This document is formed from over 10 years of building and selling software with remote-based teams. Remember, this is a guide; the best teams actively adopt and refine the work style that works best for them.

General Remote Work Guidelines

Working remotely presents special challenges to teams; primarily in frequency of communication and difficulty creating personal connections. Here are some measures we should expect to take when working remotely:

  1. Be clear on what channels you use and what they are used for
  2. Do as much async as possible (including loom-style videos) until either:
    1. guidance is needed, or
    2. a decision needs to be made
  3. Be time-zone flexible; this includes encouraging others to rotate to your preferred time in addition to others’ preferred times
  4. Document everything that a new team member would need to know about to do their job well
  5. Done is better than perfect
  6. Aim to get to inbox 0 every day. Then put away your computer.

Remote Teamwork

  1. Allow and encourage everyone to speak, including encouraging round-table story telling
  2. Public praise is always appreciated; don’t forget to celebrate wins together.
  3. When feasible, take some days to work in the same space as other team members in your same city

Better Remote Meetings

  1. ~90% of meetings should be decisive in nature. If the meeting is informative, consider writing and presenting your findings asynchronously
  2. Video (over audio) conferences by default
  3. Commit to being totally present (e.g., no phone scrolling please)
  4. Whenever possible, meet in person.

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