Remote working is likely to continue as a legacy of the Covid-19 pandemic. A survey found that 70% of project professionals felt their ability to do their jobs was negatively impacted by the pandemic. Remote working presents both risks and benefits that must be managed. Key aspects that influence remote work performance are an individual's mindset, team coordination, work environment, and how work is managed by policies and leadership. Frameworks like the GitLab Remote Manifesto and CMI's rules for hybrid work provide guidance on optimizing these aspects to maximize the performance of individuals and teams working remotely.

1. Remote Working - the digital legacy of Covid-19
A Systems Thinking Analysis of Remote Working
Tuesday 16 March 2021

2. The People
Brian Slaughter – Project and Programme Professional & full MAPM member
Andrew Wright – founder member and APM Co-Chair of the APM Systems Thinking SIG
David Cole - founder member and former chair of the APM Systems Thinking SIG
Frank Curtolo – Principal Consultant at MI-GSO | PCUBED
Tony Thornburn, Chair Behcet's UK / Cranfield University MINCOSE
Dania Issa, Lecturer, University of Westminster
Cesar Rendora - Director of Operations at Jacobs

3. Our previous webinar sought to understand the context of Covid-19

4. APM recent survey (Jan 2021)
 70% feel their ability to do their jobs has been negatively affected by the impact of the pandemic
 26% of all live projects are currently behind schedule or on hold.
Main reasons given by those facing challenges since the start of the pandemic in March:
 31% - Balancing work with other responsibilities such as home schooling and caring for relatives
 30% - Difficulties in adapting to remote working
 30% - Important meetings and phone calls being cancelled for COVID-related reasons
 29% - Challenges of communicating with colleagues and stakeholders

5. Remote working – what are the relevant aspects?

6. What are the relationships between the relevant aspects? Another CLD ...

7. Core performance

8. Working Environment

9. Other Human Factors

10. The loops associated with remote working aspects

11. The remote working CLD recast
Key
• Yellow nodes have both Inputs & Outputs)
• Red links are Reinforcing links
• Blue links are Balancing links
• Bold links are part of a loop

12. The remote working CLD recast
Key
• Pink nodes have only Outputs (i.e. drive)
• Yellow nodes have both Inputs & Outputs
• Red links are Reinforcing links
• Blue links are Balancing links
• Bold links are part of a loop

13. Overview of Stafford Beer's Viable System Model (VSM)

14. VSM systems mapped to CLD nodes

15. What drives performance of individuals and teams working remotely?

16. Potential impacts on work approaches/ mindsets:
Policy
Management
(definition &
control)
Co-
ordination
Individual
Mindset

17. GitLab Remote Manifesto overlaid on individual and team performance drivers
1
2
3
3
3
4
5
5
5
6
7
8
8
9

18. GitLab Remote Manifesto overlaid on individual and team performance drivers
1

19. GitLab Remote Manifesto overlaid on individual and team performance drivers
2

20. GitLab Remote Manifesto overlaid on individual and team performance drivers
3
3
3

21. GitLab Remote Manifesto overlaid on individual and team performance drivers
4

22. GitLab Remote Manifesto overlaid on individual and team performance drivers
5
5
5

23. GitLab Remote Manifesto overlaid on individual and team performance drivers
6

24. GitLab Remote Manifesto overlaid on individual and team performance drivers
7

25. GitLab Remote Manifesto overlaid on individual and team performance drivers
8
8

26. GitLab Remote Manifesto overlaid on individual and team performance drivers
9

27. CMI 'deep dive' results overlaid on individual and teams performance drivers
1 2
3
4
5
6
7
7 2

28. CMI 'deep dive' results overlaid on individual and teams performance drivers
1

29. CMI 'deep dive' results overlaid on individual and teams performance drivers
2
2

30. CMI 'deep dive' results overlaid on individual and teams performance drivers
3

31. CMI 'deep dive' results overlaid on individual and teams performance drivers
4

32. CMI 'deep dive' results overlaid on individual and teams performance drivers
5

33. CMI 'deep dive' results overlaid on individual and teams performance drivers
6

34. CMI 'deep dive' results overlaid on individual and teams performance drivers
7
7

35. Risk considerations
 Remote working not implemented properly.
 Connection difficulties due to poor supportive technical
infrastructure
 Poor individual performance due to social isolation
 High levels of negative conflict caused by poor or mis-
communication
 Counterproductive culture and management approaches

36. Benefits from remote ways of working
 Reduce/eliminate travel
time
 More flexible work/life
balance
 Longer hours accessible
 Cross-infection and sick
days from office working
eliminated
 Improved productivity, collab
orating asynchronously
 Faster access to colleagues
on other sites
 Reduced office costs
 Broader recruitment pool
for scarce skills

37. IT is a key enabler …
Remote
equipment
Internet
Infrastructure
Central/Cloud
Infrastructure
Collaborative Tool
Remote
System Access
Local Apps
Collaborative
Systems
Core Systems
Back-office Systems
Security
Security

38. The needs of successful remote working
Ways of
Working
Human
Factors
Work
Manage-
ment
Culture
Financial
Policy
IT

39. Questions & contact details
Links
• APM Systems Thinking SIG: https://www.apm.org.uk/community/systems-thinking-sig/
• Systems Thinking In Project Management: https://systemsthinkinginprojectmanagement.blogspot.com/
• Previous webinar:: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XXTZMraBD5o&t=620s
Further reading
• GitLab Remote Playbook: https://about.gitlab.com/resources/downloads/ebook-remote-playbook.pdf
• WEF Future of Jobs: https://www.weforum.org/reports/the-future-of-jobs-report-2020
• CMI 'Deep dive: Seven rules for ‘hybrid’ remote and office working' https://www.managers.org.uk/knowledge-and-
insights/article/seven-rules-for-hybrid-remote-and-office-working/

40. This presentation was delivered
at an APM webinar
To find out more about upcoming
webinars please visit our website
www.apm.org.uk/events