Wide Teams

It’s been a while since I did one of these. In this edition, productivity tips, videos, notes on distributed Agile processes, and more.

• A short video interview with Salim Ismail

  He talks about the importance of meeting your team in person at the start of a project. But what I found most interesting is when he says that he sees dispersed teams as a way to get the best possible talent no matter where they are located.

  tags: wideteams

• Work Smart 2: Stay Connected While Telecommuting | Fast Company – Annotated

  A lot of great advice in this short video.

  tags: wideteams

  • Working remotely is so liberating–you get to do what you do best, in a location of your choice, without your co-workers or boss always looking over your shoulder. But telecommuting also requires a lot more effort when it comes to maintaining relationships and connections with people back at the office.

   

• 37 Productivity Tips for Working From Anywhere – Annotated

  I don’t agree with every tip but there are some great ideas here. Here are some samples:

  tags: wideteams

  • Be honest with regard to when you are productive. For example, I am far more productive at night. I get more done between 10 p.m. and 2 a.m. than I ever do before noon (when I have the luxury to choose). When I was in a situation where I had that flexibility, I would go to the gym in the morning because that requires no thought and do the hard stuff in the afternoon, evening and night.

   

  • Bring headphones to a co-working space as an indicator of busyness. Wearing them signals to others that “I can’t be disturbed right now.”

   

  • Get to know the guy who runs the coffee shop you frequent. Learn his name, make small talk, take an interest in his business, become friends. He usually knows everyone who comes in, and if you’re a freelancer you can get some good — and importantly, varied — business introductions.

   

  • Keep everything electronically. If you’re working from a coffee shop or in a park, the last thing you want to be doing is shuffling papers. Become proficient in taking notes in PDF documents and get used to reading documents on your computer. It’s a challenge at first, but worth it in the end. If you must, carry one small notebook for notes and memos

   

• Practical Product Management: Less Specification, More Interaction for Distributed Teams – Annotated

  tags: wideteams

  • When working with Distributed Teams, sometimes the “home” team will feel the need to be ultra prescriptive in their specifications and instructions to the “remote” team.  Fight this tendency!  More documentation will lead to a false sense of security and due to time zone / remoteness, and may discourage the Product Owner and remote team from interacting.

   

• Work Shifting – 3 IT Trends That Could Change Workshifting – Annotated

  tags: wideteams

  • Its going to be an exciting next 10 – 15 years. As we start to see these trends emerge, start to see business focus on ROWE work environments, it will be a workshifters nirvana.

   

• An Agile Mind: Collocated team vs. Distributed team – which is more productive? – Annotated

  tags: wideteams

  • All the impediments whether working in collocated and distributed mode would impact productivity. Since I’ve had the opportunity to learn about agile methods I have realized that it’s literally a matter of choosing the communication methods that are suited to our environment.

   

• Distributed Teams and Agile

  An in-depth article on practicing Agile methods with a distributed team.

  tags: wideteams

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About the Author: Avdi Grimm

Avdi has been leading and participating in dispersed software development teams since 2007. He works from home in Southern Pennsylvania, and loves the fact that working remotely enables him to spend more time with his wife and five (soon to be six) children.