The Async Advantage

Working remotely has many benefits but also some obvious and non-obvious challenges. Discussions about remote work also often tend to be generic, but what are the key lessons from the largest fully distributed company in the world, Automattic?

A lot of the tools available are meant to be used in person, to the point that many people are lost if they happen to work remotely, or they want to switch a product team to being remote. How to build trust, gather feedback and craft a unified vision? This talk takes inspiration from some of the practices of Automattic's teams and WordPress open source development model to overcome some of the unique challenges of remote working.

Interestingly enough, all these findings can be beneficial also to local teams, as they can improve the work quality and prepare it to scale.

Transcript

1. Erin ‘Folletto’ Casali The Async Advantage
2. NIGHT.EU Manifesto Ibridi F E L L O W DESIGN DIRECTOR ADVISOR MENTOR
3. @Folletto
4. Some theory
5. “ ” S. Graber for Harvard Business Review Many companies focus too much on technology and not enough on process. S. Graber (2015) Why Remote Work Thrives in Some Companies and Fails in Others
6. External is
 Remote Internal is
 Remote Internal is 
 Local External is
 Local E-commerce Farming Consulting Tech The Remote Diamond * this is a simplification LOCAL REMOTE
7. The Remoteness Continuum Distributed
 100% Local
 100% Remote
 anywhere in between
8. The Three Speeds of Collaboration Stable
 speed Realtime
 speed Async
 speed
9. Successful remote work shifts from realtime to async The Async Advantage
10. About people
11. TIMEZONES
12. Does it have to happen in realtime?
13. Master work handover
14. MISUNDERSTANDINGS
15. Tone of voice can be an issue…
16. …but what about time to reflect and calm?
17. Is it…
 a difficult reply? 1 SITUATION Breath Write Review draft with colleague Reply
18. 2 SITUATION Ask a trusted colleague Review perspective Adjust reply Is it…
 a misunderstanding?
19. 3 SITUATION Review great messages and answers Check the reactions they got Ask for advice Is it…
 a learning moment?
20. Public chat The Bandwidth Staircase Async message Private chat Voice call Video call
21. COMMUNICATION
22. Communication is oxygen
23. Pinpoint what you really mean with it. “Communication Issues” is too generic.
24. Avoid efficiency theatre Do Give space
 to personal
 and work alike Do not Split too early
 conversations
 in multiple channels
25. Make yourself feel present to others
26. Daily text standups EXAMPLE
27. LONELINESS
28. Some people need to be around people
29. Co-working spaces
30. Virtual watercoolers
31. 12% 1 OUT OF 8 Automattic internal watercoolers EXAMPLE 747 TEAMS & 
 PROJECTS 89 COOLERS
32. MISUNDERSTANDINGS COMMUNICATION LONELINESS TIMEZONES Advantage?
33. About teams
34. QUICK FEEDBACK
35. Realtime
 exchanges
36. Reach
 everyone
37. Sketch Slack loop EXAMPLE
38. BRAINSTORMING
39. “ ” A. Furnham Research shows unequivocally that brainstorming groups produce fewer and poorer quality ideas than the same number of individuals working alone.
40. the practice of thinking or making decisions as a group, resulting typically in unchallenged, poor- quality decision-making. groupthink /ˈɡruːpθɪŋk/
41. “ ” A. Osborn, the person that formalized brainstorms The fact is that group brainstorming is recommended solely as a supplement to individual ideation.
42. The effective form of brainstorms
 must include alone time to think
43. Design challenge EXAMPLE
44. ALIGNMENT
45. Don’t bury the lede Have a clear audience Ask what you need Writing is a key skill …and add diagrams!
46. Decisions are always written somewhere. // ////////// ////////////// //// ///// ////// //// //////// ////// /// ////////// ////// // //////// /////// //// ////// / ////// //// /// ///// ///////////// ///////// ////////// ////////// ////////// /// ////////// //// ///// // ////////// ////////// ////// / //////// //////// //// ////// / ///// //////// ///// //////////// ////////// ////////// ////////// ///////////// ////////// ////// /
47. Write things that “everyone knows” and “have already been said”
48. Manage Signal / Noise Ratio
49. WORKSHOPS
50. The blank stare effect In a video chat, that emotionless expression everyone does when others speak.
51. DO NOT TRY TO REPRODUCE IN-PERSON WORKSHOPS Leverage Async
52. KJ Remote workshop EXAMPLE intenseminimalism.com/2017/fully-remote-kj-technique-workshop/
53. BRAINSTORMING ALIGNMENT WORKSHOPS QUICK FEEDBACK Advantage?
54. Meet in person EXAMPLE
55. About async
56. MEETINGS
57. KILL. THAT. MEETING.
58. Discussion Threads 99% of the time better than meetings.
59. Google Doc Dropbox Paper Any tool that: • Allows real-time collaborative editing • Allows comments • Tracks revisions
60. NOISE
61. Better focus Create the environment that works for you. Provide allowances and support.
62. Manage interruptions Answer when is best for your work.
63. TIME MANAGEMENT
64. Flexible
 Time Organize your day, work when you work best.
65. OUTCOMES
66. Time Measure time spent in the office working “I am a body”
67. Time Output Measure amount of things that are done “I am my work”
68. Time Output Outcomes Measure impact and results “I am effective”
69. NOISE MEETINGS Advantage? OUTCOMES TIME MANAGEMENT
70. The Async Advantage Scales more Time to calm and think More focus Everything written Manage your own space and time Outcomes push
71. “ ” Bruno Munari To complicate is easy, to simplify is hard. To complicate, just add, everyone is able to complicate. Few are able to simplify.
72. Thanks. @Folletto I NT E N S E MI N I MAL ISM.CO M