How do you ensure visibility into work progress without micromanaging remote employees?

Situation: I managed a team of 12 remote engineers. A few months in, I realized I had blind spots—I didn't know when people were stuck until it was too late, and I was either over-asking for updates (which felt like micromanaging) or under-asking (which left me in the dark). One project slipped by two weeks because I didn't catch a blocker early enough.

Task: I needed to create visibility into progress without making people feel watched or eroding trust. The balance was: I need to know enough to unblock and support, but I shouldn't need to know every detail.

Action: I shifted to outcome-based check-ins. Instead of "what did you do today?" I asked "what's the next milestone, and what's in your way?" We used a shared dashboard: each person had a row with current focus, target date, and blockers—updated weekly or when something changed. I made it clear this was for me to help, not to judge. In 1:1s, I focused on blockers, career, and well-being—not status interrogation. I also established a norm: "If you're stuck for more than a day, tell me—I'm here to help, not to blame." I differentiated between "I need to know" (blockers, risks, decisions) and "I want to control" (how you spend your hours). I only asked for the former. When someone was behind, I framed it as "what support do you need?" not "why aren't you done?"

Result: We caught blockers earlier—average time from "stuck" to "unblocked" dropped from 5 days to 1.5. Team trust scores improved, and people told me they appreciated that I wasn't "checking up" on them. I learned that visibility through shared artifacts and outcome-focused conversations builds accountability without surveillance.