distributed teams

Articles

Person holding a sparkler with fireworks in the background Top 10 AgileConnection Articles of 2019

Agile isn't something you can adopt through tooling; you have to adhere to agile principles every step of the way. The top articles from 2019 show that people were looking to enhance and advance their agile practices, with popular topics including how to empower your team throughout agile adoption, using metrics to improve, refining Scrum practices, and scaling agile. Check out this roundup for ways to boost your agile operations.

Beth Romanik's picture Beth Romanik
Distributed teams pointing out their locations on a map Leveraging Agile in a Nearshore Software Development Environment

Nearshore software development—or working with teams in similar time zones—have different challenges from teams that are collocated. They might find it easier to work in a traditional, hierarchical structure, but agile practices are actually still an ideal way to work through these challenges. Here's how an agile mindset can help nearshore development teams improve communication, organization, and processes.

Marcelo Lopez's picture Marcelo Lopez
Distributed team pointing out their locations on a map Creating Time for Collaboration with Distributed Teams and Agile Approaches

Many of us have horrible experiences with distributed teams where we can find no possibility of collaboration, but it doesn’t have to be that way. Even if a team is distributed, those team members need collaborative opportunities and space. What’s important is the team’s time for collaboration, not time zones. Here are some ways you can visualize when your team works and create more quality collaboration time.

Mark Kilby's picture Mark Kilby Johanna Rothman
Two agile team members standing beside a large globe Distributed Agile Approaches Optimize for the Team over Individuals

Consider how your team currently organizes: for resource efficiency, optimizing for the individual; or for flow efficiency, optimizing for the team? Successful agile teams—distributed or not—should collaborate to optimize the flow of work through the team. This approach lets you understand your capacity, learn together, and deliver more effectively.

Better Software Magazine Articles

Remote Control

Between outsourcing and flextime, virtual development teams are fast becoming the rule rather than the exception. But can team members work together when they're so far apart? Read two stories of how real-life programmers are making it work.

Making Virtual Teams a Reality

What all virtual teams have in common is that they are working on a project, but may not be located in close physical proximity, and they must find ways to communicate, track progress, and manage tasks without being able to physically meet regularly. The prerequisites for success with virtual teams are 1) clear, manageable objectives; 2) management's commitment to necessary resources; and 3) mature management and technical personnel. Learn how to lead a workgroup you cannot see.

Linda McInnis

Interviews

Agile at the Enterprise Level: An Interview with Arlen Bankston

Arlen Bankston, vice president of LitheSpeed, LLC, is a Lean Six Sigma Master Black Belt and Certified ScrumMaster Trainer. Heather Shanholtzer recently talked to Arlen about what it takes to apply agile at the enterprise level and the challenges he faces when team members aren’t collocated.

Heather Shanholtzer's picture Heather Shanholtzer

Conference Presentations

Virtual Test Management: Rapid Testing Over Multiple Time Zones

With the ever-changing challenges of testing, here comes the latest one: managing multiple test locations. More and more companies are spreading testing organizations throughout the country and the world. Based on real-life experiences of the speakers, learn the mistakes to avoid and the lessons learned in managing multiple sites. Discover how the Virtual Test Manager can manage a dispersed test organization without having to always be physically present.

Jim Bampos, VeriTest and Eric Patel, Nokia
Managing Virtual Teams

Learn how to manage virtual teams such as those in dot-com companies, large corporations, and start-ups that may not be located in the same building, same town, or even the same continent. Explore the tips and techniques for getting the job done when you cannot necessarily meet face to face. Discover the danger signals that indicate your project is in trouble-and learn ways to get back on track when your project derails.

Linda McInnis, Noble Associates, Inc.

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