Andy McCormick's development team experienced a flood that damaged their office. They were able to continue working remotely using cloud-based tools like Jira and HipChat. After cleaning up the office, they moved back within a month without losing workflow. McCormick recommends identifying current issues, evaluating cloud options, getting team buy-in, testing options, making a decision, planning rollout with leadership and accountability, communicating the reasons for change, and documenting decisions to onboard new employees and survive future disruptions.

1. Surviving a Flood
Moving Your Tools to the Cloud
Andy McCormick Director of Development DuBose Web Group

2. A Little Bit About Me
Family
The reason I do everything.
DuBose Web
Team Sports
I couldn’t do what I do
without my team.
Ohio sports give you thick
skin.
Developer
Solving problems with code
keeps my job.

4. By failing to prepare, you
are preparing to fail.
-Benjamin Franklin

5. The Flood
• Checked that everyone was ok
via HipChat and text messages
• Let everyone know to work from
home on Monday
Sunday
Venue
Venue
Monday
Wednesday
• Everyone worked as normal
using Jira, HipChat, etc
• Cleaned up office
• Moved upstairs
• Back to work by the end of the
day
• Over a month in temporary
offices.
• Moved back to original offices
with no loss in workflow

6. Amount of Data Lost

7. How? The Cloud

8. The Cloud Saas Iaas PaaS

9. The Cloud

10. The Process

11. Identified
problems
Evaluation
• No consistency in tools across the
team
• No documentation of where to find
things
• Can your team survive a bus?
What are current issues in the workflow?

12. Identified
problems
Evaluation
Advantages
• Software updates
• Portable
• Managed
• Offsite backup
• Security
Disadvantages
• Trust in vendor’s sustainability
• Security
• Bug Fixes / new features dependent
on the vendor
What can be moved to the cloud?

13. Identified
problems
Surveyed
the team
• User buy-in is the biggest obstacle
to and the biggest proponent for
implementing a new tool.
• Find out from the team what issues
they are having.
• What does their ideal solution look
like?
• What tools or data would they like
access to no matter where they are?
• What does each team member's
workflow look like compared to
each other?
Evaluation

14. Identified
problems
Evaluation
Surveyed
the team
Chose a
Place To start
You may find that there are
many issues to solve, but you
must start somewhere!

15. Identified
problems
Surveyed
the team
Chose a
Place To start
Tested multiple
options
• Read good and bad reviews
• Compare list of services to list of
needs you created
• Costs (hidden costs, tiered, etc?)
• Data portability
• Security
• Stability of company
• Pick two or three to test
• Try and use the tool for the full trial
• Ask the community and/or support
questions to test responsiveness.
• Test test and test… don’t just trust
the docs
• Ask for an extension of your trial
Evaluation

16. Identified
problems
Surveyed
the team
Chose a
Place To start
Tested multiple
options
Made the
Decision
Evaluation

17. Identified
problems
Surveyed
the team
Chose a
Place To start
Tested multiple
options
Made the
Decision
Planning!
Evaluation Planning

18. Identified
problems
Surveyed
the team
Chose a
Place To start
Tested multiple
options
Made the
Decision
Leadership vs
Team
• How are you going to roll this out
to the team?
• Timeframe
• Compassion for other team
members
• Who are going to be the main users
• Who’s going to wave the flag?
Evaluation Planning

19. MUST COME FROM THE TOP!!

20. Identified
problems
Surveyed
the team
Chose a
Place To start
Tested multiple
options
Made the
Decision
Leadership vs
Team
Accountability
There must be Accountability
• How is the team going to be held
accountable for the new procedure?
• When? How often will
accountability checks happen?
Evaluation Planning

21. Identified
problems
Surveyed
the team
Chose a
Place To start
Tested multiple
options
Made the
Decision
Leadership vs
Team
Accountability
Communicating
Evaluation Planning Communicating

22. Identified
problems
Surveyed
the team
Chose a
Place To start
Tested multiple
options
Made the
Decision
Leadership vs
Team
Accountability
Communicating and documenting are not
the same thing!
Evaluation Planning Communicating

23. Identified
problems
Surveyed
the team
Chose a
Place To start
Tested multiple
options
Made the
Decision
Team Meetings
Leadership vs
Team
Accountability
Communicate the Why!
“People don't buy what you do, they buy why you do it”
- Simon Sinek, Start With Why
Evaluation Planning Communicating

24. Identified
problems
Surveyed
the team
Chose a
Place To start
Tested multiple
options
Made the
Decision
Team Meetings
Leadership vs
Team
Accountability
Evaluation Planning Communicating
Method?
• Meeting
• Email
• Video chat
• One on One
When/Where/Who
• Make sure everyone is included!
• Hit by a bus planning

25. Identified
problems
Surveyed
the team
Chose a
Place To start
Tested multiple
options
Made the
Decision
Team Meetings
Leadership vs
Team
Accountability Follow up
If it matters, you will
follow up!
Evaluation Planning Communicating

26. Identified
problems
Surveyed
the team
Chose a
Place To start
Tested multiple
options
Made the
Decision
Team Meetings
Leadership vs
Team
Accountability Follow up
Documenting
Evaluation Planning Communicating Documenting

27. Identified
problems
Surveyed
the team
Chose a
Place To start
Tested multiple
options
Made the
Decision
Team Meetings
Leadership vs
Team
Accountability Follow up
Onboard new hires and
Recount decisions with
ease
• Type of documentation
• Make sure you document all
necessary information.
• Document your Why
Evaluation Planning Communicating Documenting

28. Identified
problems
Surveyed
the team
Chose a
Place To start
Tested multiple
options
Made the
Decision
Team Meetings
Leadership vs
Team
Accountability Follow up
Onboard new hires and
Recount decisions with
ease
Rinse, wash,
repeat
Where is the
documentation
going to be stored?
Evaluation Planning Communicating Documenting

29. Identified
problems
Surveyed
the team
Chose a
Place To start
Tested multiple
options
Made the
Decision
Team Meetings
Leadership vs
Team
Accountability Follow up
Onboard new hires and
Recount decisions with
ease
Rinse, wash,
repeat
Survive Flood
Evaluation Planning Communicating Documenting
Survive!

30. Identified
problems
Surveyed
the team
Chose a
Place To start
Tested multiple
options
Made the
Decision
Team Meetings
Leadership vs
Team
Accountability Follow up
Onboard new hires and
Recount decisions with
ease
Rinse, wash,
repeat
Survive Flood
Evaluation Planning Communicating Documenting
Discussion