Remote Engineering Is Here to Stay

Remote and hybrid work is the default for most software engineering teams. Managing distributed teams effectively requires intentional practices around communication, collaboration, and culture. At Nexis Limited, our team operates across multiple locations, and we have developed practices that make distributed work productive and sustainable.

Communication Architecture

Async-First Communication

Asynchronous communication is the foundation of effective remote work. Write decisions, context, and discussions in persistent channels (Slack, Linear, Notion) rather than relying on real-time conversations that exclude team members in different time zones or focus blocks.

  • Write proposals and technical decisions as documents, not chat messages.
  • Record important meeting outcomes and share them in team channels.
  • Set expectations for response times — most async messages should be answered within 4 hours during work hours.
  • Use threads to keep discussions organized and searchable.

Synchronous Communication

Reserve synchronous communication for situations where it adds clear value:

  • Complex problem-solving discussions where real-time dialogue is faster.
  • Sprint planning and retrospectives where group participation matters.
  • One-on-one meetings for personal development and feedback.
  • Pair programming for knowledge transfer and complex implementations.

Code Review Practices

Code review is one of the most important distributed collaboration mechanisms:

  • Keep pull requests small (under 400 lines of changes) for faster review turnaround.
  • Include context in PR descriptions — what changed, why, and how to test it.
  • Respond to review requests within one business day to avoid blocking teammates.
  • Use review checklists for consistency — security, testing, documentation, performance.

Cross-Timezone Collaboration

When team members are in different time zones, maximize the overlap hours:

  • Schedule all-hands meetings during the overlap window that works for most team members.
  • Rotate meeting times periodically so the same timezone is not always inconvenienced.
  • Use handoff documents — at the end of their day, an engineer documents where they stopped and what the next person needs to know.
  • Automate deployments and CI/CD so work is not blocked by timezone gaps.

Building Culture Remotely

Remote teams need deliberate culture-building since organic interactions (coffee chats, lunch conversations) do not happen naturally:

  • Regular one-on-ones between managers and direct reports.
  • Virtual social events that are optional and varied (not just video calls).
  • Recognize contributions publicly in team channels.
  • In-person gatherings (quarterly or biannually) for relationship building.
  • Clear documentation of team values, norms, and expectations.

Productivity and Well-Being

  • Encourage clear boundaries between work and personal time.
  • Respect "focus time" blocks where engineers can code without interruption.
  • Track outcomes (features shipped, bugs fixed) rather than hours worked or online status.
  • Provide stipends for home office equipment and internet.

Conclusion

Managing remote engineering teams well requires intentional practices around communication, collaboration, and culture. Async-first communication, fast code reviews, timezone-aware scheduling, and deliberate relationship building enable distributed teams to be highly productive while maintaining work-life balance.

Building a remote engineering team? Our team has experience building distributed engineering practices.