Trust and Agile Delivery in Multinational Projects

After working with multiple cross-functional teams, one thing has become painfully clear: 𝐌𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐀𝐠𝐢𝐥𝐞 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐟𝐚𝐢𝐥 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐛𝐞𝐜𝐚𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐠𝐚𝐩𝐬 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐛𝐞𝐜𝐚𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐜𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐚𝐥 𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐬. We obsess over ceremonies, tools, and metrics, but we often overlook the single most important factor that determines whether a team thrives or burns out: PSYCHOLOGICAL SAFETY Here’s the hard truth: 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐀𝐠𝐢𝐥𝐞 𝐟𝐫𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤 𝐢𝐬 𝐨𝐧𝐥𝐲 𝐚𝐬 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐭𝐞𝐚𝐦 𝐟𝐞𝐞𝐥𝐬. - You can run flawless standups and still ship broken products. - You can track sprint velocity religiously and still leave your team drowning in burnout. - You can have retrospectives every two weeks and still hear silence in the room. Because when people don’t feel safe to speak up, question assumptions, or admit blockers, “Agile” becomes theater.... busy but brittle. Here's are 5 approaches to bridge the trust gap in your team. 📍T — Transparency in Decision-Making Don’t just hand down priorities. Explain the why. Show your uncertainties. Invite your team into the decision. ↳Start every sprint planning with 5 minutes of context. It changes everything. 📍R — Reward Intelligent Failures High-performing teams don’t avoid failure, they mine it for insights. ↳ Dedicate a section in retrospectives to “productive failures.” Celebrate what you learned. 📍U — Unblock Before You Judge When someone raises an issue, don’t start with “why.” Start with “how can I help?” ↳ Create safe, multiple pathways for people to surface blockers including anonymously. 📍S — Shared Accountability Shift the narrative from “who’s at fault” to “what can we improve together.” ↳ Replace individual blame metrics with team success metrics. 📍T — Time for Reflection Pushing relentlessly without pause kills innovation. Space to reflect is where creativity breathes. ↳ Reserve 30 minutes at the end of every sprint for conversations that are separate from delivery-focused retros. This is crucial because Teams with high psychological safety consistently outperform others with higher #teamperformance, lower turnover, fewer quality issues and higher revenue performance Here's a place to start.... In your next team meeting, take one recent decision and walk your team through your reasoning, including what you were uncertain about. That single act of vulnerability creates space for openness everywhere else. Remember, #Agile isn’t about speed. It’s about creating conditions where teams can thrive under uncertainty. And that begins with TRUST. P.S. How do you build psychological safety in your team? Share in the comments. Your insights could help someone lead better. Follow 👉 Benjamina Mbah Acha for insights that help you plan, execute, and deliver projects with confidence.

I managed £500M in projects, 100% remotely. Here are the best practices that really helped my teams. People who hear about my work assume it's a logistical nightmare: leading distributed teams and delivering global projects without a single in-person meeting. " You need face-to-face for real trust, " they argued. " Remote is impossible for complex projects, " they said. But I saw it differently. Rather than viewing remote work as a problem to solve, I saw it as an opportunity to redefine how distributed teams could work effectively. Here are the 6 practices that transformed my teams: 1️⃣ Async-First Communication ⇢ Default to recorded updates, only purposeful meetings ⇢ Example: Daily standups replaced with Loom updates 2️⃣ Self-Service Knowledge Hub ⇢ Make info accessible in 90 seconds or less ⇢ Example: Searchable wiki with FAQs 3️⃣ Design for Time Zones ⇢ Turn time gaps into deep work windows ⇢ Example: APAC team works during EU offline hours 4️⃣ Automate Trust Building ⇢ Set up automated recognition for mini-wins ⇢ Example: Slack bot celebrates shipped feature 5️⃣ Champion Cultural Intelligence ⇢ Adapt processes to local work styles ⇢ Example: Sprint planning aligned with local holidays 6️⃣ Build Resilient Systems ⇢ Create workflows that work at all hours ⇢ Example: Automated on-call rotations across zones If you want to lead remotely, build practices that: ➟ Scale trust automatically ➟ Ship work continuously ➟ Share knowledge instantly Remember: You don't need everyone in a room. You just need systems that let great work happen anywhere. ✨ What's the biggest remote work challenge your team is facing right now? Would love to know below!

Having remote teams across continents bring both opportunities and challenges. How do you get it right? Working with global teams, especially when spread across drastically different time zones, is a reality many product managers face today. It can stretch your collaboration skills and test your patience. But, done right, it can be a powerful way to blend diverse talents and perspectives. Here's how to make it work: 1. Creating Overlaps: Aim for at least an hour or two of overlapping work hours. India's time difference with the US means you'll need to adjust schedules for essential face-to-face time. Some teams in India choose to shift their hours later. This is crucial for addressing any pressing questions. 2. Context is Key: Have regular kickoff meetings and deep dives where all team members can understand the big picture—the customer needs, project goals, and product vision. This enables your engineers to make informed decisions even if you're not available to clarify on-the-spot. 3. Document, Document, Document: While Agile champions minimal documentation, it's unavoidable when teams can't meet frequently. Keep clear records of decisions, questions answered, and the day’s progress. This provides continuity and reduces paralysis when immediate answers aren't possible. 4. Strategic Visits and Camaraderie: If possible, send team members to different locations periodically. This builds relationships and trust, which are invaluable when working remotely. If travel isn't possible, consistent video calls and personal updates help. 5. Local Leadership: Consider having local engineering leads in the same region as your development team. This can bridge gaps and streamline communication, ensuring that strategic and operational alignment occurs naturally. Ultimately, while remote setups have their hurdles, they are not impossible to overcome. With thoughtful planning and open communication, your team can turn these challenges into strengths, fostering innovation and resilience that transcends borders. 🌎