tl;dr:Engineer-inspired “how we work” management principles: (1) Make work visible: Proactively share to the widest extent practical. (2) Write things down, especially the why and how. Ensure that everything has a URL. (3) Over communicate: Use a durable, searchable, and discoverable medium. Let others opt-in to context and subscribe to updates. (4) Bias for shipping: ship early, ship often. (5) Streamline and automate: Never force a human to do what a robot can. (6) Embrace collaboration: How we work is as important as what we work on. (7) Asynchronous first: Reserve higher-fidelity mediums for conversations that require them. (8) Practicality beats purity.
tl;dr:The cathedral and the bazaar are two contrasting styles of people management, inspired by the open source movement. The cathedral style is more hierarchical, controlled, and standardized, while the bazaar style is more decentralized, autonomous, and collaborative. As a manager or as someone who is managed, you should know which style you prefer, and which style your manager prefers.
tl;dr:“How we communicate” guidance, we established eight guiding principles: (1) Be asynchronous first. (2) Write things down. (3) Make work visible and overcommunicate. (4) Prefer GitHub tools and workflows. (5) Embrace collaboration. (6) Foster a culture that values documentation maintenance. (7) Communicate openly, honestly, and authentically. (8) Remember, practicality beats purity. The authors also detail how GitHub uses its own platform for planning, discussing, and documenting work.
tl;dr:Remote work demands a shift in communication style, emphasizing more content but less frequent interaction. This approach involves richer, more thoughtful exchanges like long-form writing or videos, rather than constant, interrupt-driven interactions. Asynchronous work allows for reflection, research, and synthesis, improving the quality and clarity of communication. It's likened to "gzip compression" for human communication, enabling greater throughput with fewer "packets." Tips for effective remote communication include choosing the right medium, writing clearly and comprehensively, recording engaging videos, and communicating proactively and asynchronously. This method leads to less time talking about work and more time actually doing it, optimizing for efficiency and flow.