How can you optimize online collaboration in software projects?

I think, one of the main aspects of working in a team is to be able to work together and deliver as a 'One Team'. So common availability of all team members at agreed common time is imperative to success of the project. And to do this, it is important to set and follow certain ground rules in WFH scenarios: - As a team, agree on the work timings and follow religiously. - Ensure your availability during these work hours. - Use of collaboration tools and being online-available on that is a good way of achieving it. - In case, you are stepping away for anything including lunch, put that as status or call it out in channel or in whatever way agreed with the team. - Available on phone/communication tool like slack for a quick call also helps.

Before picking tools, consider communication speed, frequency, and urgency. Balance the cost of interruption (i.e. context switching) with the benefit of communication. Remember that software projects require heavy concentration and focus. The wrong communication tool can be detrimental. Consider: - Real-time vs. Async needs - Notifications - Conversation history - Access to history - open vs. closed - Conveyor belt of information vs. Static documents - Search capability - Labels, tags, bookmarks - Filters - Do not disturb - Reminders - Self-service customization for users

I don't agree with tracking progress and performance as a measurement for collaboration. It all depends on the nature of the work. If you. have a product team and create siloed tasks, you can have things completed, and metrics can be fantastic. But that doesn't mean the team is collaborating. And it even doesn't matter if the team is remote or co-located. I had a co-located team that didn't like stand-ups, they wanted to do "offline updates via Slack". The collaboration depends mostly on the environment you create, the work you defined (cross-functional/vertical slices/incremental) and the way you deal with people (open approach, listening, engaging in conversations).

Celebrations are always great, but be honest about what you are celebrating. Completion celebration may not be aligned with collaboration at all. Now, if you are creating room to celebrate great collaboration scenarios that happened, great! There was this team that decided to experiment and got a task similar to others that usually took them around 4 to 5 days to complete, and got in the same room to do it together. In just a single day they completed it. As a celebration, we created room for the team to explain their experiment. And as proud as they should be, they shared it with the rest of the company.

From my experience as a new manager in a company where I have been hired right before lockdown, remote working was a challenge mainly on establishing trust and getting to authentically know my people. This is an insight that still helps on integrating remotely any new team member. I went one on one contact, a lot, but mostly making sure it was on relevant matters. Relevant to them and to my role. Approached boldly issues with them while listening very carefully any complains or challenges they were encountering. Being consistent on delivering support according to my role - advise, escalation, details of business view. Made sure to be consistent, authentic and efficient.

Optimizing online collaboration in software projects involves several key practices: 1. Clear Communication 2. Project Management Tools 3. Version Control 4. Code Reviews 5. Collaborative Documentation 6. Instant Messaging and Video Conferencing 7. Clear Goals and Milestones 8. Diverse Skill Sets 9. Remote Pair Programming 10. Regular Check-Ins 11. Automation 12. Remote Work Guidelines 13. Feedback Culture 14. Security Measures 15. Cultural Sensitivity Remember, every team's dynamics and project requirements are unique, so it's important to adapt these practices to your specific context.

The use of right project management approach is paramount here. Online collaboration needs a frequent, iterative and agile methodology. Whether it is Scrum, Kansan, XP or any other similar model. It should be adapted and assimilated into the remote work through proper tools and leadership. The risk of being a distributive team is that the team can spread itself too thin. We need to adopt a methodology that keeps the team together and keeps everyone included, informed and invested always.

In a remote world, individual contributions are creating huge silos. And this is not positive for team dynamics. Collaboration is just like working out, the more you do, the more it happens. We just need to create room for that. One way to exercise collaboration is by running a Skills Matrix session followed by another one with the topic "How can you go on vacation knowing the team can cover you?". As we know, knowledge transfer cannot happen over documentation. So, at some point, collaboration will happen. Let the team find ways, iterate with them and make them accountable for their own actions.