Remote Control: Collaborating In a Remote Environment

WordCamp US 2017

Transcript

1. Remote Control collaborating in a remote environment
2. Zandy Ring zandy@automattic.com zandy.blog @zandys Elizabeth Urello elizabeth@automattic.com elizabeth.blog @eurello
3. Deadlines are missed Scenario 1
4. What went wrong? • A deadline wasn’t established explicitly. • The scope wasn’t defined and broken down into steps that each had due dates. • Everyone’s evaluation of the work to be done was different. • Check-ins were too infrequent, and there wasn’t enough conversation happening.
5. A better way Scenario 1
6. Takeaways • When starting a project, always agree on a specific deadline and scope. Make certain everyone involved truly understands the deadline. • Break the work into specific action items, and make sure each one has an owner and a deadline. • Put action items in writing and post them somewhere everyone can view them at any time. • Don’t wait for scheduled check in chats to communicate obstacles.
7. Personality conflicts in a remote group Scenario 2
8. What went wrong? • The four volunteers didn’t get to know each other. • The group never proactively discussed the sort of culture they wanted. • No one ever gave clear direct critical feedback. • Everyone was aware there was a problem, but they more or less ignored it.
9. A better way Scenario 2
10. Takeaways • Reach out to others regularly with small talk and with both compliments and critical feedback, so that you develop an ongoing relationship with each of them. • Set expectations early on and agree to hold each other accountable to them. Write the expectations down. • When a problem arises with a colleague, deal with it privately, immediately, and clearly.
11. Delivering critical feedback remotely Scenario 3
12. What went wrong? • Roz never took the time to fully understand what was going wrong with Franz’s performance. • She hadn’t been candid with him about his performance, and what it means. • She hadn’t considered his improvement as something that she needed to work on with him, and something that is an on-going project between the two of them. • She also never given him the support he needed to be successful in his role.
13. A better way Scenario 3
14. Takeaways • Dedicate time to your employees in order to work with them on performance. • Talk right away about issues, and if a problem continues, step up your support. • Acknowledge that performance issues are something that you need to work on as a team, and address them promptly. • Try a variety of methods to communicate, like both chat and video, and summarize both in writing after.
15. Meetings are getting in the way of remote work Scenario 4
16. What went wrong? • Dany knew there was an issue, but she didn’t make it a priority to get to the bottom of it. • The team knew that Jorah was getting left out of conversations, but didn’t do a good job of including remote workers. • Jorah decided to just stop working from home, instead of addressing the frustration he felt with Dany and the other teams he works with.

17. A better way Scenario 4
18. Takeaways • Check in regularly about how things are going, and ask about pain points. • Be committed to helping remove roadblocks and make necessary adjustments. • Encourage your team to be willing to experiment to find a solution, even if it means changing habits. • Have a well-defined agenda ahead of meetings so that remote worker(s) have time to come up with questions. • Assign someone to keep the meeting on track and on time. • Make notes and action items available after the meeting.
19. Mismatch of expectations on the work being done Scenario 5
20. What went wrong? • Bianca didn’t communicate her progress as she went along, and Katherina didn’t ask. • They acted as two separate individuals working on different things, even though they were actually a team collaborating on a shared project.
21. A better way Scenario 5
22. Takeaways • Assume nothing, and check in about everything. • Share your work in progress frequently, and ask to see your collaborators’ work.
23. Goal setting - how to get everyone to accept the same goals and stay on the same page Scenario 6
24. What went wrong? • Alvin, Simon, and Theodore agreed on a goal (improve their support), but it wasn’t specific in any way. • They did not discuss what the expectations were for each of them, in service to the goal. • The three of them didn’t communicate with each other at all. • When things did not go as expected, they kept their frustrations to themselves and just kept doing the same thing.
25. A better way Scenario 6
26. Takeaways • Set goals that are very specific, and agree on a specific timeframe for reaching those goals or reevaluating. • Agree on a plan to meet the goals, and make sure each participant understands their role. • If work isn’t getting done as expected, don’t just let it go. Talk about it together, and reevaluate the goals, come up with a new plan, divide up tasks, assign participants, and pick new deadlines. • When working with a remote team, do not leave anything up to guesswork.
27. Key Points • Write down everything. Everything. • Give all work specific goals, deadlines, and owners. • Find a way to create the same ongoing conversations you would have in real life while remote. • Surface even minor problems or confusion early and often. Don’t wait until it is too late. • Don’t wait to share work until it’s completed. • Have crucial conversations privately and in a format that’s comfortable for both parties. Put the takeaways in writing. • When working with others remotely, do everything that you would do in person, only moreso.