#remote collaboration

[askagamedev]

I often hear gamedev cited as something that is tough to do with a remote team. Do you have any advice for doing remote development in a gamedev context?

Gamedev is tough to do in general, but it's generally more difficult to do in a remote setting because humans are accustomed to being social in a certain way. Online communications is often bottlenecked in ways we aren't immediately cognizant of. After working remotely for a few years, I've adopted certain specific counter-intuitive techniques in order to try to facilitate better understanding on the team. The best advice I can give for remote work is Default to Talking in Public. Instead of using DMs to speak to someone about work privately, post to the appropriate channel and tag the person you want to speak to - even if you end up only speaking to the other person during the conversation.

One of the benefits of working within the same space is that it's much easier to pull someone into your work space to ask questions or have an impromptu meeting. One would think that DMs are an easy analog to this, but it's actually more troublesome than that. Normally, what happens is that the major stakeholders begin the discussion, and then others that are more tangentially involved are pulled in near the end to handle things like creating, prioritizing, and assigning tasks to cover the needed new work. Adding someone to DMs with history is a little better, but it puts the newly added person on the spot with needing to catch up immediately. The real problem with this, however, is following up the impromptu meeting makes it even more difficult for people who weren't involved to catch up. They weren't in the original DM chain, which means the entire discussion needs to be repeated again.

We can improve this by making such discussions/questions public by default and tagging the people involved. This leaves a publicly viewable history and discussion, which latecomers can view to catch up on. This also has the added benefit of allowing other tangential devs to see and possibly chime in with caveats and gotchas the primary discussers might not be aware of. It also makes other team members see that work in this area is being done and those who are interested can also follow along. There's some initial reluctance to doing so, since it feels more like speaking in the public square instead of being private, but many of those "private" discussions in the office are often overheard by other stakeholders anyway, who will insert themselves into the discussion by bringing up things that the initial speakers weren't necessarily aware of. In general, defaulting to asking questions and discussing elements in public channels solves a lot of remote working issues just by making sure anyone who wants to know about something can know about it.

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[digitalcollaboration]

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[askagamedev]

With the expansion of remote jobs, will there be any reason at all for studios to reallocate employees in the future?

There are (and always will be) some fully-remote studios that manage to make things work, but I don't really think it will become the norm across the industry. There's a lot to be said for in-person collaboration and the spontaneous iterative process that's much more difficult to happen in a digital-only environment.

There's also been some significant recent internal pushback against further full-time remote hiring at many studios I know of, including my own. There's been a lot of tech industry layoffs lately, which gives the management more leverage to require certain behaviors from the workers such as "return to office" and such. I know that my own studio has instituted two recent policies - a hiring freeze and a hard cap on the percentage of workers that may be full-time remote. Fully-remote devs like me get grandfathered in because the fully-remote status was already written into my contract when I signed, but most new hires won't get that same luxury.

If I had to predict the future, my guess would be that full time remote positions will be uncommon but not unheard of in the future. They will be more common than they were pre-pandemic, but I suspect fully remote positions will be more like H1B visa applications - typically reserved for senior roles that are more difficult to hire instead of a common status for a majority of the team.

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[askagamedev]

With the Coronavirus having forced many game companies to have their employees work from home, do you think this could lead to work from home becoming a more mainstream practice?

If this thing stretches out for a longer time in the future, yes probably. One programmer I know out in California is actually starting at a new studio next week and there’s almost certainly going to be some awkwardness starting due to the pandemic response. From what I’ve been told, he has to meet someone in the new office parking lot to pick up his workstation and take it home.

Like any new system, there will be bugs and flaws that get exposed over time through use. The more people who use a system, the more the flaws will tend to come out - just like how more obscure bugs in games get found by players after the game goes live because there’s millions of you and only dozens (or hundreds) of us devs. Similarly, most devs only worked from home sporadically or in small numbers before. Now we have way more people using the system and the bugs are starting to appear.

I think the main issues I’ve experienced so far is losing the ability to say “Hey, wanna see something cool?” about something I just got working or to knock on somebody’s office door and ask a question directly, or diagram something on a whiteboard. There’s also the issue of doing console development - dev kits are still expensive, and most studios don’t have enough dev kits for everybody on a team. We will still occasionally need them, but obtaining or transporting them during an enforced WFH stay like this is problematic. We have similar issues with any large, bulky, or expensive office equipment, like artists’ Cintiq tablets. Also, we’re seeing the fraying edges on our overall internet infrastructure. Some of my team’s members just don’t have the bandwidth necessary to pull down the sort of file sizes needed for game dev, which is especially bad for QA who need to download the latest build of the entire game, rather than some updated code or specific assets like I do.

None of these problems are insurmountable, but they do need some infrastructure and planning before we’re able to transition fully to long term mainstream remote work. Long term, better internet infrastructure and speed will allow us to do a lot, like stream our workstations and dev kit output to our home screens without as much latency. Better video conferencing software will help as well - we’ve all had to deal with the “office olympic event” of trying to set up a remote video conference in under 10 minutes. These were already annoyances before, but the new normal is exacerbating these problems and showing us the need. Once we start ironing these out, we’ll probably see remote work become a more viable long-term solution for devs.

