How Top SaaS Companies Build Agile Teams with Remote Developers

In the fast-paced SaaS (Software-as-a-Service) industry, the way companies build teams has shifted rapidly in the past few years. What was once considered a temporary solution during the pandemic has now become a permanent strategy. Remote work is no longer an exception; it’s the standard in many engineering organizations.

Around 60 percent of software developers are now working fully remote, based on recent industry reports. At the same time, Agile development has become deeply rooted in how teams operate. About 71 percent of companies have adopted Agile processes in their development lifecycle. Most teams rely on it in one way or another. Developers aren’t always following it by the book, but the core ideas—short cycles, regular check-ins, adapting as you go—are everywhere now.

For today’s SaaS leaders, combining remote work with Agile is not just efficient—it is effective. It enables faster iterations, easier scaling, and access to a much wider talent pool. Many organizations that hire remote developers into their teams start to see results quickly. Projects move faster, priorities are easier to shift around, and they’re better able to keep up with changing demands in a competitive space.

Access to Global Talent and Skills

One reason SaaS companies continue to hire remote developers is the access it gives them to talent they simply can’t find locally. The need for developers is growing faster than local markets can support.

Take the U.S. for example:

• Software development roles are expected to grow by 17% between 2023 and 2033 (source). That alone puts pressure on tech firms trying to scale. 
• Globally, the projected shortfall is staggering, with an estimated 85 million tech roles going unfilled by 2030 (source). 
• More than 90% of businesses say they’re already expecting IT skill gaps by 2026 (source).

Given that reality, companies are expanding their reach. When they hire remote developers, they’re not just solving for headcount. They are targeting roles that are difficult to fill. Whether that is in AI, cloud security, or advanced backend engineering, these are skills that can’t always be sourced within a single city, or even a country.

Remote teams are often more diverse. When developers come from different backgrounds, the ideas that show up in product discussions tend to be broader. You get fewer blind spots. Solutions improve because more assumptions are challenged. For SaaS companies serving a global audience, that matters.

Then there’s the operational side. Going remote cuts out the overhead that comes with physical office spaces. According to recent studies, businesses can save up to $11,000 per employee per year just by shifting to remote or hybrid models.

Productivity and Agility Through Remote Work

SaaS companies that hire remote developers have found remote work to be more productive than many expected. In fact, several studies show that hiring remote developers can boost team efficiency. A Stanford study reported a 13% increase in performance and a 50% drop in attrition among remote workers. Another found that 77% of remote employees feel more productive than when working in-office (source).

Without long commutes or office distractions, SaaS developers have more time to focus on deep work—writing, debugging, and building.

Agile practices make this even stronger. Sprints, daily updates, and regular check-ins help remote teams stay agile and organized.

The global setup brings another advantage: speed. When teams are spread across time zones, work can continue almost nonstop. One team finishes, another picks up. This “follow-the-sun” approach helps SaaS companies push updates faster and handle issues without delay—a must in today’s subscription-driven market.

Building Agile Remote Teams: Best Practices

Leading SaaS firms have learned how to hire remote developers and integrate them seamlessly into agile team structures. Here are some best practices:

1. Prioritize Communication and Documentation

Remote teams do not have the option to have a hallway conversation everyday.. That’s why clear, written communication becomes essential. GitLab—one of the most well-known fully remote tech companies—follows a “document everything” approach and encourages sharing full context in discussions. Some teams even maintain a living handbook that outlines how they operate, from workflows to code review practices. When you are working across time zones, this kind of clarity keeps people aligned without constant check-ins.

2. Keep Agile Rituals, Just Over Video

Daily stand-ups, sprint planning, retros are not only an offline thing. Instead, they shift to video. Teams use Zoom, Teams, or Meet for short, focused sessions that help everyone stay updated and connected. Stand-ups are often kept to 15 minutes, so people across different time zones can participate easily. This helps in balancing  their entire day. These check-ins help remote developers feel connected and accountable without becoming overwhelming.

3. Equip Teams with the Right Tools

A distributed team runs on its toolkit. Leading SaaS companies give their remote developers access to tools that let them collaborate just like they would in an office.
Some common tools to create a remote work environment are:

• Jira, Asana, or Trello: For task and sprint tracking

• GitHub or GitLab: For version control and collaboration

• Slack or Microsoft Teams: For quick messaging

• Zoom or Google Meet: For real-time discussion

• CI/CD tools like Jenkins or GitLab CI: For shipping code frequently and reliably

These tools help set up a virtual office without work getting affected.

4. Be flexible with time zones

When employees are around the globe, it is normal that they won’t all be online at once. A lot of companies set aside a small overlap during the day, maybe two to three hours, just to catch up live when needed. Outside of that window, updates happen through async tools like Slack, task comments, or even just a clear email. This setup lets developers stay in their flow instead of getting pulled into too many meetings. That extra flexibility helps them stay focused and avoid burnout.

5. Culture needs to be built on purpose

Strong remote teams don’t happen automatically. What works is trust, open communication, and giving people space to take ownership. Trying to micromanage every task doesn’t get far in a remote setup. Companies that pay attention to culture tend to do the small things consistently. Things like a casual coffee call, team recognition during standups, or simple check-ins are  few things that show people are valued.

Managers play a big role too. They help create a psychological safety space where people feel heard and comfortable taking initiative. A simple “welcome” or checking in during the first few days can go a long way in helping new team members feel belonged.

Learning from the Leaders: Real-World Examples

“Many of the companies below hire remote developers as a core part of their workforce strategy. Here are a few real-world examples of how they make it work:

• GitLab runs one of the largest fully remote organizations in tech, with team members spread across 65+ countries. They rely on strong documentation, asynchronous communication, and a single collaboration platform to stay aligned. By doing this, they’ve reduced tool sprawl and cut dev-related costs by as much as 80%.

• Automattic, the parent company of WordPress.com, is completely remote with hundreds of employees spread across the globe. Communication and trust plays a major role in making their organization a success.

• At Buffer, most team members value flexibility more than anything else. In fact, 76% said it matters most to them, and nearly 70% wouldn’t accept a role that required working from an office. Letting people choose their own schedules has helped Buffer maintain a steady rhythm in their agile process while also keeping morale high.

• Atlassian credits remote work with helping them expand their hiring pipeline and improve retention. Their success reflects a broader trend—97% of remote employees say they’d recommend this model to others (source).

These examples all point to one conclusion: when done right, remote work isn’t a limitation—it’s a long-term advantage.

Final Take: Remote Agile Teams Are the Future of SaaS

Remote work and Agile aren’t just trends. SaaS teams using both have been building faster and hiring better—without being tied to a single location.

Companies doing this well aren’t chasing buzzwords. They’re getting more done, keeping their people happy, and finding developers who care more about flexibility than a fancy office.

It’s not perfect. Time zones, async updates, and staying aligned take effort. But the ones who’ve figured it out? They’re documenting more, talking less, and focusing on what actually moves the product forward.

Some teams have seen big jumps in performance too. One study pointed to remote setups being up to 47% more productive than in-office ones (source).

So, if you’re building in 2025 and wondering how to keep up—look at what’s already working. Go remote. Stay agile. And build a team that can ship, scale, and grow without borders.