Better teams through remote working (BetterSoftware 2014)

Presented at BetterSoftware 2014.

Running a successful remote company is not only possible, but it can actually lead to better team and a better product. Remote working encourages habits of communication and collaboration that can make a team objectively better, but only if it's done well. Remote working is a different way of working, with different constraints and processes.

In this talk I discuss some the most common challenges I tackled in the last 4 years of running a remote team and offer some practical hints about operating a distributed company. I explore the tools, development techniques and team management techniques for getting the best out of your remote team.

Transcript

1. Be#er teams through remote working Simone Carle, // @weppos Be3er So4ware 2014 #BSW14
2. Remote Working Pi5alls Tools In Real Life
3. WARNING All characters appearing in this work are NOT ficBBous. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is absolutely REAL.
4. @weppos
6. What is remote working?
7. Remote working is a different way of working, with different constraint and processes
8. Remote working brings you the freedom to spend as much Hme as you can in the places you love
9. Remote working permits a flexibility and freedom that increases your quality of life
10. Remote working increases team producHvity by encouraging focusing and reducing Hme waste
11. Remote working can drasHcally cut down company costs and expenses
12. Remote working encourages habits of communicaHon and collaboraHon that can make a team objecHvely be3er
13. But only if it's done well
14. Remote working is not suitable for everyone
15. Remote working is not a panacea for all that ails the modern workplace
16. Does it work?
17. Does it work?
18. Dispersed teams can act.ally out3erfor5 g7oups that are collocated. — MITSloan Does it work?
19. Approximately 69 percent of the employees sur>eyed cited higher productivit@ when working remote, and 75 percent of those sur>eyed said the timeliness of their work improved. — Cisco via Help Scout Does it work?
20. By telecommuting, 83 percent of employees said their abilit@ to communicate and collaborate with co- workers was the same as, if not beKer than, it was when working on-site. — Cisco via Help Scout Does it work?
21. Does it work?
22. Does it work?
23. Does it work?
24. Does it work for everybody?
25. NO
26. Yahoos can no longer work from home — CNN
27. Pi5alls
28. CommunicaBon
29. Enforce proper (over)communicaHon techniques COMMUNICATION
30. Don’t use email internally COMMUNICATION
31. Limit face-to-face discussions COMMUNICATION
32. Remote by default http://stet.editorially.com/articles/making-remote-teams-work/
33. Everyone on the team must adapt to remote working REMOTE BY DEFAULT
34. Make sure every team member is at least someHmes remote REMOTE BY DEFAULT
35. Office Hours
36. Strict office hours don’t play nicely with remote working OFFICE HOURS
37. Determine basic availabiliHes based on Hmezones OFFICE HOURS
38. Share team availabiliHes OFFICE HOURS
40. Timezones
41. Schedule your day wisely TIMEZONES
42. Plan for async communicaHons TIMEZONES
43. Personality
44. Remote work is not for everyone PERSONALITY
45. Get people that don’t need a manager PERSONALITY
46. Remote working requires a proper mindset PERSONALITY
48. Meetups
49. Face to face meetups are vital MEETUPS
51. Encourage company retreats MEETUPS
53. Encourage regular hangouts MEETUPS
55. Tools
56. CommunicaBon CollaboraBon AutomaBon IntegraBon
57. CommunicaBon
58. History is crucial CHAT
59. CHAT Hipchat
60. Hangout, if necessary VIDEO
61. VIDEO Google Hangout
62. No emails EMAIL
63. AutomaBon
64. BOT github / hubot
65. BOT Steve McBots
66. BOT Steve McBots
67. BOT Steve McBots
68. DEPLOY go-remote-control
69. DEPLOY Steve McBots + go-remote-control
70. TESTING Travis CI
71. QUALITY Code Climate
72. PROVISIONING Chef
73. CollaboraBon
74. CODE GitHub
75. CODE GitHub CodeReview
76. DISCUSSIONS GitHub Pull-Request
77. DISCUSSIONS GitHub Pull-Request
78. ISSUES GitHub Issues
79. DOCUMENTATION GitHub Wiki
80. An outdated or inaccurate comment is worse than no comment at all
81. IntegraBon
82. NOTIFICATION HipChat
83. NOTIFICATION HipChat
84. NOTIFICATION HipChat
85. AGGREGATION Papertrail
86. AGGREGATION Papertrail
87. IRL
88. It’s not all black or white
89. You can choose your shade
90. And discover that
91. You can (safely) deploy on Friday
92. You can have more Hme for you
93. You can have fun at work
94. Thanks. h3p://joind.in/talk/view/12265
95. No ananas were harmed in the making of this presentaBon
96. QuesBons? @weppos simonecarle^.com