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RailsConf 2017: A clear-eyed look at distribute...

RailsConf 2017: A clear-eyed look at distributed teams

Distributed teams can have big benefits for both employers and employees. But there are many challenges. Being successful requires changes to work practices, communication, and style — and not just from the remote people. Everyone will experience changes. It helps to be prepared … and most of what we see being written and discussed is focused on remote workers, not the organization that supports them.

In this talk, we will look at the challenges and rewards of working in a distributed team setting based on several years of experience growing large distributed engineering teams.

Maria Gutierrez

April 27, 2017
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Transcript

  1. A Clear-Eyed Look
 at Distributed Teams Maria Gutierrez VP Engineering,

    FreeAgent Glenn Vanderburg VP Engineering, First.io
  2. We’ll hire some senior engineers and we’ll figure it out.

    Distributed teams are just as good as colocated teams in exactly the same ways! It’ll be easy!
  3. It’s hard to live and breathe something if you aren’t

    actually breathing the same air. There is something about a team being more powerful, more impactful, more creative, and frankly hopefully having more fun, when they are shoulder to shoulder. Speed and quality are often sacrificed when we work from home Shane Mac, Zaarly Michelle Peluso, CMO IBM Jackie Reses, Head of HR Yahoo
  4. But how do you build company culture when you are

    not working “shoulder to shoulder”? 1Make a Commitment
  5. You and your team You and the company leadership Your

    team and other teams that interact or depend on yours 2Communicate Intentionally
  6. 1203.47 ON CE % 7 8 9 4 5 6

    1 2 3 0 . = 1203.47 ON CE % 7 8 9 4 5 6 1 2 3 0 . = 1203.47 ON CE % 7 8 9 4 5 6 1 2 3 0 . = Understand and control your budget 3Be clear
  7. Organizations which design systems ... are constrained to produce designs

    which are copies of the communication structures of these organizations. — Mel Conway