Developing cloud software across 9 time zones requires managing a remote team. The company started with a small remote office in Poland but has since expanded, requiring new processes for coordinating a distributed team. Key challenges include delayed communication, increased complexity in troubleshooting issues, and lack of in-person interactions. To address these, the company utilizes tools like Slack and video conferencing, establishes regular meeting rhythms, documents processes, and designates "ambassadors" to facilitate cross-office tasks.

1. Developing cloud software
across 9 time zones
Jacek Migdał <jacek@migdal.pl>
2017-11-23

2. $ whoami
University of Warsaw Alumni
Software Engineering Manager at Sumo Logic
Sumo: Grep on steroids as a service, late
stage startup with $235 mln in funding
100TiB+ of new data per day
Opened engineering office: 14 FTE in 2 years

3. What is not
going to change
in 10 years?
Forbes Nov 12, 2007

4. Time zones and the global economy

5. Remote work v1:
Rambo mode
2012 Pre-revenue
startup
One-off for one year
Stepping stone

6. Remote work v2:
California -> Poland
2015 Revenue
$80 mln in funding
Need to scale up
Built to last

7. Some time to think
and read
Pick an important problem
Agree on an objective
metric
Write down a framework

8. “I'm Working While
They're Sleeping”
Scattertime, handoffs,
time-shifting, zoners,
async...
Follow-the-sun model

9. “Deep Work: Rules
for Focused Success
in a Distracted World”
Start the day by coding, not
by answering emails
Minimize distractions
outside of overlap hours

10. You are responsible
24/7 for running
your software
Things will break in the worst
way
Time zones can help:
engineers are on 12h rotations

11. Start with good tools
Google Mail/Calendar/Docs
Slack (group chat)
Hangouts, GoToMeeting
Github
1Password, OneLogin
Double Telepresence Robot

12. Build remote team
Contract: 1+ late / week
Remote interviews
Results-driven
Great writers. Reliable
Travel to HQ alone
Need bridge teammates

13. Establish a rhythm
Weekly theme:
Mon: Team/Leaders
Tue: Quality of service
Wed: Project Meetings
Thu: Ad-hoc
Do 1:1 calls during commutes

14. Setup conventions
Level of coupling:
microservices are the best
One day code reviews in
different geo
Agree on design documents
and metrics

15. Efficiency by design
A lot of uninterrupted time:
20% coordination
Meetings at most:
interactions, not lectures
Better documentation
Results first

16. Problems
Constrained communication
Delayed feedback loop
You will get out of sync
Mess-ups are more complex
Very easy to get stuck

17. Troubleshooting
Have escalation paths
Appoint an ambassador
Prioritize cross-office tasks
Delays: default to action
Communicate before you
are ready and when it hurts

18. TODO: Serendipity
Tried: Coffee with
telepresence robot,
hackathons with cross-geo
teams, all sorts of Slack
channels, Trello boards...

19. jacek@migdal.pl

20. Image sources:
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/ad/Standard_time_zones_of_the_world.png
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:San_Francisco_No_Stopping_Tow_Away.svg
https://www.amazon.com/Working-While-Theyre-Sleeping-Separation/dp/0983992509
https://www.amazon.com/Deep-Work-Focused-Success-Distracted-ebook/dp/B00X47ZVXM/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=
https://www.amazon.com/Release-Production-Ready-Software-Pragmatic-Programmers/dp/0978739213
https://pixabay.com/en/go-strategy-tactics-thinking-rules-1218797/
https://pixabay.com/en/architecture-buildings-cars-city-1837176/
https://pixabay.com/en/bangkok-thailand-city-cityscape-1990263/
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:US_Navy_020524-N-9483W-006_USS_Kitty_Hawk_-_troubleshooting_a_circuit_card.jpg
https://pixabay.com/en/bangkok-thailand-city-cityscape-1990263/