Remote Project Team Coordination

Creating digital products is tough! Too many frameworks are just noise. Let me simplify: 18 free editable templates from strategy to delivery! You will find hundreds, if not thousands, of frameworks. Choosing the fitting one is hard, I know the drill. I tried many things over the last 15 years, and only a few worked. The following templates reflect what works for me and hopefully can help you create value faster. I categorized the templates to help you with what you need at each moment: . Strategy: Enabling focus and smoothing decision-making . Discovery: Uncovering what creates value . Delivery: Building what creates value Product Strategy 1. Product Vision: Inspire people to pursue an audacious but achievable mission https://bit.ly/3qcgVWt 2. Lean Canvas by Ash Maurya: Bring clarity to the critical aspects of your business model https://bit.ly/3KvwPBQ 3. Value Curve by Blue Ocean Strategy | Shift | Leadership: Define how you differentiate from your competition https://bit.ly/3OIzLxK 4. Roadmap inspired by Janna Bastow: Focus on continuously delivering outcomes https://bit.ly/3QtXBP0 -- Discovery 5. Business Outcome: Define desired results, what to sacrifice, and what not to https://bit.ly/3Ylptqt 6. Interview Preparation: Simplifying how you craft valuable interviews https://bit.ly/43XgvAL 7. Interview Results: Nailing down the insights collected from interviews https://bit.ly/43SyNU1 8. Opportunity Solution Tree by Teresa Torres: Connecting the dots and prioritizing what to focus on https://bit.ly/443A9Lr 9. Identifying Assumptions: Figuring out what you need to test before investing too much https://bit.ly/45luLVj 10. Assumption Matrix by David Bland: Categorize assumptions and test the most critical ones https://bit.ly/3qdSHLt 11. Experiment Template: Define the right aspects to succeed with experiments https://bit.ly/3ONyhCw 12. Experiment Results: Document your results and share the learning https://bit.ly/3OJwgHb -- Delivery 13. Stakeholder Matrix: Categorizing your stakeholders to understand how to collaborate with which one of them https://bit.ly/3Kwuuqt 14. Prioritization: Filter out distractions and commit to valuable opportunities https://bit.ly/47oY5fd 15. Backlog Refinement: Building a shared understanding of problems worth solving bit.ly/3MViLUn 16. Planning: Setting a goal and figuring out how to reach it bit.ly/3A55G3c 17. Review: Presenting results and engaging with stakeholders bit.ly/40cK93n 18. Retrospective: Identifying opportunities to become a better team bit.ly/43EHWAy -- I hit the wall several times before coming to the above. It took me a while to figure out this way of working, and I genuinely believe this can help you create value sooner, too. Let's rock the product world together! Have a great day, David

Five years in, and distributed work is a part of Atlassian's DNA. With teams across 14+ countries, we've become experts at async collaboration. Everyone has the information they need to get work done, no matter which timezone they're in. Here are 3 tips for making it work in your teams: 🗓️ Default to async, meet with intent: Too often, meetings are our catch-all solution for collaboration. Save synchronous time for what truly needs it - creative problem-solving, building relationships, and making complex decisions. Everything else? Go async. 💻 Video brings back the human element: I use Loom to share quick updates or provide feedback. Seeing facial expressions and hearing tones makes async communication feel far more personal and engaging. ✍ Documentation is your superpower: When you write things down in shared spaces, you're not just recording - you're enabling your teammates to move work forward without waiting. Joe Thomas dives deeper into async work practices in the latest Fast Company podcast. Worth a listen! https://go.atlss.in/wt8sq5

Should you keep it simple and stick to one method of goal-setting...or is there benefit in adopting a hybrid approach? The answer can be determined by building your knowledge of goal setting methodologies and assessing your organizational size, maturity, complexity and change management capability. Many start ups and small businesses use simplified goal setting methods due to their size and limited resources. They might set SMART goals based on revenue, quality, customer acquisition, or product development, focusing on clear and attainable objectives. However, this approach doesn't always work when businesses get bigger! Larger, complex and diverse organizations generally use multiple goal setting methods to allow for a more nuanced and holistic approach to goal management. Some companies might set SMART goals for specific product development projects, OKRs (Objectives and Key Results) for strategic initiatives, and Balanced Scorecards for measuring overall performance, giving them a versatile approach. Others might use might use SMART goals for individual performance evaluations, Hoshin Kanri for strategic planning ( info on this approach in comments) and KPIs for tracking various operational metrics across different business units. Choosing the best methodologies for your organization requires involving employees, managers and other stakeholders in the decision-making process. You could also consider running a pilot program or trial period with different methodologies to assess their effectiveness in your specific organizational context. Remember...effective goal setting provides a clear roadmap for success, aligns efforts, motivates individuals and teams, and enables efficient monitoring and adaptation. The right methodology can drive performance and achievement. #goalsetting #goals #strategicplanning #strategicthinking #goalsettingtips Image source: SugarOKR.com

