Wide Teams

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. Show Notes: PHP Architect Web2Project CaseySoftware Twilio 02:06 – Keith Casey introduction and background 03:12 – History of Blue Parabola as a distributed team 04:20 – Blue Parabola 06:30 – A day in the life with Keith 08:22 – Useful tools 09:05 – Web 2 Project 13:45 – Ups and downs of working from home 14:38 – Communicating in person as a team 16:45 – PHP Community 19:20 – Advice for future dispersed teams

Podcast #29: John Hawkins of 9Seeds LLC

Apr 27, 11 • In Featured, Interviews, Podcast

In this episode, an interview with John Hawkins, one of the founders of 9Seeds, a company that specializes in custom WordPress development. The 9Seeds team is fully dispersed, with every team member working from home. We talked about how 9Seeds came to be a distributed company, and why John intends never to set foot in a brick-and-mortar office again. Show notes: John Hawkins is @vegasgeek on Twitter 9Seeds LLC The Event Ticketing and Affiliate Manager WordPress plugins 9Seeds sponsors WordCamp conferences

Podcast #24: Derek Wade

Feb 15, 11 • In Interviews, Podcast

In this episode, a conversation with Derek Wade, a collaboration expert and Team Coach at Kumido Adaptive Systems. We talk about building “high-gravity” distributed teams, work-scapes, and the benefits of simple, free-form tools for collaboration. This episode is “back from the dead” — all of the audio from my side of the interview was lost, but I reconstructed and re-dubbed my questions so that I could share this interview. Show notes: Derek can be found at derekwwade.net, and is @derekwwade on Twitter. Slides for the presentation “High Gravity Distributed Teams“ The #lrnchat hashtag on Twitter I did a video demo of the Cardmeeting tool

Wide Links #16: Meeting, Coaching, Bridging, Chatting

Dec 3, 10 • In Links

A heaping helping of links for remote workers today! In this edition, why work often doesn’t happen at work; an open thread on managing remote workers; advice for improving communication between the main office and remote workers – and much, much more. Making a long-distance relationship work: When feds go remote – Tom Fox tags: wideteams Don’t forget the small talk.When separated by distance, it’s even more important to make small talk about the little things in life to build rapport. Don’t forget to establish a sort of virtual water cooler for your folks by talking with them about their lives, the big game or whatever you can find to make a personal connection. Consider having your team virtually share their favorite recipes or books each week to help them stay connected while telecommuting. Jason

Wide Teams Podcast Episode 19: Interview with Steven Willmott

Nov 23, 10 • In Interviews, Podcast

In this episode of the Wide Teams podcast, I interview Steven Willmott of 3Scale. We talk about supporting clients in multiple timezones, what you do when one of your developers who lives on a mountainside and generates his own power gets hit with a snowstorm, and much more!

Wide Links #15: Management, Busyness, Satisfaction

Nov 19, 10 • In Links

The week’s best articles on remote teams from all around the web. In this edition, pointers for managing a distributed team, tips for communicating how busy you are to people who can’t see you, a report that says teleworkers are happier than people who work in offices, and more! How to Manage Telecommuters: Tips from Project Managers – Annotated Four managers chime in with tips on leading remote teams. tags: wideteams “For complicated tasks, employees are asked to paraphrase tasks given. The manager reviews and sees if they are both in sync and if any extra input is required. This is more important for employees who are new to the job. Seasoned employees can read between the lines and have the experience required to understand any given task.” Ideas for a Distributed Team &#

Wide Links #12: Agility, Attitude, Independence

Oct 22, 10 • In Links

A sampling of the week’s best articles about distributed teams and remote work, from around the web. This week, notes on distributed agile software development; an article that says changing mindset is a bigger barrier to remote work than adopting new tools; a post about how working remotely helps workers become more independent and self-directed; and much, much more. Distributed Agile: Cultural Differences/Expectation disconnect – Annotated Some notes on distributed software teams from a ThoughtWorks developer working in India. tags: wideteams As I mentioned in my first post about distributed agile a couple of months ago I’ve found that it’s much easier to build the wrong thing when working in a different time zone to the product owner but I wouldn’t say the ability to write maintainable code is much different. 6 rules for

Wide Links #11: Trust, Balance, Camping

Oct 15, 10 • In Links

For your reading enjoyment, a fresh batch of links from around the web! In this installment: building trust on distributed teams, maintaining balance at home when home IS work, and working remotely while camping across Europe. Trust Matters – Annotated An article about building trust in distributed teams. tags: wideteams When someone starts a call with: “So, how was everyone’s weekend?” really share something: “We had so much fun; my 5 year old daughter is playing T-ball and the girls were hilarious whacking at the ball and running around the bases.” We trust those who are willing to take the small risk of revealing something about themselves; encourage it, especially by role-modeling it. The Future of Web Working: Management – Annotated A quick guide to getting started managing a virtual team. tags: wideteams How do people

Wide Teams Podcast Episode 9: Interview with Michael Bleigh

Aug 9, 10 • In Interviews, Podcast

In this episode: some thoughts on the Google Wave shutdown announcement, and talking to Michael Bleugh of Intridea about being part of a 50-person geographically distributed company

Wide Links #6

Jul 23, 10 • In Links

Links about dispersed teams, from around the web. In this edition: coworking from home; evaluating Google Wave; questions to ask a potential remote employer; planning a virtual meeting; and more