Does a geographically distributed development team use a better approach to launching software?

Question

It is generally recognized that successful software development is just teamwork and communication, since this is an individual programming experience. Given this, it can be assumed that when working with a geographically distributed team, you are at a disadvantage for a cohesive team working locally.

When my start-up company was founded, we could not afford to share office premises, and I was actually in another city for the rest of the team, so we all had to work remotely and use tools such as Basecamp, Skype and Trac for communication. One whole, it was really successful - we got a huge quality job in a short period of time and launched a successful product. The work remotely gave our developers the time and space they needed to focus on work and be productive without interruptions or long-term office policies. This is a huge advantage for me.

Given my experience, as well as the success of software companies with distributed teams, such as 37signals and StackOverflow (and of course, many more), I increasingly believe that the benefits of a distributed team outweigh the benefits of a centralized team, especially for start-ups.

Do you agree?

Answer 1

Given my experience as well as the success of software companies with distributed teams such as 37signals and StackOverflow (and I’m sure many more), I am increasingly suggesting that the benefits of a distributed team outweigh the launch of a centralized team, especially for start-ups.

Do you agree?

I agree.

Running a distributed team definitely has its drawbacks. As you noted in your own post, communication is a big problem. There are times, as a developer, I like to just bounce ideas from other developers and change ideas that I might not have come up with myself. Also, it can be difficult to get feedback or do code reviews (methods that I found useful in my development experience).

With that said, I also think that there is an advantage for a distributed team. The biggest of them is that developers strive for the best, when they can concentrate and just develop, and not worry about being interrupted or attending frequent meetings, etc. This was a huge advantage in one job that I had in a small company.

In your particular situation, you thought that one of the reasons you were so successful was not because you were geographically dispersed, but you were successful because you are a small company? Small companies have the advantage that you have a limited number of products, usually more attention, and as a result, you can maintain better control over your products / schedules, etc.

What are my 2 cents.

Answer 2

I agree that the offices are quite distracting due to noise and interruptions. But the distractions that are bothering you are the other side of the coin to ask people around you. Although I have not tried remote work more than a few days at a time, the inability to get an answer to a quick question in the 30s is the main drawback that I see.

Answer 3

Such comparisons, which empirical data can give us, are very difficult to make, perhaps almost impossible. So what gives us a license to think about, right?

My pet theory is that any sufficiently talented and motivated team can make the most of any system, method, geographical dispersion.

Answer 4

I totally agree. The office environment provides mainly distractions and opportunities to spend time and look busy. The distributed team does not need to pay rent, they can deduct part of their rent or mortgages from their taxes, and they can recruit talent from almost anywhere in the world (instead of trying to find capable RoR developers in East Bumvip, Oklahoma).

Answer 5

Do you regularly read Joel Spolsky’s blog?

Joel described the centralized offices they created to increase productivity.

• There is more than enough space for each developer, so they can walk up and down for a while when an error haunts one of them. :)
• Separated offices . During working hours, there is only a developer and a task. Nothing else.
• Soundproof walls. (As far as I remember.) It is usually useful to provide full control over the workspace. For example, Devs can listen to music without headphones.

As you can see, FogCreek has managed to combine most of the benefits of remote work, while maintaining lively communication as an option.

However, due to the lack of teleportation, this customizable and professional office has not yet solved the problem with different world objects.

Answer 6

From personal experience, I am much more productive when working remotely. I lose the feeling that someone is looking at my shoulder, criticizing me for being lazy when I really just take a moment to collect my thoughts. I am also grateful that I do not have time to travel, even if I only save 20 minutes every time it is a huge load from my back, plus I do not need to dress to be in the office, so I will save time by getting ready in the morning , I found it quite easy to mitigate communication problems by implementing a certain amount of time during the day to be online, we had people on the east and west coasts, so we had people online between 1-4p EST. Also, just make sure everyone has phone numbers, that was good, there were a lot of problems that could be solved with a quick phone call. I want more businesses to support remote developers, I'm in the office now and I feel that being here is so wasteful. I could do more in less time without distractions and have a better ability to manage my time.

Answer 7

Pros: you can hire the person you want, instead of sticking with those available in the neighborhood.

Minuses. It's hard to communicate if your team members live in different time zones.

Answer 8

I think launching works best if the core team is physically close to space. As the team grows and the product and processes mature in remote work, I enjoy my experience. During this critical first year, there cannot be too much communication between developers and founders.

As soon as the launch has a real direction and good processes, remote work becomes very effective.

Of course, having some developers working remotely saves real money in overhead and makes everyone happy, if possible.

In my launch, most of our work requires direct physical interaction with expensive equipment, so we cannot be virtual. Some of us can, and our remote developers are good contributors.

Answer 9

I have been working in American companies from my country for about 4 years (as of February 2014). The experience was very useful, and now I feel absolutely comfortable doing my work remotely, but there is a learning curve that needs to be transferred, which cannot be ignored. There are so many subtleties of communication that suddenly get lost when talking on Skype or sending emails. The whole level of information brought by body language, and the obvious empathy that comes from knowing personally the person you are dealing with. Over time, you learn strategies around this, but there is no denying that it is a learning process.

In addition, despite the fact that sometimes a team working in the same office is perceived as prone to distractivity, in my opinion, it also helps to create a more dynamic environment where ideas are distributed more freely and faster. He also encourages a “group attitude” to solve problems, which is great for ensuring consistency.

I think that the best approach, when possible, has a little for both - work a few days from home so that people can concentrate and organize their time independently, and then work for several days in the same office so that they are still part of the team, not islands in isolation.