India's Consent Management System (CMS) under the DPDP Act! In today's digital age, transparent and secure data handling is paramount. This latest Business Requirement Document (BRD) for the Consent Management System (CMS) outlines a robust framework designed to empower individuals and ensure organizations meet the stringent requirements of the Digital Personal Data Protection (DPDP) Act, 2023. The CMS is built to manage the entire consent lifecycle seamlessly, from collection and validation to updates and withdrawals. This system is crucial for: 1. Empowering Data Principals: Individuals gain a user-centric platform to view, manage, and control their consent preferences, fostering transparency and trust in data processing. 2. Ensuring DPDP Act Compliance: The system strictly adheres to the DPDP Act's regulations, promoting purpose limitation, data minimization, and secure personal data processing. 3. Facilitating Data Fiduciaries & Processors: It provides essential tools and integrations for secure and compliant consent processing, including granular consent options, real-time updates, and robust audit logging. Key functional areas of the CMS include: 1. Comprehensive Consent Lifecycle Management: Covering collection, validation, updates, renewal, and withdrawal. 2. User Dashboard: Allowing Data Principals to view consent history, modify/revoke consent, and raise grievances. 3. Consent Notifications: Keeping all stakeholders informed about consent-related activities in real-time. 4. Grievance Redressal Mechanism: Providing a transparent way for users to report data handling concerns. 5. Immutable Audit Logs: Ensuring every consent-related action is recorded in a tamper-proof manner for accountability and compliance. This initiative by the National e-Governance Division, Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, underscores India's commitment to data privacy and digital empowerment. Check out this document for more information!

9 ways to combat loneliness in your virtual team. Virtual teams are becoming the norm across industries. While this shift offers numerous benefits, it also presents a unique challenge. Remote teams grapple with an invisible adversary: 𝗟𝗼𝗻𝗲𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀. Loneliness occurs because- - Isolation from Team Dynamics - Lack of spontaneous interactions - Reduced sense of shared experiences - Absence of non-verbal cues in communication - Blurred boundaries between work and personal life - Difficulty in building trust without face-to-face interactions This social isolation causes ↳ feelings of detachment, ↳ a drop in productivity, ↳ loss of motivation, ↳ struggles with teamwork, ↳ increased risk of burnout, and ↳ even anxiety. Loneliness in virtual teams is a growing concern. Here are 9 ways to combat loneliness in your virtual team: 1) Embrace Casual Connections: ▶ Schedule casual talks, like online coffee breaks or game nights. 2) Regular Check-Ins: ▶ Schedule regular one-on-one and team check-ins to promote communication and connection. 3) Mentorship Programs: ▶ Partner with team members for mentoring or skill swapping. A structured approach to foster deeper one-on-one bonding within the team. 4) Celebrate Wins (Big and Small):  ▶ Acknowledge and praise accomplishments. A brief team chat message or virtual cheer is impactful. 5) Prioritize Video Calls: ▶ Use video calls for teamwork, ideas, or casual chats. They create a stronger sense of being together than texts or calls. 6) Invest in Team Building Activities: ▶ Schedule online team-building activities. Options include games, trivia, or shared brainstorming on non-work subjects. 7) Encourage virtual "watercooler moments": ▶ Create dedicated online channels for non-work-related discussions, fostering a sense of community and shared interests. 8) Lead by example:  ▶ Managers engage in team-building activities and virtual social events. Prioritize the team's well-being. 9) Support Mental Health:  ▶ Offer mental health aid, like counselling access and wellness plans. --------- Connecting virtual teams reduces loneliness, fostering productivity, innovation, and organisational resilience. What tips will you add? --------------- I am Jayant, a big supporter of raising awareness about #MentalHealth. This week (Mon/Wed/Fri) on #JayThoughts (follow it), ▶ we focus on #Loneliness. You can follow me and then press the bell 🔔to receive new post notifications. #Culture #Leadership

