Wide Teams

Episode #54: Steven R. Baker


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In this episode, Steven R. Baker, shares his experiences facilitating a remote team in Canada, his philosophies that led to working remotely,

Show Notes:

Steven R. Baker (twitter / blog)

01:10 – Steven Introduction & Background

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  • Writing software between 10-20 years
  • Focus on testing and developing high quality software
  • For the last 8-10 years, working from home
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    02:01 – Working from the road

    03:07 – VersaPay: Bank transfers in Canada

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    • 5 developers and a designer
    • Coordinate work with office in Toronto
    • Donâ€t know where team members are working from on a given day and donâ€t care

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      05:16 – Coordinating

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      • Optional daily standup
      • HipChat
      • Mailing lists

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        06:34 – Managing the distribution of work

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        • Pivotal Tracker
        • Take the next story at the top of the backlog
        • Rotate through the team every two weeks to have a new Q&A/support person

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          08:03 – Avoiding knowledge silos

          10:15 – Looping others into a project

          11:33 – Philosophy that led to working remotely

          15:04 – Finding business

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          • Twitter
          • Conferences
          • Develop personal connections
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            17:23 – Facilitating/encouraging a remote team

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            • Maintain a culture of openness and trust
            • Standup format: “What are you working on right now?”
            • Utilizing tools
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              25:41 – Team building offsite days

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              Wide TeamsBy Avdi Grimm

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