige uma combinação de comunicação clara, alinhamento estratégico e ferramentas de colaboração.

When managing conflicting priorities with remote teams, start by opening up the conversation to clarify everyone’s perspectives. Ask questions to understand the reasoning behind each priority. Shift the focus toward shared goals to foster alignment. Involve the team in brainstorming solutions and finding compromises, then agree on realistic deadlines and responsibilities. Stay flexible, making adjustments as needed, but also firm about key goals. Regularly check in to ensure progress and adapt if priorities shift again. This approach encourages transparency, collaboration, and adaptability.

The challenge of remote teams is the lack of humanization felt with those we can’t see, know, or connect with “in real life”. An exercise that first was resisted by the company was to spend time at the inception of the project setting up 1:1 team member calls. Goal is for the days to come up with 3 things they have in common. What appeared to be frivolous “social” time actually creates a convergence of purpose, a generosity of understanding challenges, and a faster completion time. Up front team relationship building also boosted workplace happiness and project cohesion. Win-win-win!