I had promised my daughter that when she turns 15 that I would take her on a Euro trip vacation during the summer… well… the time has come and I have to do my fatherly duties and keep my promise to my daughter…
…but a 10-day trip is not an easy thing to accomplish, especially when one is running his own software development business and there are about 60+ people always trying to reach out for something or another.
I have to say that I am thankful to be living in this day and age where the internet is available everywhere and it’s easier to keep a finger on the pulse of the office.
As the saying goes: where is a well, there is a way!
So here is what I did in order to accomplish this challenge:
1. Empower the team
In our Kiev office, our work processes are focused on our awesome Project Managers. They are very smart people and trained on the art of communicating with the clients. By doing that, I have ensured that client communications are always up to date and never interrupted.
2. Stay online
The first thing I always did as soon as we have checked in to our hotel is to get a local SIM card with as much data plan as possible. That way, I was always available to answer any questions that may arise where the PMs need my advice. This ranges from a wide range. Having an offshore development office always raises issues about language and culture differences.
While I do spend a good amount of time making sure the PMs have a good practice on client communications, sometimes there may be an issue.
3. Schedule daily check-ins
Our office hours are from 9 AM to 7 PM. We have scheduled twice a day check-ins. Once around noon in the Kiev office time-zone, and once around 6 PM. This gives the team a chance to get organized in the morning and get the programmers going. This also gives them a chance to collect any issues that they need advice on.
The second touch-point is meant to be a review of any complex client emails that need to go out. Again, while the PMs English is great, sometimes changing few words or rearranging some sentences can make the email much easier to follow and a lot more pleasant for the clients to read and understand without having to spend a lot of time on that.
Our job is to accomplish our clients’ goals and make it happen with the least amount of stress possible on the client.
4. Skype/Slack/Email communications
Every 2-3 hours, I do a quick check on the different tools we are using for our workflow. There are a lot of long lines for seeing different attractions. I used this line to do a quick check on my phone for any issues that may come up during the day. Some issues require immediate attention, and a 5-minutes Skype call can go aloooooong way to keep the team going. In the evening, and after the day is over, I usually set some time to review the emails of the day that require a bit more attention and working from my laptop.
5. Finally, HAVE FUN!
After all, this supposed to be a vacation. My daughter was looking forward to sight-seeing and exploring the different amazing cities that we have been to. I could not let her down!
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The line between work/personal life is blurry .. and while there are many schools of thought about separating the two, we have a different philosophy. We love what we do, and we enjoy it a lot. I could not even imagine being away from work for more than 3-4 days! I’d be bored to death! So, our philosophy is that we embrace both personal and work times. The flexibility we offer is great, and it works amazing for our very responsible team.
I could not be happier and more proud of my team!
Here are some pix! Enjoy the show. We sure did 🙂
