I shared the following on LinkedIn:
When I complete a task, it’s not complete unless I send out a report about it. I found that a great communication technique in fully remote environments over the years.
and I got a question:
A report? You mean documentation or something simpler like a history? Can you elaborate?
Here's an example.
My boss assigned a task to me. It had the following elements:
- A description of the task
- A description of why it is important
- The desired outcome/result/product
- A deadline
I work in a fully remote company. Here's scenario A.
No report
I complete the task on time, but say nothing. Not to my boss. Not to the rest of the company. My boss comes to me two days later and gives me feedback about being late. I am like, but I finished this on time. When? Where's the work product? My boss asks. It's not scaleable for me to constantly check where everyone is with things we have agreed to work on, my boss says.
Here's scenario B.
Here's scenario B.
Report
I complete the task on time. Before the deadline expires, I notify my boss using our preferred communication method. I share the work product, any assumptions I made, why I decided to do XYZ instead of ABC, and more. I also write a small summary and share it on our company's preferred announcement channel. In my communication, I include the preferred method for any feedback anyone can give me. In my summary I open up about any difficulties and how I chose to overcome them. I may also describe my approach for solving the problem or completing the task depending on the nature of the task. This is a testament to how we love letting people choose their own approach to solve problems. Overall, sharing all these things creates an opportunity for others to offer better approaches. The whole interaction leaves historical traces about this work product. Future folks can learn from this. And existing folks, including myself and my boss, can remember why we did what we did.
Micromanagement
As a people manager, I was trying to humbly coach a team member of mine to start communicating about their work in a proactive way. They were a bit defensive and said "I don't thrive in micromanaging environments". I said, that's exactly what you help eliminate by being a proactive communicator in a fully remote team. If you are proactive, I will never get the chance to bother you with questions like "What happened with XYZ?". Or, "What did you accomplish this week?". Or, "Are you struggling with anything? Can I help?". And I get it. Not everyone is a proactive communicator by default. Or by character. But if you want to succeed in a fully remote setting, you can slowly learn how to be one. And trust me, you will feel much better when you learn how to communicate effectively.