Remote Engineering Management: Managing an Engineering Team in a Remote-First World

Chapter 1: ​Defining "remote"To set a base of understanding across all readers, we'll start by explaining what hybrid and remote setups are, how they differ, and the different variations of both environments.- Hybrid- Remote
Chapter 2: HiringWe're starting off with hiring because that's the first part of the new employee lifecycle (engaging with thecompany before they work there). This is something that's tricky to get right no matter what the environment, but there are a lot of nuances specific to remote work that are incredibly important to know about in order tobe successful with it.- The screening call- The panel interview- What to do when technology fails- A new set of biases
Chapter 3: OnboardingThis is the next step in the employee lifecycle, so a logical follow-up to hiring in the previous chapter.Onboarding is something I care deeply about, and I talk about all of the thought and care required to make it agood experience for new hires.- Preparing before the first week- The first week- Going forward
Chapter 4: MeetingsWe go over how to run great meetings in a remote setting, and specifically go over certain types of meetingswhere the techniques can be carried over to any other type of meeting. These are the most expensive toolsavailable for managers to communicate, so they're very important to get right.- How to run a virtual meeting- Running retrospectives- Team building- One-on-ones- The "stand-up"
Chapter 5: DeploysDeploying code is one of those highly process-oriented tasks that all engineers run through often, but littlethought is put into anything other than the technical aspect of it. This chapter covers the human emotionsinvolved in deploys, and how to manage them to make sure each deploy goes smoothly.- Making sure everyone is on the same page- Managing the emotional chaos of deploys
Chapter 6: Communication strategiesOne of the most questioned part of remote work, is how will you stay in touch with your team and knowwhat's going on? It must be impossible without sitting next to them! That's not the case, and this chapterexplains how to go about communication as a team to make sure everyone's always on the same page.- Staying updated- Types of calls- Video on or off?- The benefits of voice-only- Embracing async
Chapter 7: Feedback & promotionsAt least once a year, giving thoughtful feedback and putting people up for promotions is a manager's full-timejob. If you aren't paying attention throughout the year, this can be really tough. This covers the strategies toemploy to make sure that you're giving great (and relevant) feedback, and not falling victim to certain biaseswhich result in some people not getting the promotions they deserve.- Giving feedback that matters- Ensuring that promotions are fair
Chapter 8: Diversity & inclusionIt's so important to make sure that everyone feels comfortable on the team and that their work is valued.Remote work introduces a lot of new ways of putting people at a disadvantage (for example, lower internetquality from poor infrastructure making it more difficult to join meetings from home) and it's critical thatmanagers are aware of these things to make work more accessible to all.- Biases introduced b