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A Guide to Managing Remote Teams

95 points by danielvlopes2 7y ago

JackPoach 7y ago
I've already posted the news to HN yesterday, but it didn't get any traction. Anyway one of the best remote collaboration platforms Bitrix24 is now free to an unlimited number of users until COVID-19 threat is over - https://www.bitrix24.com/about/blogs/bitrix24-tips-and-updates/bitrix24-coronavirus-remote-working-and-contingency-planning.php https://www.bitrix24.com/about/blogs/bitrix24-tips-and-updat...
- sleepless 7y ago
  Bitrix24 is surely not "one of the best remote collaboration platforms". Had to use that service some time ago in a job and it was a convoluted experience.
- robjan 7y ago
  If you're going to recommend your own product you should state your connection.
handosando 7y ago
Good outline. Another great resource is Andreas Klinger's Crash Course https://klinger.io/post/180989912140/managing-remote-teams-a-crash-course https://klinger.io/post/180989912140/managing-remote-teams-a...
wahlis 7y ago
Free for the price of my email address?
- VvR-Ox 7y ago
  Just use a temp / fake address then ;-p
- amarsahinovic 7y ago
  Just use https://10minutemail.com/ https://10minutemail.com/ or some similar service
- rooam-dev 7y ago
  What would be an acceptable free for you?
  - deleted 7y ago
    [deleted]
  - blunte 7y ago
    Considering this is really just an ad for the KnowYourTeam product, I think just getting someone to arrive at your blog should be enough. Also needing some info from them is asking a bit much.
  - eric234223 7y ago
    Asking for email address is asking for a huge favor. Its not free. Just because a product took hard work to create does not get the right to call it free when asking for email address. Let that sink in.
SirLJ 7y ago
Here is my advice, based on many years managing a remote ops team across the continent: you do not need another tool! The good old email and phone is just enough, providing you trust the people you work with (if you don't then this is on you as a manager an no tool will help you) Ask to be cced on the the important problems/projects and have 1 team meeting for few hours Wednesday afternoon, so everyone can share not only work related stuff, but encourage the team to talk about Life, the Universe and Everything... Get to know the people who work with you, have all hands meeting for few days every year, go out for drinks ... Have their backs, no netter what, even if you risk yours... Those simple steps should be enough and have served me well over the years, because, really noting beats working form home...
- Zhyl 7y ago
  A man passes a builder who is using a hammer to drive screws into a plank of wood. "You should use a screwdriver for that," says the man. "It's more suited to the job, you will find it easier and you will be more productive as a result." "Thank you," said the Builder, taking the screwdriver. The builder then hits the screw as hard as he could with the handle. His results are not impressive. "I think I'll stick to the hammer," he says, throwing the screwdriver away.
  - StaticRedux 7y ago
    TL;DR; when all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail Although I like your version also. Haven't heard the full story before like that
    - Zhyl 7y ago
      Yeah, I want a complementary version too which would support OP's "Email and phone is sufficient". Something like Alanis Morisette's "10,000 spoons when all you need is a knife". If you're only opening a tin of paint you could also use a spoon.
  - runawaybottle 7y ago
    Definitely. Good ol’ email is really for amateurs at this point. If you want to do remote right, get with it, your vpn has to be rock solid, your team has to be attuned to explaining ideas via conferencing, you better like Slack-type tools, you better be ready to respond to communication speedily (within reason), good ol’ email isn’t a serious solution. This space has a ton of room for creativity to make it seamless (for those of you wondering if your dog walking app in cloud needs kubernetes, better shit to think about).

95 points by danielvlopes2 7y ago

I've already posted the news to HN yesterday, but it didn't get any traction. Anyway one of the best remote collaboration platforms Bitrix24 is now free to an unlimited number of users until COVID-19 threat is over - https://www.bitrix24.com/about/blogs/bitrix24-tips-and-updates/bitrix24-coronavirus-remote-working-and-contingency-planning.php https://www.bitrix24.com/about/blogs/bitrix24-tips-and-updat...

sleepless 7y ago
Bitrix24 is surely not "one of the best remote collaboration platforms". Had to use that service some time ago in a job and it was a convoluted experience.
robjan 7y ago
If you're going to recommend your own product you should state your connection.

handosando 7y ago

Good outline. Another great resource is Andreas Klinger's Crash Course https://klinger.io/post/180989912140/managing-remote-teams-a-crash-course https://klinger.io/post/180989912140/managing-remote-teams-a...

wahlis 7y ago

Free for the price of my email address?

VvR-Ox 7y ago
Just use a temp / fake address then ;-p
amarsahinovic 7y ago
Just use https://10minutemail.com/ https://10minutemail.com/ or some similar service
rooam-dev 7y ago
What would be an acceptable free for you?
- deleted 7y ago
  [deleted]
- blunte 7y ago
  Considering this is really just an ad for the KnowYourTeam product, I think just getting someone to arrive at your blog should be enough. Also needing some info from them is asking a bit much.
- eric234223 7y ago
  Asking for email address is asking for a huge favor. Its not free. Just because a product took hard work to create does not get the right to call it free when asking for email address. Let that sink in.

SirLJ 7y ago

Here is my advice, based on many years managing a remote ops team across the continent: you do not need another tool! The good old email and phone is just enough, providing you trust the people you work with (if you don't then this is on you as a manager an no tool will help you) Ask to be cced on the the important problems/projects and have 1 team meeting for few hours Wednesday afternoon, so everyone can share not only work related stuff, but encourage the team to talk about Life, the Universe and Everything... Get to know the people who work with you, have all hands meeting for few days every year, go out for drinks ... Have their backs, no netter what, even if you risk yours... Those simple steps should be enough and have served me well over the years, because, really noting beats working form home...

Zhyl 7y ago
A man passes a builder who is using a hammer to drive screws into a plank of wood. "You should use a screwdriver for that," says the man. "It's more suited to the job, you will find it easier and you will be more productive as a result." "Thank you," said the Builder, taking the screwdriver. The builder then hits the screw as hard as he could with the handle. His results are not impressive. "I think I'll stick to the hammer," he says, throwing the screwdriver away.
- StaticRedux 7y ago
  TL;DR; when all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail Although I like your version also. Haven't heard the full story before like that
  - Zhyl 7y ago
    Yeah, I want a complementary version too which would support OP's "Email and phone is sufficient". Something like Alanis Morisette's "10,000 spoons when all you need is a knife". If you're only opening a tin of paint you could also use a spoon.
- runawaybottle 7y ago
  Definitely. Good ol’ email is really for amateurs at this point. If you want to do remote right, get with it, your vpn has to be rock solid, your team has to be attuned to explaining ideas via conferencing, you better like Slack-type tools, you better be ready to respond to communication speedily (within reason), good ol’ email isn’t a serious solution. This space has a ton of room for creativity to make it seamless (for those of you wondering if your dog walking app in cloud needs kubernetes, better shit to think about).