You're leading a remote engineering team. How do you ignite collaboration and innovation?

Fostering creativity begins with establishing a culture of continual learning. We prioritise regular knowledge-sharing sessions in which team members present new technology or approaches they have discovered. To stimulate collaboration, we employ virtual whiteboards for brainstorming and promote cross-functional initiatives. We also keep an online collection of intriguing articles and case studies to inspire our collective imagination. By adopting digital tools and emphasising open communication, we've turned distance into an asset, gathering inspiration from varied viewpoints and pushing the limits of engineering innovation.

Hay que generar espacios compartidos virtuales donde el equipo se pueda conectar y mantener sesiones con herramientas que fomenten la colaboración y la generación de ideas en común entre todos los integrantes. Es muy acertado incluso elegir entre los propios implicados, es decir el propio equipo, tanto a nivel de management como a nivel técnico, las herramientas a utilizar para favorecer la buena entrega de resultados en un contexto de trabajo deslocalizado.

Integrating communication and other collaboration tools in virtual workspaces maximizes real-time collaboration by allowing team members to contribute at their own pace, improving the quality of their input. This is important for managing teams that work in different time zones or working styles.

I can agree that programs like teams can foster a fun and collaborative work environment. Some funny memes to ligmood, mood, or a quick technical question or review is very productive. But can understand also, that it sometimes can be distracting when one is trying to focus. For me, I work with immediate team members through Teams, but it also opens me up to the rest of the internal employees of the company, and some of those ignore the I am busy.

Conducting informal “coffee chat” sessions can build stronger interpersonal relationships and enhance collaboration in remote teams. These casual interactions complement regular sync-ups by fostering a more connected and cohesive team culture, encouraging the sharing of ideas in a low-pressure environment.

Outils. Ne sous-estimez pas leur pouvoir. Slack, Trello, et GitHub doivent devenir les bureaux de vos ingénieurs. Combinez-les avec des outils collaboratifs comme Miro pour les brainstormings. Avec ces outils, l'agilité devient réelle. Réunions. Oui, mais pas des réunions pour des réunions. Suivez la méthode Agile : des stand-ups quotidiens, des rétrospectives percutantes. Restez focus. L'objectif ? Garder le rythme, s'ajuster vite, itérer constamment. Un projet qui avance vite, c'est un projet qui innove. Et surtout, rappelez-vous : distance ou pas, c’est l’agilité qui fait la différence.

The more the necessary sync-ups the higher the collaboration. Sync-ups need not be just status update meetings, they can be small cooler talks, virtual break rooms, any game that can be played together online, knowledge-sharing sessions, etc. Such activities on top of regular 1 on 1s help in keeping teams close and on the same track

La mejor forma de estar síncronizados con los integrantes de un equipo deslocalizado es mantener sesiones extraidas del framewrok SCRUM como puede ser la Daily, donde a primera hora de la mañana donde la mayoría de integrantes estén ya conectados y trabajando, se realice una sesión Daily donde poner en común brevemente y agilmente bloqueos y tareas urgentes a abordar, detectando prioridades y dependencias internas y externas del equipo. Para alcanzar la buena eficiencia se debe de introducir además un checkpoint con los integrantes del equipo que tengan desfase de huso horario de tal forma que se alineen los objetivos del equipo y se desbloqueen también las tareas de los compañeros que estén trabajando con cierta diferencia horaria.

A realização de reuniões regulares são o ponto de controle e encontro para estimular a colaboração, porém é necessário também dar autonomia para que todos os membros da equipe discutam os avanços além de incentivá-los a contribuir e a compartilhar seus desafios.

- The objectives should be very simple and understandable to each team member.  - Most importantly, the objectives should be correctly perceived by the team members with respect to their priority and urgency.  - The team leader shall make sure that all the members are on the same page and pace.  - Facilitate stages for team and self reflections. - Ensure properly shared digital boards for the free flow of information.

Los objetivos siempre deben de estar claros, muy bien definidos y además acompañados de seguimientos para facilitar que se puedan cumplir. Y hablo de objetivos individuales a nivel de integrantes y compañeros del equipo o equipos de trabajo así como de objetivos colectivos o de grupo / equipo ya que el equipo en sí debe de tener claro su objetivo que se alcanzará con la suma de lo que aporta cada persona del equipo, además alineado siempre con los objetivos de la propia organización.

Some ways to get started :- 1) Contribute before collaborate (Be the giver, before expecting). 2) First build credibility and value to gain their trust, then empower them with the direction and give them freedom to do in their own way. 3) Allow and accept their mistakes and failures. 4) Do not micro-manage. 5) Alignment at personal level along with professional level. 6) Involve them in decision making to have a feel of ownership.

Trazer as pessoas para o centro da discussão, dando autonomia e fazendo com que elas se sintam parte do processo de decisão é a melhor forma de motivar e engajar a equipe. Sem sobra de dúvidas isso cria um ambiente propício para a inovação.

Una vez se fijan los objetivos para cada integrante hay que dejar espacio de recorrido con autonomía para que sigan creciendo y recorriendo cada camino establecido. La confianza desde el management es clave para que las personas se mantengan motivadas y creciendo hacia los objetivos que les interesan.

Não temos como falar de inovação se não pensarmos em aprendizado contínuo. O estímulo a aprendizagem, seja participando de eventos de tecnologia ou cursos específicos, é fator determinante na busca pela inovação.

Communication tools enhance collaboration in remote teams by allowing members to contribute at their own pace, which is especially valuable for those in different time zones. This encourages thoughtful contributions and provides a written record.

Cuando hablo de establecer seguimiento a los objetivos fijados me refiero precisamente a sesiones abiertas entre management y equipo técnico, podrían ser también 1:1 donde se genere una retroalimentación positiva y constructiva.

Syncing up regularly and often with your team is always a great practice, but it becomes fundamental for fully remote teams. The teams and individuals in the teams need to be aware of how things are going, how the project is progressing and how their role fits in the short and long term plans of the company. Daily standups, or other similar ceremonies are key to understand project status and be on the same page with the rest of the team. Weekly (or bi-weekly) 1:1s, depending on team size, would allow you to keep a pulse of the individuals, coach/mentor them as needed, and build up a culture of growth and development.