GUIDE TO BUILDING STRONG REMOTE COLLABORATION

AREA OF BUSINESS	TIPS	NOTES
HIRING	Hire “doers.” Look for people with strong written communication skills. Prioritize autonomy and trust. Assess people’s need for a social workplace.
SCHEDULING	Set work hours. Maintain a schedule so team members can reliably collaborate. Keep time zone differences in mind (ideally, there should be two to three hour periods where everyone can work together, regardless of location).
CONTENT SHARING	Identify ways to seamlessly share content across teams. Create content hubs that house all documentation and resources. Follow naming and other style conventions to make resources accessible. Ensure all relevant parties have access to the right documents, logins, etc.
TEAM PARTICIPATION	Reach for universal participation, regardless of role or location. Schedule mandatory regular team meetings: Always prepare for a virtual meeting as you would for an in-office meeting. Have a meeting warm-up (icebreaker or other game). Have a designated leader. Set outcomes and time limits for each meeting, and use an agenda. Broaden the conversation to include everyone, but narrow next step options. Confirm what you’ve discussed in writing, post-meeting.
TOOLS	Do your research before buying collaboration tools. Understand how many licenses (or what level of subscription) you will need before purchasing. Provide adequate training. Don’t singularly rely on tools to support collaboration, and have backup plans for connectivity issues or other bugs.

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