EPiC Sur-Thrival Guide Part #5: Tools

Tools are the backbone of any team working remotely. It is what arms your team to be able to stay connected and productive when they are unable to be physically together. Your tools are there to enable all the other layers of the Sur-Thrival Guide to take place.

For many organisations, having to move their whole business to a remote setting, is unsettling and difficult to negotiate. For this very reason, having a strategy around tooling, (just as you would around your business direction) will alleviate some of the tensions.

We would like to share three areas to consider for your tooling strategy.

Read the other layers of the Sur-Thrival Guide:

Part #1: Business Strategy

Part #2: Leadership

Part #3: Teams

Part #4: Personal Wellbeing

1. Asynchronous Communication

In a remote environment, functional and flexible communication is essential. Teams will require tools that encompass the ability to connect quickly and concisely at a time that suits the individual. Tooling alone though is not enough. Teams need to honour and respect that everyone will be required to work uninterrupted at times, and will engage when it suits them. This ultimately assists productivity. Tools like Slack, Google Chat, Mattermost, MS Teams and Hipchat, support short, sharp communication. Just as importantly, these tools can be used to connect personally. Office banter doesn’t have to be just for the physical office place!

At EPiC, Slack is the backbone of our communication across three countries. We use a variety of workgroup channels, as well as non-work-related channels like EPiC Parents, where we share homeschooling tips and ways to entertain kids during these extraordinary times. Slack also allows us to connect individually, ensuring seamless communication and collaboration. As an agile transformation consultant, I emphasize the importance of such tools to maintain effective communication and team cohesion.

2. Virtual Meetings

When it comes to holding a virtual meeting, there are numerous tooling options such as Zoom, Hangouts, GoToMeeting, Webex, and Video Facilitator. Essentially they all enable video conferencing. But what sets them apart are the different features and effects they offer. There would be very few people using Zoom recently that haven’t thought about taking advantage of the option to change their background. Many a beach or other more pleasurable setting than your living room has been on display of late!

What you will need to consider is, what type of meeting you are holding, and what outcome you need to take from it. The type of meetings you may hold could range from a 1:1 meeting to a department meeting, a workshop, a training session or you may even be holding a webinar. Once you understand what you need out of the meeting, it is worth spending a little time to research what each tool offers and select the most suitable to meet your needs.

At EPiC, we utilize a variety of virtual meeting tools to enhance our agile transformation consulting services. We understand their features and select the ones that best complement the session type. For instance, the virtual hand-raising feature is excellent for managing large group meetings, and breakout rooms significantly benefit our training sessions. This thoughtful approach ensures effective and efficient communication during our consultations and training sessions.

3. Remote Collaboration

Collaboration is necessary at many different times and levels across teams and organisations. To help you approach this from a remote perspective, we have broken it down into three different areas.

Planning & Synchronising the work

To be able to collaborate and plan together, you need somewhere your team can access collectively. They will need to be able to add information, view, and track in real-time, as well as share with others. Tools such as Jira, Trello and Monday support this.

Brainstorming and workshopping ideas

Just as you would come together in the office around a whiteboard or use post-it notes to share ideas and come up with solutions, there are tools that allow you to do this online. Look into Miro, Jamboard and Sketchboard. There is no reason that not being physically together should stop the creative juices from flowing.

Doing the work and actually executing the work

As an agile transformation consultant, I understand that tools for executing work will vary across organizations and teams. Deciding on the necessary tools depends on your specific area within the organization. Assess what your team currently uses, explore its additional features, and determine its relevance in a remote environment. If the current tools are no longer effective, consult with the appropriate people in your organization or conduct your own research to find solutions that will keep your team dynamic and productive.

Reach Out

We hope these 3 elements for Tools have helped but if you would like further assistance, we’d love to help! This is what we do as Business Agility coaches and we are here to help in these situations. If you have any questions or would like help to facilitate these sessions and conversations, reach out to us here: Contact Us