When your country's trust in its leaders has collapsed, how do you rebuild it? You don’t hold another conference. You build tools that let citizens watch power in action—live. In Chile, public trust in democratic institutions has cratered. Trust is “very, very damaged,” as one developer put it. People just don’t believe their voices matter anymore. Then came Del Dicho al Hecho – from said to done. A digital platform built to track every official proposal: from introduction in Congress to real-world implementation. Education, healthcare, immigration: you watch promises go from line to law in real time. One in ten Chileans used it last year. That's what digital accountability looks like. Until the tech got old. Enter Tech To The Rescue: we matched Ciudadanía Inteligente with pro bono backend expertise from Alio IT Solutions. We moved from spreadsheets and guesswork to scalable power without bureaucracy: --> Django-powered backend, with clean, secure, scalable architecture --> Real-time dashboard, replacing manual updating every legislative cycle --> Instant CSV uploads, replacing convoluted PDF workflows This isn't about flashy tech. It’s about civic tech that works: tools that restore trust, reshape democracy, and scale across borders. Today’s reminder for nonprofits: 1. Your domain isn’t the only one broken. 2. Your tools don’t just serve; you deserve scalable systems. 3. Accountability doesn’t wait for reports; it needs real-time tools. Big thanks to Ciudadanía Inteligente and Alio IT for showing how civic tech actually scales. The future of democracy isn’t speeches. It’s pixels that speak truth to power. #CivicTech #TechForGood #FutureOfDemocracy #NonprofitInnovation

Yesterday I took the entire revenue team (sales, cs, marketing) off the floor for out for a very specific training. Goal Setting. Yep. The entire org for over 60 min together learning how to set and achieve goals. I do this 2x a year with my teams. Why? Because most people never accomplish their goals because they never actually set them and never actually create a plan to achieve them. I've gotten pretty dang good at setting goals. I've gotten pretty dang good at achieving goals. It makes life so much more fun. So here are the key concepts I teach in goal settting. 1. Set a goal in each of the 5 buckets. Self. Health. Wealth. Proffessional. Experience. 2. Identify the Keystone Goal - Which goal if achieved will have the biggest impact on all the rest. 3. Who do you need to BE in order to achieve this goal - How would this person act, work, communicate, behave, etc 4. What do you need to BELIEVE to achieve this goal - this combined with number 3 is where we create our affirmations. 5. Why do you want this goal - aka what will change in your world when you achieve it - If nothing changes... nothing changes. 6. What are you done dealing with now/whats the negative of NOT achieving your goal - Having a negative is important when things get hard. 7. Why you Why Now - Why are you capable of achieving this goal, what traits, resources, etc do you have that allow you to believe you can do this. 8. What are your 3x3s - 3 things daily, weekly, and monthly that if done will give you your best shot at achieving - Example - Put workout clothes out the night before with the alarm across the room - that would be a good daily for health 9. Make it visual - Vision boards (we will be doing this in a couple weeks as a team) - but also visualize it each morning, each evening, not just the accomplishing of the goal, but the process to achieve it. 10. Accountability - Share it with people that not only want to see you win, but also with people that won't allow you to lose/will hold you to the fire. --- All written out by each individual and then my challenge to them is to read it every morning and every night for 60 days. Watch what happens when you do. A team that sets goals together, wins together. I can't wait to see so many of theirs goals, so many of their affirmations, and so many of their achievements. This is going to be good ya'll. Just wait and see. PS - this is one of the most popular modules in the Sales Leadership Accelerator in fact it's unlocked right out the gate for all members. PPS - I'll be doing this workshop at Pavilion GTM in a few weeks as well here in Austin. Lets set and smash some goals ya'll!

