top 5 secrets of distributed teams / christina mcneill & t. kim nguyen
TRANSCRIPT
Top 5 Secrets of Distributed Teams
Christina McNeill – Penn State – [email protected]. Kim Nguyen – Wildcard Corp. – [email protected]
Why Are Successful Teams Important?
●Individuals have limits●Affect Plone’s success●Team effectiveness is a range: 0% <–> 100%●Ways to boost effectiveness
Team Challenges
NormalRoles
Personality
Organization
Leadership
RemoteMomentum
Collaboration
GlobalTime/Distance
Language
Cultural Norms
1.Plan the Meeting
1.Plan the Meeting
Share agenda & other documents beforehandScheduling: be consistent in frequency, time,
formatDo you need a meeting?Pick collaboration tools
1.Plan the Meeting
Google Drive & DocsGoogle Calendar
2. Manage the Meeting
2. Manage the Meeting
Start and finish on timeFollow agenda: Stay on topic
Can use task managers as structure for the meeting
Manage personality dynamicsRecord minutes and action items
2. Manage the Meeting: Face-to-Face
Google Hangouts (group)Skype (group)Firefox Hello (1 on 1)FaceTime (1 on 1)
2. Manage the Meeting: Task Managers
ActiveInboxHQ.comTrelloJIRABasecamp (PSM13, PSM14)Github issue tracker
3. Communicate Between Meetings
3. Communicate Between Meetings
1.Email2.Collaborative
EditingGoogle Docs
Design: invisionapp.com
3. Folder / Google Drive4. Chat
IRC
Slack.com
4. Share with the Community
4. Share with the Community: What & Why
Team membersAgendaFor transparencySo people know you’re active & can coordinate
with youYou may get help!
4. Share with the Community: How
1.community.plone.org: Announcements -> Team Minutes
2.Twitter 3.Personal blog (feed to planet.plone.org)
news from these sources are included in the newsletter
5. PeopleThink™
5. PeopleThink™
●Who make good team members? not always obvious
●Easing collaboration / group dynamics●Allowing personality and style differences to
complement, not clash●Who will show up consistently? Who will do
what they say they would do?●The ideal team member mix may change over
time
Applied Theory / Plone Teams
1.Foundation Board2.Plone.com3.Plone 5 Launch Team4.Marketing & Communications
Plone Foundation Board
The Star Chamber … evolved into a political weapon, a symbol of the misuse and abuse of power
Plan the meeting
Manage the meeting
Communicate between meetings
Share with the community
PeopleThink™
Plone Foundation Board
Team with most formal processScheduled bi-weekly meetingsFormal agenda process
Plan the meeting
Manage the meeting
Communicate between meetings
Share with the community
PeopleThink™
Plone Foundation Board
AgendaGoogle HangoutApprove prior meeting minutesRecord meeting minutes
Plan the meeting
Manage the meeting
Communicate between meetings
Share with the community
PeopleThink™
Plone Foundation Board
EmailGoogle Docs
Plan the meeting
Manage the meeting
Communicate between meetings
Share with the community
PeopleThink™
Plone Foundation Board
Meeting minutesposted on plone.org/foundation/minutes
posted on community.plone.org
emailed to Foundation membership
Agendaposted on plone.org/foundation/agendas
Plan the meeting
Manage the meeting
Communicate between meetings
Share with the community
PeopleThink™
Plone Foundation Board
●A truly effective mix of:○quiet (and maybe not so quiet) doers
○reality checkers
○social networkers
○longstanding context keepers
Plone.com
Plan the meeting
Manage the meeting
Communicate between meetings
Share with the community
PeopleThink™
Plone.com
Regularly scheduled bi-weekly meetings
Same day
Same time
Google CalendarRecurring meetings
Plan the meeting
Manage the meeting
Communicate between meetings
Share with the community
PeopleThink™
Plone.com
the same Google Hangout URLprivate Trac issue tracker
Plan the meeting
Manage the meeting
Communicate between meetings
Share with the community
PeopleThink™
Plone.com
EmailComments on issue trackerIRC
Plan the meeting
Manage the meeting
Communicate between meetings
Share with the community
PeopleThink™
Plone.com
Closed (private) issue trackerNo meeting notes taken, none shared
Plan the meeting
Manage the meeting
Communicate between meetings
Share with the community
PeopleThink™
Plone.com
Right people in right roles:themer
decider
writer
idea bouncer & editor
general purpose doer
Plone 5 Launch Team
Plan the meeting
Manage the meeting
Communicate between meetings
Share with the community
PeopleThink™
Plone 5 Launch Team
Regularly scheduled bi-weekly meetings
Same day
Same time
Google CalendarRecurring meetings
Agenda
Plan the meeting
Manage the meeting
Communicate between meetings
Share with the community
PeopleThink™
Plone 5 Launch Team
Follow AgendaGoogle Hangout
Plan the meeting
Manage the meeting
Communicate between meetings
Share with the community
PeopleThink™
Plone 5 Launch Team
Notes *eventually* posted on community.plone.org
Plan the meeting
Manage the meeting
Communicate between meetings
Share with the community
PeopleThink™
Plone 5 Launch Team
●Members chosen to represent all aspects of P5: docs, training, installers, framework team, marketing & communications
●A good mix of deciders and doers●Needed more people to DO
Marketing & Communications Team
Plan the meeting
Manage the meeting
Communicate between meetings
Share with the community
PeopleThink™
Marketing & Communications Team
Regularly scheduled bi-weekly meetings
Same day
Same time
Google CalendarRecurring meetings
Plan the meeting
Manage the meeting
Communicate between meetings
Share with the community
PeopleThink™
Marketing & Communications Team
Overlap with Plone 5 Launch Team members
EmailSlack
Plan the meeting
Manage the meeting
Communicate between meetings
Share with the community
PeopleThink™
Marketing & Communications Team
Folded into Plone 5 Launch TeamNotes not taken and/or nothing to
shareMiscommunication
No one attends
Meetings canceled
Plan the meeting
Manage the meeting
Communicate between meetings
Share with the community
PeopleThink™
Marketing & Communications Team
So much to do, not enough peopleSmall team, work well together Skills needed
5 Secrets
1.Plan the Meetings2.Manage the Meetings3.Communication Between Meetings4.Share with Community5.PeopleThink
Top 5 Secrets of Distributed Teams
Christina McNeill – Penn State – [email protected]. Kim Nguyen – Wildcard Corp. – [email protected]