5 Key Tools for Distributed Teams

In another blogpost we wrote a bit about the benefits of being a distributed company. However, being a distributed company isn’t without its pitfalls - you just have to work at it. Managing and working in a distributed team can take a bit of getting used to. If you haven’t worked remotely before, it can be a bit daunting and you might be in for a culture shock. However, ultimately, having a successful distributed team just involves one thing - communication, really good communication.

Trello

All of our projects have their own board in Trello. Trello boards are online, interactive notice boards. It’s a really easy-to-use system and we use it to manage all projects we work on, whether they be large development projects or support contracts. All of our clients have access to the trello boards where they can see what’s being worked on and the latest up to date information on progress. Transparency is at the core of everything we do, so they have access to all the same information we do. It is important for all members on our team to have good written communication skills. Sometimes describing an issue in person is easier or quicker than trying to describe it in writing. However, the simple act of taking the time to write down a description of a problem in detail often leads to the reporter figuring the solution out for themselves, and, if not, provides a much clearer picture of the issue allowing it to be solved more readily. We also encourage our staff to use screenshots or other images to help illustrate what they mean. Tools like Skitch which allow you to annotate screenshots are particularly helpful in that regard.

Skype

Sometimes good written communication is not enough. Sometimes it’s necessary to have that verbal conversation to get on the same wavelength. Written communication can also suffer from misunderstandings. For example, it’s difficult to convey intonation or mood with just written text, and so without that verbal communication, or even that initial face-to-face meeting, something may come across as harsh or stern even if it wasn’t intended that way. To overcome this, we have daily team scrum calls on Skype. These are 15 minute calls where everyone on the team gives a brief update of what they’re working on. Each project would also have frequent, longer, team calls where more in-depth technical discussions can happen, as well as regular client calls. In Annertech, Skype is essentially our virtual water cooler. We have an Annertech channel where we talk about anything from Mike’s new pizza oven to the weather in Galway and everything in between. Each project generally has its own Skype channel for project-specific conversations which has the benefit of keeping conversations in one place and reducing noise on the main channel.

Skype is the tool that works for us. However, there are plenty more tools out there that do a similar or better job, including the likes of Google Hangouts, Yammer, etc. When I first started Annertech, I wanted everyone to use IRC but it quickly became evident that not everyone wanted to learn it and the lack of online voice capabilities made it the wrong choice for us. Whatever tool your team members prefer, or actually use, is probably the right tool for you. Don't force a tool that people dislike or hate because it just won't do the job as effectively. Similarly don't force video on everyone. Despite of all the benefits it might bring, some people find it invasive and, particularly in the case of globally distributed teams, it's bound to be 2am for someone somewhere.

Dropbox and Google Docs

We use a mixture of Dropbox and Google Docs for sharing documents. Dropbox is handy for client supplied documents and assets. However, Google Docs is much better for collaborative editing and is where we would share most of our documentation on our processes and tools.

Git

Version control software such as Git is a vital development tool. I think it's vital to every development company, not just distributed ones. However, the distributed nature of Git, its ability to handle projects of multiple sizes and its ease of use, were some of the key reasons we chose it. All projects we work on are stored in Git and work is committed and pushed to the development server frequently so everyone can see the latest (and greatest) version of the project at any one time.

Face to face meetings

Not really a tool per se, but even as a distributed team, face to face meetings are still a hugely important aspect of communication. You can learn a huge amount about a person from visual cues that you pick up when you meet them face to face. Recognising that face to face communication is still important, we organise quarterly Annertech Days. These are days where we get the entire team together and talk about Annertech stuff - about our processes, how we work together, what we could do better, and absolutely no client work. It’s about social interaction and team building (though without that whole “jump and we’ll catch you” thing!). It’s about getting to know your fellow Annertechies on a much more personal level, and because we only meet up once a quarter, we try to make the most of it and do something fun in the evenings to kick back and relax. In addition to that, at the start of each new project we try to get all members of the team to meet with the client at the project kick-off where possible. It helps kick-start the project and get the creative juices flowing, but it’s also important for the client to get to know us and to place a face and a personality with that voice on the other end of the phone.

I'm sure there is a plethora of other tools out there that we could be using. I'd be really interested in hearing what tools you find useful in your distributed teams. Please feel free to give us your feedback below! 

Next week, I'll be publishing an article on some of the challenges you'll face if managing a distributed team. Stay tuned!