Wide Teams

Wide Teams Podcast Episode 11: Interview with John McCaffrey

In this episode I talk to John McCaffrey, a software consultant who specializes in ironing out performance problems in Ruby on Rails applications. In the course of his consulting he works with dispersed teams, and in this interview he delivers a detailed rundown of the tools and workflow involved in doing Agile software development in a distributed team

Wide Teams Podcast Episode 10: Interview with Aslak Hellesøy

Aug 16, 10 • In Interviews, Podcast

In this episode: an interview with Aslak Hellesøy, who talks about the contrasts between coordinating a large Open-Source project and a small dispersed team; the importance of constantly re-evaluating your tools and practices; and more. Also: theme music!

Wide Links #8: I’m on a Train!

Aug 13, 10 • In Links

Links about remote work and dispersed teams, from all around the web. In this edition: workshifting from the train; the disciplined remote worker; more evidence that telework increases productivity, and more

Staying in Sync with a Core Hour

Aug 11, 10 • In Practices

One of the attractive features of a dispersed team is the ability for the team to get things done without all being on the same schedule. Members of the team are able to use their time more flexibly, scheduling work around life instead of vice-versa. They may also be scattered across time zones as well. This advantage comes with a significant dark side, however. With less time spent in direct communication, teams members have a much increased potential for getting out of sync with each other – leading to delays, duplicated or unneeded work, and confusion. Collocated organizations that practice flex time often define a block of “core hours” when every employee is expected to be in the office. While it is typically impractical – and quite possibly inefficient – for a dispersed team to

Screencast: PiratePad Video Test Drive

Aug 9, 10 • In Reviews

In the wake of Google’s announcement that they are closing Google Wave, it seemed like a good time to showcase some of the tools that can offer subset of Wave’s functionality. PiratePad is one such tool: a web-based, real-time rich text editor which makes it super simple to start sharing documents

Building an Intentional Culture

Aug 5, 10 • In Practices

Distributed organizations can have a team culture every bit as vibrant as their collocated equivalent. All it takes is the conscious effort of the team members, and the willingness to take a little extra time. In collocated teams, corporate culture tends to emerge organically and automacally. Through hallway conversations, Happy Hour outings, and lunchtime chatter friendships are made and the team’s unique spirit emerges. Dispersed teams are not so fortunate. Corporate culture can grow slowly or not at all in the thin soil of remote work. And when culture does develop, it may not be of the healthiest variety: plenty of distributed team veterans can tell stories about distrust, resentment, and miscommunication. What do do? Do we just leave the culture out of work, look at it as “just a job”, and get our camaraderie elsewhere? That’s

Landing a Job on a Wide Team

Aug 4, 10 • In Basics

A reader emailed me, asking for advice on finding a job with a dispersed team. While I can’t claim to be an expert on the subject, I’m happy to share what I know. Start a Telework Movement at Your Current Job While I’ve never tried to do this myself, some people are successful lobbying for a telework policy at their current place of a employment. This will only become more common as new government regulations and the financial realities of collocation force more and more organizations to consider the remote option. Be Visibly Awesome For many employers, hiring a remote worker can seem like a risky venture. Employers need assurance that you are worth the risk. That’s why I recommend that you start your job search at home, by picking a niche that you love

Photo Day!

Jul 28, 10 • In Practices

Office workers keep photos of their families on their desks, to remind them of their children and significant other while they are away from home. I work from home. So what do I keep on my desk? A “group” photo of my dispersed team. Here’s how I made sure every team member has a photograph of the team, no matter where they live. The Need for Team Visibility At least one study has shown that simply seeing a coworker every day can significantly improve the impression team members have of that person. Frequent video conferencing is one way distributed teams overcome the lack of “face time”. Another method is to make use of photos. I’ve heard of one team that places photos of the remote attendees near the speakerphone whenever they have a conference call

Wide Teams Podcast Episode 7: BohConf Roundtable Part 2

Jul 26, 10 • In Podcast

This episode features the conclusion of a roundtable about dispersed teams held at BohConf, an unconference held within RailsConf 2010. In this part, the participants talk about video conferencing, balancing team collaboration time with solo work, optimizing virtual meetings, meeting deadlines, finding talent for their teams, and much more

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