Remote team working - apps and such

condyk

condyk

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So I will have a new team of five people from September, maybe up to eight, and we don't have office space. Much of their work will be outreach based and so I am thinking around how we can keep in contact easily but largely work from different locations, like hot desks, coffee shops, community venues and such. We'll be working across Birmingham, Sandwell and Wolverhampton mainly.

I guess we need to check in briefly with each other so we know what we've each done and are doing going forward, so we can share and collaborate, have some one to one and conference calls, maybe video, handle the usual office stuff via Office 365 or maybe just Google Docs. Be interested in what anyone has used App and application wise and hints and tips for remote working. We''ll have a weekly team meeting initially but likely reduce these as time goes on. It's really combining the best of remote and office work, so get the job done, know what we're all up to and collaborate but retain as much team feeling as we can. Thoughts?
 
Instant messaging in some form is really good in these situations because it allows for informal chat as well as seeing who is at their computer/in a meeting/etc..Depends a bit on the technophobia levels of those involved and is best if everyone embraces it and uses it all the time.
 
Hmmm, 365 has really come on hasn't it. I run it at home but only rarely use it and then just for bits and bobs on Word or Excel. I didn't really know it was so comprehensive for business use. It seems to do most of what we need, just the end of day check in from each team member is missing I think. There's also a non-profit scheme which might suit us.

Chris, I think the technophobe side is going to a royal PITA, esp in terms of finding people who can do the jobs we need doing while also being pretty smart technically and/or willing to learn and work in different ways.
 
We use:
Telegram for all day chat. It runs on the desktop and mobile, and the history is always available everywhere. Even if someone joins a group later.

Teamviewer for Screen sharing.
 
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Thanks Ian. I've actually run with Teamviewer (and Skype) over a couple of database development projects using a Croatian developer and it was really useful, so cheers for the reminder! Telegram I'll check out now.
 
Now you mention database development, Hipchat is good for collaboration apparently. It unites many different channels into one interface. But it may be IT centric.
 
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ianp5a said:
We use:
Telegram for all day chat. It runs on the desktop and mobile, and the history is always available everywhere. Even if someone joins a group later.

Teamviewer for Screen sharing.
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Telegram has some security issues - http://gizmodo.com/why-you-should-stop-using-telegram-right-now-1782557415
Teamviewer likewise - http://www.theregister.co.uk/2016/06/01/teamviewer_mass_breach_report/

There are better chat apps out there - Slack is a good example. Not sure about screen sharing alternatives.

For my work, we use Google Docs for collaboration.
 
Thanks Andy, noted. I'd like to use Docs and Chromebooks to be honest but we're in a Windows/Office environment so likely restricted in that sense. Slack would work just shame about the cost beyond the free version. I'll check it more as free may work.
 
Google Business Apps or Microsoft 365 are the way to go. For familiarity then 365 is probably better but for complete integration of absolutely everything then maybe Google? Both have a host of similar types of apps suited to remote working. If you do use Google and don't use the business version then the entire thing is free also which is another selling point!!
 
Yes, agree. I'd prefer Google but for the reasons I mentioned likely looking at 365. The one thing I want that doesn't seem to be anywhere I've looked so far is an App to allow people to log and share what they're working on or will be working on at the end of each day. I want us to share so we can maximise inputs into projects across the team and also stay informed. This is easy when you all sit in an office but harder when everyone is in different places.
 
Yammer with 365 is looking ok right now.
 
condyk said:
The one thing I want that doesn't seem to be anywhere I've looked so far is an App to allow people to log and share what they're working on or will be working on at the end of each day. I want us to share so we can maximise inputs into projects across the team and also stay informed.
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Would Google calendar do this for you? Shared calendars so all workers can log their hours and projects worked or to be worked on? This way you have a live and projected view of what everyone is supposed to be doing?
 
Hadn't thought of that but my first thought is not ideal, tho it would do it I use Calendar myself so know it well, but I will have a think/play. Yammer could do it as there's ability for several people to work on a document at the same time I notice, but haven't tried it. I want ability to have a simple glance/skim and all in one place so people can see it all quickly.
 
You can share calendars through office 365.

You get Yammer through office 365 on business plans which is like your own private facebook
 
We have no physical office in the EMEA region. But we use Office 365 and Skype all the time to collaborate, share screens across many participants, files, email, calendaring etc. It is just like a normal onpremise solution with all the benefits of an Exchange server and a communication server.

On thing we do find is that with our corporate customers they cannot always connect to Skype (for Business), so we do have some GoToMeeting and WebEx accounts as well.

In addition we also have a nearly full stack of Atlassian setup with Jira, Confluence, Service Desk, Core, Bitbucket, Bamboo.

When you have a lot of high performing professionals who operate as a Team (i.e. trust each other), it works really well. The flexibility in locations and support across timezones suits us.

Oh in addition we utilise a Regus account as well, so that if we do need to get together we have meeting space well basically nearly anywhere where we want.
 
Dale_tem said:
You can share calendars through office 365.

