Podcast #33: Keith Casey of Blue Parabola

May 24, 12 • In Featured, Interviews, Podcast

In this episode, Keith Casey of Blue Parabola talks about managing a successful PHP company with a 100% distributed team, being a buffer zone between corporate and open-source worlds, and what mainstream companies look for in hiring remote workers.

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Show Notes:

PHP Architect
Web2Project
CaseySoftware
Twilio

02:06 – Keith Casey introduction and background

Software developer based in Austin Texas
Primary focus is PHP community
Blue Parabola 100% distributed

03:12 – History of Blue Parabola as a distributed team

Natural progression

04:20 – Blue Parabola

One of the more active, unheard of, PHP companies
Runs PHP Architect Magazine
Runs PHP Tech, a conference in Chicago
Contracting, consulting, training
Works with companies of people trying to understand the PHP community
Buffer zone between corporate world and open-source world

06:30 – A day in the life with Keith

Varied work schedule/time zones
Chat channel/status calls
Twice a week daily stand-ups

08:22 – Useful tools

09:05 – Web 2 Project

Lead developer
Web-based formal project management

13:45 – Ups and downs of working from home

No commute time is nice
Stopping at the end of the day is difficult

14:38 – Communicating in person as a team

Try for once a quarter
Conferences

16:45 – PHP Community

Mainstream companies doing big things who hire people wherever they are located
Hiring experienced people

19:20 – Advice for future dispersed teams

Open up channels for communication and get used to communicating there

distributed teams Interviews management podcast remote work telecommuting

About the Author: Avdi Grimm

Husband, father, software cultivator, and amateur community builder, 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 four children.