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The biggest problem for me is not understanding the code that the other developers are writing and them not understanding mine. Since we don't sit right next t
by Osiris 14y ago
The biggest problem for me is not understanding the code that the other developers are writing and them not understanding mine.
Since we don't sit right next to each other, we rarely discuss quick little things that come up or "talk to the duck", so to speak.
Lately we've been testing a beta video chat product called "Sqwiggle". It makes chatting with members of the team a ot easier, though it's still beta quality.
I had made efforts to setup weekly "Show and Tell" sessions in an effort to get everyone on the team to show off what they've been working on, but Friday, it turns out, is a really bad day for that.
In short, the problem is communication. You need to find tools to facilitate communication, such as forcing code reviews, using video chats, phone calls, etc. It may also be useful to pair two distributed people together to work on one project so the knowledge is shared (in my case, between two difference offices).
- antoniuschan99 14y agoHey Osiris, thanks for giving me some of your insight. I would like to follow up to with some questions: Why are you not understanding the code other devs are writing (and vice versa)? Are you finding code reviews difficult in such an environment, or is it that the tools that are available aren't that great to use. With those quick little things. Are you finding that real time chat tools such as GChat or Campfire not properly facilitating that issue? A lot of people don't like the tap on the shoulder, but Sqwiggle kind of encourages that (I really like the idea it makes it much less lonely).
- Osiris 14y agoWhy are you not understanding the code other devs are writing Each of us is working on different areas of the code. We are not doing code reviews. When we end up needing something from someone else, we'll discuss the API, but not the guys of how the API is implemented, if that makes sense. Are you finding that real time chat tools such as GChat or Campfire not properly facilitating that issue? I really don't like text chat. It takes too long and is hard to discuss anything of worth. It's okay for a quick "hey get back to me as soon as you can". Sqwiggle is nice because it offers fast video chat (just click their picture and say hi) but also a persistent text chat area. We've also tried Hangout, which works okay but it's always on while Sqwiggle is not. Sqwiggle/Hangout (video chat) also gives a better sense of participation because I can see what's going on the other end. For example, I'll notice my co-worker chatting with someone else next to him and I can click on him and listen in, even if they're just joking around, it feels more like I'm there. Without the video chat, I have to rely on text chat or phone, which misses out on all those side-conversations.
- antoniuschan99 14y agoThanks for this :). You painted a wonderful picture for the reasons why anyone working away from their office might want to use an always on video service like sqwiggle.