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[business02021611528]

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[hitechbimservices]

Discover how cloud-based MEP BIM improves remote collaboration, streamlines workflows, enhances data sharing, and enables smarter decision-m

When your MEP design team is working across geographies, cloud-based BIM becomes a game-changer. This article shows how cloud platforms empower remote workflows, letting engineers, contractors, and architects collaborate on a single source of truth, eliminating version conflicts and outdated data. From real-time updates and clash detection to enhanced visibility and faster decision-making loops, cloud-based MEP BIM enhances efficiency and minimizes rework. For any firm facing communication bottlenecks or data silos, this guide provides the tools and insights to improve your collaboration practices.

[yitzstern]

How to Foster Collaboration in Remote Work Environments

You foster remote collaboration by combining structured communication, psychological safety, inclusive leadership, and purpose-driven technology to ensure teams remain connected, productive, and aligned—regardless of location.

This guide delivers proven, experience-based strategies to help you implement collaboration practices that not only maintain productivity but also strengthen trust and engagement across remote and hybrid setups. You’ll learn how to build connection, encourage innovation, and ensure every team member contributes to shared success.

Why is collaboration critical for remote teams?

Collaboration is the fuel that keeps distributed teams moving forward. In a physical office, spontaneous conversations drive problem-solving; remotely, you must be intentional about creating these interactions. Without structured collaboration, silos grow, alignment weakens, and projects slow.

Studies from Gallup and Stanford reveal that engaged, collaborative teams are 20–30% more productive, have fewer missed deadlines, and report higher job satisfaction. Your goal is to make collaboration a default behavior—integrated into daily workflows, not treated as an optional extra.

How can you keep remote team members connected?

You keep people connected by providing consistent opportunities for interaction—both formal and informal. Scheduled check-ins, recurring stand-ups, and monthly planning sessions ensure alignment on priorities. Equally important are casual touchpoints like virtual coffee breaks or Friday wins calls, which build personal rapport.

Leaders who maintain a rhythm of both business and social engagement create teams that trust each other more. This trust directly impacts knowledge sharing, problem-solving, and willingness to step in when a colleague needs support.

What role does psychological safety play in remote collaboration?

Psychological safety is the foundation that allows remote teams to share ideas openly, admit mistakes, and challenge thinking without fear of negative consequences. In a virtual setting, this is even more critical because you lack nonverbal cues and quick hallway clarifications.

You reinforce psychological safety by actively inviting input from all participants, acknowledging diverse viewpoints, and responding constructively to feedback. Making space for different perspectives not only improves decision quality but also fosters a sense of ownership across the team.

What are the main obstacles to remote collaboration—and how do you solve them?

The most common barriers include technology failures, unclear roles, communication overload, and time zone misalignment. You overcome these by standardizing tools, defining responsibilities clearly, and balancing synchronous with asynchronous communication.

Practical solutions include setting “core collaboration hours” for overlapping availability, using shared project boards to track progress, and agreeing on tool-specific usage (e.g., Slack for quick updates, email for formal requests, and project management software for deadlines). By removing ambiguity, you free your team to focus on delivering results.

How can collaboration tools strengthen connection without replacing human interaction?

Collaboration tools provide structure and efficiency, but they should support—not replace—the human element. Choose platforms that allow for real-time brainstorming, document sharing, and asynchronous updates while keeping communication personal.

For example, use video calls for decision-making and relationship-building, collaborative whiteboards for ideation, and shared drives for document storage. Integrate tools with team rituals so technology becomes an enabler of human connection rather than a barrier.

How do you promote collaborative learning in a remote environment?

Collaborative learning builds both skill and connection. Organizing cross-functional problem-solving sessions, rotating team leads for specific projects, or setting up peer review cycles can help distribute expertise while building trust.

When people learn together, they naturally communicate more and become invested in each other’s success. This strengthens the culture of collaboration and accelerates knowledge transfer, especially for onboarding new team members or scaling best practices.

How can you create an inclusive, innovative remote culture?

An inclusive culture ensures every team member—regardless of location, time zone, or communication style—has equal opportunity to contribute. This requires clear meeting facilitation, intentional turn-taking, and accessible tools that accommodate different working styles.

Innovation thrives in diverse teams when leaders actively seek varied input, highlight contributions, and ensure visibility of everyone’s work. Establishing transparent decision-making processes and celebrating shared wins sends the message that collaboration is valued and rewarded.

Practical strategies to strengthen remote collaboration

Schedule regular syncs and check-ins to maintain alignment.

Blend structured meetings with informal connection points.

Use collaboration tools consistently and purposefully.

Define roles and responsibilities to reduce overlap.

Foster psychological safety by encouraging open dialogue.

