7 Best Practices for Remote Teamwork
Imagine leading a group of developers, artists, and designers piecing together the next epic game … Now imagine doing it without a physical office. Scary? It doesn't have to be, and Andy Duthie of MY.GAMES is here to show us the ropes.
In the most recent episode of the DoF podcast, Mishka and Andy Duthie, Executive Producer at HAWKED, peel back the curtain on remote team management.
Andy's successful track record in leading agile teams, from industry titans like Rockstar where he played a significant role in crafting GTA Online, to cutting-edge startups, offers a unique insight into excelling in a remote work setup. Besides overseeing the creation of AAA-grade teams, Andy has played a hands-on role in driving change within the organisations, refining processes, and introducing efficient project management strategies throughout his career.
With HAWKED's recent success, launched on February 15th and attracting over a million players within the first two weeks of its launch, Andy's capabilities really come to the fore. Without further ado, let's investigate the crucial remote working strategies he generously shares with the DoF audience.
Also, make sure to catch the entire conversation below:
Fully Commit to Your Work Setup
✅ DO: Fully embrace remote work to maximise both efficiency and cost savings
🚫 DON’T: No to half-hearted, possibly problematic hybrid model
Andy has an "all or nothing" mindset when it comes to work setups -- remote first or fully on-site. He admits it's subjective, but feels that the hybrid model that many companies adopted these days splits your time in a way that can lead to fragmented communication and difficulties in coordinating team activities. He feels MY.GAMES is proof of a model remote setup, with everyone working together smoothly without any misalignment issues.
Why not go for a fully remote setup instead of a hybrid model if it is significantly much more expensive to keep a near-empty office going?
"Imagine just how much money they're burning on those ghost towns. I would much rather take that money and put it into the development of the game rather than into the building itself."
Global shifts that have happened -- and continue to occur -- can't be ignored, either. Andy notes the world's adoption of remote work in the aftermath of COVID and the advantages of having outsourced partners that have well-practiced remote collaboration and modern work practices.
2. Set Clear Goals
"To truly understand the pulse of a company, you need to establish a variety of goals spanning different timeframes”, Andy explains.
✅ DO: Involve the entire team in goal-setting to promote ownership and accountability
🚫 DON’T: Rely on a top-down approach where one person dictates tasks without input from others
When Andy describes the goal structure at HAWKED, he provides examples for all three types.
In his words, the short-term goals lasting about a month, focus on tasks like building specific features or advancing certain aspects of publishing. These goals are delegated to teams, ensuring accountability and progress.
The mid-term goals usually correspond to quarters and have higher-level KPIs. Some examples include increasing market share in a certain region or raising engagement levels by 10%.
Finally, the long-term goals focus on achieving certain milestones (often financial), like completing development phases or reaching specific player milestones, such as attracting another million players.
Andy wants to make it crystal clear that goal setting is a team effort. He firmly believes that simply dictating tasks from the top-down won't cut it. His viewpoint is that every team member should contribute their ideas, which would then be used to formulate the broader goals. This approach encourages feelings of accountability and dedication within the team, both crucial elements to any effective planning process.
3. Have Regular Meetings
Meetings are crucial within a remote workspace, as they provide opportunities for meaningful interaction and dialogue that simply doesn’t occur in the normal course of remote work operations for a team.
They create opportunities for those moments of magic that can occur organically in an office setting. When you're not physically together, you miss out on those spontaneous interactions, so you have to recreate them.
✅ DO: Keep your lines of communication open so nothing is ever misunderstood or missed.
🚫 DON’T: Let negativity take over conversations or allow the group to get off track
Every Friday, Andy and his team host strategy sessions where they review their top five issues of the week, and put action plans together. Some plans become long-term strategies, while others are quickly put into action showing both strategic planning and immediate response.
Andy believes in creating an environment where everyone feels comfortable sharing their concerns, while also ensuring his accessibility and impartiality in appreciating each team member's input. All of this promotes a sense of collaboration and inclusivity, helping to overcome common remote work challenges.