You get Yammer through office 365 on business plans which is like your own private facebook
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This looks like the direction I'm going.

dejongj said:
We have no physical office in the EMEA region. But we use Office 365 and Skype all the time to collaborate, share screens across many participants, files, email, calendaring etc. It is just like a normal onpremise solution with all the benefits of an Exchange server and a communication server.

On thing we do find is that with our corporate customers they cannot always connect to Skype (for Business), so we do have some GoToMeeting and WebEx accounts as well.

In addition we also have a nearly full stack of Atlassian setup with Jira, Confluence, Service Desk, Core, Bitbucket, Bamboo.

When you have a lot of high performing professionals who operate as a Team (i.e. trust each other), it works really well. The flexibility in locations and support across timezones suits us.

Oh in addition we utilise a Regus account as well, so that if we do need to get together we have meeting space well basically nearly anywhere where we want.
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Excellent, thanks.
 
I would also suggest Office 365 with Skype for Business.

We use Lync at work and can share screens with it.
 
And recording and sharing the meeting results is pretty useful as well for those who cannot make it...
 
Cheers fella's. Looking at the 365 options I'd ideally like exchange and Access, mainly because I need exchange to look at diaries/share (I think?) and Access to develop small bespoke databases to bits and bobs of work that need quick and reasonably dirty data entry/reporting. It's quite pricey tho for a subscription. We're a social enterprise working with refugees and homelessness and so funding does kinda come in with its own reporting requirements and it's easier to bang together something in Access to support that, so I probably need it. But I'm wondering if I can go Hipchat (paid version) for the chat and doc sharing (rather than Yammer) and integrate with Google Calendar for the calendar? I could then get a cheaper monthly subscription minus Exchange but with Access.
 
Have you considered utilising SharePoint online instead of MS Access for your lists/registers etc. I could be mistaken but I think it is included in all subscriptions, and being responsive and web based it will work across all devices that people may have (including Apple Mac).
 
Will check it out ... I have never really figured out what Sharepoint actually does, but I'll look.
 
Dropbox Pro and Skype?
 
Instead of Access, MS have a new tool called PowerApps and other tools. Access is old skool. There are often newer, better and easier ways.

Yes sharepoint is included the plans
 
PowerApps does look very interesting ...
 
Dale_tem said:
Instead of Access, MS have a new tool called PowerApps and other tools. Access is old skool. There are often newer, better and easier ways.

Yes sharepoint is included the plans
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Cool, learned something new. Looks very interesting indeed that PowerApps
 
Office 365 now includes Planner for free which is a fantastic free project management lite application and totally integrated.

Office Groups are fantastic for team collaboration, too - again all included with O365.

Don't forget all the free storage and ability to access from anywhere on any device...


Disclaimer: am service delivery manager for O365 and MS FTE. It's bloody great though.
 
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I reckon the choice is now clear and it's O365. I've used Project a few times but too much hard work for non-proper project managers and trying to make the sell is tough. A slimmer version would be very handy. Looks like Office is going places!

I also found an app called iDonethis which allows the end of day check-in and sharing of that amongst team, all automated. It's very simple so I can't figure why they want $8/month per user!!
 
condyk said:
I reckon the choice is now clear and it's O365. I've used Project a few times but too much hard work for non-proper project managers and trying to make the sell is tough. A slimmer version would be very handy. Looks like Office is going places!

I also found an app called iDonethis which allows the end of day check-in and sharing of that amongst team, all automated. It's very simple so I can't figure why they want $8/month per user!!
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I reckon you could do this for free with a bit of SharePoint Online or Exchange and maybe some automation with flow.microsoft.com or PowerApp which is also free....e.g. send a push notification to team members phones when a particular email arrives, which could be automatically generated when a new SharePoint list item is created or similar....

Flow is particularly powerful. I had a chat with the owner of the product last week and was very impressed.
 
I forgot to mention the best feature - Delve.

Underneath all the apps and interactions (meetings, content presented at meetings, organisational infoike your manager and your direct reports, who you've spoken with or email frequently etc) is Office Graph.
This takes signals from every part of the product and every interaction and builds a model of data relevant to you. It means when you hit Delve you'll get a live feed of information relevant to you - what your team are working on, what documents they've created, all presented to you before you knew you wanted it. Fantastic for reuse of IP and knowledge sharing, particularly with remote virtual teams.
 
Looking at it you are probably right, but I suspect it's a step too far tech wise for a mere mortal like me. I suppose they need a reminder/nag email at 4pm each week day, they do a reply to with their top five tasks, meetings, etc of the day, then everyones 'top five' are harvested/collated and then that collation email goes out overnight to each member. Sounds easy ... in theory :-)
 
condyk said:
Looking at it you are probably right, but I suspect it's a step too far tech wise for a mere mortal like me. I suppose they need a reminder/nag email at 4pm each week day, they do a reply to with their top five tasks, meetings, etc of the day, then everyones 'top five' are harvested/collated and then that collation email goes out overnight to each member. Sounds easy ... in theory :)
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We do that manually. Basically have a Skype for Business group call to discuss exactly that, although we do it at the beginning of the day looking ahead. The added benefit of doing it via a call is that when you all work remotely you are guaranteed to have some level of interaction.
 