How to outperform in 2024 across all areas of your life. 8 simple exercises including questions: 1. Reflect on the Past Year: Consider your achievements, challenges, and areas where you'd like to improve. Ask yourself: - What went well this past year? Why? - What could have gone better? Why? 2. Set SMART Goals: Make your goals Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound. Ask yourself: - Do I want to do more exercise or do I want to work out 3 times a week for at least 30 minutes a day every week until the end of the year? 3. Create Categories: Divide your goals into different categories like career, health, personal growth, relationships, finance, hobbies, etc. This helps maintain a balanced focus across various aspects of your life. - Which areas can do with more time investment? Why? - Which areas can do with less time investment? Why? 4. Prioritise: Decide which goals are the most important to you and prioritise them accordingly. - Which 2 goals from my long list of 20 goals will bring me the most happiness and sense of achievement if achieved in the next 3-6 months? - Why am I not prioritising these? - What will I do tomorrow to work toward them? 5. Break Down Goals: Break bigger goals into smaller, manageable tasks or milestones. This makes them less daunting and helps in tracking progress. - What advice would I give to someone in my shoes on approaching these goals? 6. Write Them Down: Put your goals in writing. You might create a vision board, a list, or use a digital platform to keep them organised and visible. - How can I remind myself of my goals every day? 7. Review and Adjust: Regularly review your goals and track your progress. Adjust them if needed to adapt to changes or new insights. - How will I define progress? What does progress look like? - What steps will I take if things aren't going as planned? 8. Stay Committed: Keep your goals in mind and take consistent actions toward achieving them. Celebrate your successes along the way and don't be discouraged by setbacks. - How should I celebrate each success, milestone or achievement? - How can I make this fun and enjoyable? Remember, the most important part is taking the first step. Failures will happen. But failing forward (accepting and learning from your failure) is the best way to increase the likelihood of success. Good luck! #Career #Students #Goals

As we approach the New Year, it's time to rethink our resolution strategy. Although we set intentions yearly, the challenge remains: how do we stick to it? I want to share with you the strategy of agile goal-setting, an approach widely adopted in the startup world, including within my own ventures. This methodology, battle-tested in the unpredictable world of startups, can be equally successful in navigating the complexities and uncertainties of our own personal development. Try a different approach to make your 2024 resolutions a tangible reality! 🎯 Step 1: Find Your North Star - Define an overarching goal that aligns with your core values. Be it strengthening family bonds, advancing your career, or prioritizing health, let this North Star guide all your actions. 🗺 Step 2: Create a Roadmap - Break down your North Star into monthly milestones. These achievable goals will keep you on track and motivated. Celebrate each milestone, reassess, and pivot if needed. 🔄 Step 3: Iterate and Adapt - Life is unpredictable. Review your progress monthly and adapt your goals. Miss a target? No worries. Opt for 'low-hanging fruit' goals that are impactful yet achievable. For a detailed guide including examples on how to craft your New Year's Resolutions using startup strategies, read my blog and share it with your friends who may need a new approach to goal-setting. https://lnkd.in/et5AAhu2

If your team is exhausted, it’s not growth. it’s bad leadership. Pushing harder is not a culture strategy. It’s emotional negligence. Resilience isn't built by pushing your team harder. It’s something you cultivate - not coerce. If you're a CEO or founder, chances are you want a team that adapts quickly, learns rapidly, and stays energised under pressure. But maybe you've noticed that instead of resilience, your team just seems... tired. Frustrated. Burnt out. You're not alone. One founder I coached recently faced this exact dilemma. They wanted to lead a resilient organisation, but their team was caught in a cycle of fatigue from unrelenting change. The intention was growth. The result? Overwhelm. That disconnect is more common than many leaders realize. Resilience doesn’t grow in pressure - it grows in trust, clarity, and support. Here’s how we shifted their culture - without pushing people past their limits: ✅ Clarify the “why” behind every change ❌ Don’t expect buy-in without context. ✅ Offer resources for upskilling ❌ Don’t assume adaptation will happen spontaneously. ✅ Create open dialogue around challenges ❌ Don’t dismiss concerns as resistance. ✅ Build a safe-to-fail environment ❌ Don’t punish mistakes that enable learning. ✅ Reinforce a shared vision - especially when things get hard ❌ Don’t let uncertainty dilute your leadership. ✅ Earn trust with consistency ❌ Don’t make promises you can’t fulfil. As you reflect on these principles, you might notice something shift. Perhaps you've already experienced how culture impacts energy and innovation. And maybe, you're beginning to see how building true resilience is about alignment, not acceleration. Picture your team six months from now: Communicating openly. Adapting confidently. Trusting deeply. Imagine how much farther you could go - not from pushing harder, but from working smarter... together. You already know pressure alone won’t build the future you want. But with clarity, consistency, and trust - you can build a team that bends without breaking.