Here are some useful tips from Andy on how to lead effective remote meetings:
Ensure everyone understands the meeting's purpose right from the start.
Plan ahead to set the tone and expectations.
Create a welcoming environment where everyone feels encouraged to ask questions and share their thoughts.
Stick to the agenda and seamlessly navigate through the discussion.
If the conversation strays or gets too entangled in details, “grab the mic back” and steer it to the main topic.
Loop back around at the end of the meeting to review action items, and make sure to share the notes with your team.
4. Provide Candid Feedback
It is essential to encourage open and honest communication that enables constructive problem-solving and the raising of questions focused on specific issues rather than blaming individuals.
✅ DO: Implement a framework for providing constructive feedback and addressing team challenges
✅ DO: Implement a nonviolent communication framework
🚫 DON’T: Shy away from difficult conversations or resort to criticising individuals instead of addressing underlying issues
In Andy's view, fostering a culture of open feedback within remote teams is vital. He underscores the role of good communication in tackling issues and fostering constant enhancements. Andy offers guidance on how to provide effective feedback in a manner that is both supportive and respectful to the team.
5. Conduct Team Surveys and Retrospectives
The foundation of remote work is open communication. It is important to always ask for feedback and make it a part of your talking routine.
✅ DO: Encourage your team members to share their experiences and issues with you consistently. This way, you can spot areas you can work on.
🚫 DON’T: Forget to act back on feedback and address the raised concerns. It can hurt the trust and respect your team has for you.
“We do a LOT of team surveys on a regular basis to understand where the problems are, how people are feeling, what we can be doing better from a leadership team,” Andy says.
This allows them to easily identify the signals of disengagement and to eliminate the problem as soon as possible.
They work through this feedback during their retrospective and try to follow their action points. This continuous improvement process ensures that the HAWKED team feels validated and heard, leading to increased engagement and harmony in the remote workspace.
6. Be Data Informed
According to Andy, managing a remote team comes down to trust vs. data. You don’t want your team to feel like you’re over their shoulder reading their stats at all times whenever you start using performance data. You do, however, want to be informed and look for trends.
“There's the story behind the reason, the numbers. If you only look at it from an actual output perspective, then that's the wrong way to go around it. Being sensitive with it and just understanding the story is the most important part.”
✅ DO: Make use of data to evaluate how your team is doing and feeling, however, remember that each data piece will have a story.
🚫 DON’T: Rely on the data only, forget there is a person behind each number, and make conclusions. It might lead to errors and mismanagement.
Andy recommends using data to measure team performance and mood but advises against drawing superficial conclusions. Behind the statistics, there is always a person, and the data alone may not provide a clear understanding of the situation.It is vital to look at the numbers but to relate them to the environment that the team is working in.
7. Promote Mental Health and Well-being
Promoting mental wellness in a remote work environment is a must, hands down. It's crucial to realise that the absence of office visits and face-to-face interaction can trigger feelings of solitude and alienation in remote employees. Hence, creating a supportive, healthy work atmosphere isn't just 'nice-to-have' - it's absolutely vital!
Based on many years of experience on navigating remote work, Andy highlights three crucial steps to take to lay a solid groundwork for success: focus on diet, exercise, and mental well-being.
✅ DO: Make mindful choices to put healthy eating at the top of your list, side by side with mental health and exercise.
🚫 DON’T: Disregard the necessity to establish your work-life balance. Time for relaxation is a must to recharge and regroup.
✅ DO: Ensure careful consideration of your colleagues’ time off and maintain appropriate boundaries.
Andy suggests making the most of the scheduling messages feature in Slack, which gives you the flexibility to convey information while ensuring your colleague receives it during their work hours. Thus, you allow your colleague to work at their own pace without feeling constantly disrupted by the notifications, which once again, reinforces the idea of balance and mutual respect.
Tying it all together with the saying “it’s a marathon, not a sprint,” Andy points out the importance of avoiding burnout and setting the pace. It is a particularly valuable philosophy to hold in the present-day rapid professional world.