Glad at least someone else does similar :-) I get the Skype idea and it could work for us.

My thought has been that yes we need to share but can we minimise the need to schedule and the time taken and also allow it to happen in someones own time rather than trying to coordinate it all together. Maybe that all comes from my own preferences to just crack on and also being very self-directed. Not everyone is like that. Maybe I have underestimated the need/importance to have contact #facetime style. I guess I need to ask people what their preferences are.

I'm wondering if I just need a couple of questions to help focus people and max. the value of their time, something like 'this is what's valuable from yesterday' and 'this is the stuff I'm focused on today' type of thing? Doing it the Skype route likely takes what I thought could be a 2-3 minute per day exercise to maybe a 15 minute one with Q and A minimum.

I suppose my question dejongj, if you don't mind, is would you change anything about how you currently do your Skype thing or are you happy it adds real value?
 
It does add real value, and sometimes eliminates conflict or brings up issues that others can help with. It is 9:15 for us which helps with getting back from the school run etc. We also do it voice only, so you don't feel like you have to be dressed, shaved, or in a certain location. It makes it more flexible for all to participate. We have one leader who just quickly goes round most people as not all are as outgoing. But see what works for you. I like that bit of interaction and most seem to take to it. Its also ok if you aren't there, and people use the chat channel to give their succinct update.
 
condyk said:
Looking at it you are probably right, but I suspect it's a step too far tech wise for a mere mortal like me. I suppose they need a reminder/nag email at 4pm each week day, they do a reply to with their top five tasks, meetings, etc of the day, then everyones 'top five' are harvested/collated and then that collation email goes out overnight to each member. Sounds easy ... in theory :)
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What you're describing sounds very similar to Planner which is included. Drag and drop tasks on team members, simple reporting on progress via dashboards (ie you can easily see what's green), easy to check who's overloaded and who has spare capacity.
See https://products.office.com/en-us/business/office-365-planner for an overview. It's been designed to work for smaller teams like your scenario.


With regards to Skype, I work remotely from my team nearly 100% and have done for five years, whilst at the same time having to be very efficient to keep my job :)
What works for me is for the regular calls, send out the meeting invites with a link to a shared Group of shared OneNote notebook to take notes and actions, which everyone can access.
For ad-hoc calls, being able to see by presence (ie is someone available, online, in a meeting or out of the office) BEFORE I try and talk to them is invaluable.

I'll try not to sound like an advert for my employers products too much but your scenario is exactly what modern productivity tools like O365 are aimed at.
 
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I suspect Planner is too much overkill for the specific gap I still have on the simple daily check in and the Skype approach feels intuitively more appropriate. It's quick and dirty I need for that. It has big potential tho as a team planning tool.

The challenge for us, once the team is in place, is getting non-tech oriented people up to speed. You know, it all looks super slick on the web site and for some it'll be easy as pie, but for most people who just go so far into Word and Excel then can't be bothered with any further learning curve the question is how do we make the shift in their values around learning and future. It's not so much 'teach them more tech' because the 'day job' and the tedium of 'being taught' is there as background. It's deeper than that.

The risk in my work is I either recruit the folks who are A1 at the day job but may lack the commitment to progress further than basic in their tech knowledge or I recruit the techie orientated who are into it but may lack the day to connections and experience for 'the day job'. Of course, I may be lucky and strike the perfect balance with everyone, or I could 'waste' much of my time either doing tech support or community engagement and training support when really I have other stuff to do!! I guess the compromise has to be seek a minimum expectation on both counts and recruit people who are enthusiastic doers and learners. Unless anyone else has any better thoughts?
 
It depends on what it is they do in their 'day job'. In 2016 I'd argue you can't get away with seeing it at two separate items. They are just tools of the job that come part and parcel with it, especially when you work remotely. I appreciate some may still use it as an excuse, some even boast about it and point out how good they are at their job. But are they really if they don't get how to use the tools that make them good as a team? If you create a collaborative and sharing environment then even those who are weaker will come up, it is for their benefit ultimately. So if it doesn't add value don't do it. But if people don't play along I doubt it is really the technology, in my experience it is more like they are off alone. I mean they often seem to be able to use other tools like facebook, linkedin, skype, WhatsApp etc without training.
 
You're going to have to hire people who have the drive to learn to use the tools provided. Have a buddy system of you need to, go use a Starbucks with their WiFi if you need a quick face to face etc.
Millions of hours of usability testing goes into this stuff and billions of people use it every day, the learning curve isn't really that hard provided the person who's going to be using it has an open mind and appreciates it's in their own professional interest to get to grips with the tools.

I'd also say, lead by example. In your meetings and calls, use the technology as a showcase of how modern productivity works. People will soon get the hang of it.
 
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