Promote shared learning opportunities for skill growth.

Ensure inclusion through equitable participation practices.

Top Remote Collaboration Strategies

Maintain structured communication

Foster psychological safety

Use inclusive leadership

Balance synchronous and asynchronous tools

Promote collaborative learning

In Conclusion

You can’t rely on proximity to drive teamwork in a remote environment—you must engineer collaboration through clarity, connection, and consistent practice. By combining structured communication, trust-building leadership, inclusive processes, and purposeful use of tools, you create a remote team that not only works together but thrives together.

Explore more leadership and collaboration strategies from Yitz Stern.

[johnmilne]

7 Techniques for Effective Information Sharing in Decentralized Organizations

Effective information sharing in decentralized organizations relies on unified tools, content ownership, structured processes, and shared communication norms.

You’re operating in an environment where physical proximity can’t guarantee alignment. This article walks you through seven proven techniques that help distributed teams stay connected, aligned, and informed—without adding friction or duplication. From platform design to trust-building mechanisms, you’ll learn exactly how to create a communication system that scales with your structure.

Technique 1: Use a Shared Platform With Clear Ownership

A single source of truth is essential when teams are spread across regions or functions. You need a central platform that houses key updates, project documents, and operational resources.

Choose a flexible workspace like Notion, Confluence, or SharePoint. But the platform alone isn’t enough—you also need defined ownership. Assign roles to each team for maintaining specific sections, whether that's finance metrics, market updates, or client deliverables. This structure prevents outdated files and “ghost content,” giving teams the confidence that what they’re accessing is accurate and current.

Technique 2: Combine Real-Time and Asynchronous Tools

Information doesn’t always need to be synchronous—but it does need to be accessible. A strong mix of communication tools helps accommodate time zones and working styles.

Use real-time channels like Slack, Microsoft Teams, or Mattermost for immediate decisions and blockers. Pair them with asynchronous collaboration through Google Docs, Office 365, or Miro boards. Maintain a reference wiki that documents key decisions and processes. The goal is to reduce dependency on any single meeting, email thread, or personality.

Technique 3: Schedule Cross-Team Knowledge Reviews

Routine information exchange between units keeps the organization aligned and prevents duplicated work. These can be formal biweekly sessions or lightweight monthly reviews.

In these sessions, you highlight what’s working, share lessons learned, and expose under-the-radar efforts that could benefit others. Whether you’re in product, marketing, finance, or ops—cross-team exposure drives faster iteration and smarter execution. Make it part of your calendar, not a side project.

Technique 4: Build Weak Ties Through Open Collaboration

Informal networks often carry more useful knowledge than structured updates. That’s why encouraging trust and “weak tie” collaboration pays off in decentralized environments.

Host open show-and-tell sessions, share readouts from customer interviews, or create voluntary demo days. These aren’t mandated updates—they’re invitations to collaborate. When teams feel safe to share progress and mistakes without gatekeeping, they’re more likely to contribute useful insights across silos.

Technique 5: Standardize Communication Norms and Documentation

One of the fastest ways to lose alignment is when teams don’t know where to put information—or how it’s supposed to be used. You need documented norms that make sharing automatic.

Establish playbooks that define communication frequency, preferred channels, meeting formats, and ownership expectations. Document naming conventions, version control practices, and access protocols. Your playbook doesn’t need to be heavy—it just needs to remove friction. When people know how to share and retrieve knowledge, information becomes flow, not burden.

Technique 6: Enable Federated Data Models Like Data Mesh

You can’t expect a central team to manage every insight. A federated model distributes data ownership across business units while keeping integration standards high.

In a data mesh setup, each team owns its domain-specific analytics and maintains clean, shareable datasets. Teams publish their outputs in agreed formats, with lineage, labels, and documentation attached. Others can query, join, or build from those datasets without central bottlenecks. This encourages speed and autonomy while maintaining data quality and consistency.

Technique 7: Measure and Reward Information Contribution

When you treat knowledge sharing as an input to performance—not an afterthought—you improve adoption and consistency across teams.

Use metrics like document reuse, cross-unit collaboration, and update frequency. Track which content or templates gain traction across multiple regions. Tie that back to team reviews, performance recognition, or spot rewards. When sharing becomes visible and rewarded, it becomes second nature—not just good citizenship.

How do you share information in decentralized organizations?

Use a shared workspace

Assign content ownership

Schedule cross-unit reviews

Mix async and real-time tools

Standardize documentation

Federate analytics

Measure contribution

In Conclusion

You’ll improve information sharing across decentralized teams by structuring ownership, leveraging the right mix of tools, and embedding routines that promote visibility and trust. Combine regular cross-team reviews with federated data practices, and reinforce good habits through incentives. When sharing is systemized and low-friction, your distributed organization operates with speed, alignment, and confidence—no matter how far apart your teams sit.

Sharing information across decentralized teams doesn’t have to be chaotic. I’ve broken down 7 key techniques that actually work—read the full piece via John Milne.