![\"agilityfeat,](\"https:\/\/agilityfeat.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/11\/images.jpg\")
<\/a>For new employees on a distributed team, communicating how works get done can be a even bigger challenge. Absent the opportunity to observe others interacting at the water cooler or the podium, distributed teams must create and maintain a set of ground rules to help new employees integrate as well as to ensure that work gets down. The daily meeting is an important way to not only bring new employees up to speed but also to ensure that work is moving at the desired pace. These meetings should be quick but also allow the team to communicate what they are working on and what, if anything is blocking them from accomplishing their work today. Unfortunately, the daily meeting or \u00abstandup<\/a>\u00bb in the Agile vernacular can be constrained by time zones. For this reason, I recommend keeping your team within 8 time zones at a maximum and ideally within 6 time zones to enable a daily, real time communication. If you have people living in time zones that are more than 8 hours apart, it will be very challenging to maintain real time, daily communication.<\/p>\nAnother important practice is to include agendas before meetings and circulating meeting
\nnotes following a meeting. And while it’s very important for co-located teams, the value gets
\nmagnified for distributed teams. This practice has the dual value of documenting decisions for
\nthose who cannot attend a meeting due to time zones as well as providing a clear set of action items for the
\nteam. Lastly, well organized meetings can reinforce the value of real time communication for
\nlarger groups of people who may be predisposed to think that meetings are not a good use of time.<\/p>\n
Other routines to consider formalizing are expectations around availability for direct
\ncommunication, technologies used to communicate (Skype, GoToMeeting, JoinMe etc..) and what
\nto do if you can’t make a meeting. In an office, most people understand what time they need
\nto be available (during work hours) and how to communicate. For distributed teams, these
\nroutines are not so clear. Making the right set of decisions about these routines can make
\na huge difference, for all employees, not just new ones.<\/p>\n
Speaking the same language<\/h2>\n
One of the common criticisms of distributed teams is that communication doesn’t work in a
\ndistributed setting. However, there are many co-located teams that might claim the same thing.
\nAnd while there are clear challenges to communicating with a distributed team, there are several
\ntactics that can be taken to manage the tyranny of distance.<\/p>\n
One of the biggest challenges with communicating in a distributed setting is that it’s harder
\nto develop the social context for the team. With co-located teams, there are many opportunities
\nto get to know one another better. Lunches, after work drinks and general office conversation
\ngo a long way to establishing trust amongst the team. In a distributed setting, you have to
\nwork a little harder to establish the social context.<\/p>\n
The most effective way to create the trust and social context for distributed teams is simply
\nto get the team’s together once a year. While this may be expensive, the investment in bringing
\na team to the same location for even 1-2 days will likely pay multiple dividends over time.
\nThis co-location can be for kick-off sprints, critical problem solving or just a social
\nget together. By investing in time together for the team, you will go a long way to establishing
\nthe social context that enables strong team communication.<\/p>\n
Staying on track<\/h2>\n
Ultimately, the success of a team is tied to the clear articulation of values and the ability of the team to
\nlive out those values. Just as in a co-located environment, distributed teams benefit from
\na company’s ability to define and reinforce the values of that company. Some tactics to do
\nthis include regular reviews that discuss performance in the language of a company’s values
\nand sharing examples of how other employees are living out those values. The consistent communication
\nof the traits, behaviors and experiences a company values is the best way to maintain a
\ncompany’s culture.<\/p>\n
![\"agilityfeat,](\"https:\/\/agilityfeat.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/11\/images2.jpg\")
<\/a>In the end, both co-located and distributed teams must share ground rules, communication and values to be successful. After all, a company is really just a group of people working to build something together. Making thoughtful decisions about how you approach the topics of ground rules, communication