Mike Smith, of Blitz.io, talks about being a part of a distributed team while being based in Austin, TX, why notifications and knowing your app is being used are good for team morale and self-esteem, and different strategies that promote communication between working regions.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Show Notes:
00:33 – Mike Smith Introductory
- Tech Lead at Blitz.io
- Based in Austin, Texas
- Team is based mostly in California with 2 others in Brazil
01:25 – History of being distributed
- Worked with the others in CA before moving to TX
- Brazilian team are contractors by refferal
- 6 team members total
02:50 – Working together
- Keeping in touch on a daily basis
- Campfire & Pivotal Tracker
03:47 – Automation around Campfire
-
New user registration
-
Plan purchases
-
Exception reporting & errors
07:00 – Energy of knowing your app is being used
- Sales get a notification
- Everybody likes to hear the bell ring
08:30 – Strategies to promote communication between regions
- Weekly call
- Live internal demos
10:30 – Challenges of distance
- Communication bandwidth
- Whiteboard
- Lucidchart
- Gesturing
14:35 – Advice for teams starting to work remotely
- Work with people you’ve worked with before if possible
- Shared sense of humor
18:43 – Facetime with team members
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. Related Posts
-
Episode #82: Interview with Amos King
In this episode, Amos King, talks about his experiences working remotely and gives a pretty cool background... -
Episode #81: Interview with J Sherwani and Vishal Kapur of Screenhero
In this episode, J Sherwani and Vishal Kapur talk about Screenhero: a new and convenient collaborative screen... -
Episode #80: Interview with Ernie Miller of LivingSocial
In this episode, Ernie Miller of LivingSocial, talks about his transition into managing a dispersed team,...
Click on a tab to select how you'd like to leave your comment
- Wide Teams
Subscribe in iTunes
