Working with distributed teams in an Agile environment

We are hosting a joint meet-up between News UK and River Island discussing the best practises of working with distributed teams within the Agile environment.

6:30-7:00: Food, Drinks & Networking
7:00-7:10: Intro of speakers and background
7:10-7:30: The secret of working with remote team - Nisha Patel and Sarah Blackman
7:30-8:00: Offshore Agile - Closing the Gap - Genna Fowler
8:00-8:20: The 3 C’s to succeed with distributed teams - Nabil Zawadi
8:20-9:00: Networking

The News UK BA team has grown rapidly since last year. As a part of the growth, more and more of us are starting to work with offshore teams in Bangalore. We have faced some of the typical challenges an would like to share our experience such as leading an effective stand up, streamlining weekly refinement sessions, increasing the velocity of our teams, running company wide showcases, carrying out demos to business stakeholders and facilitating technical conversations; as well as fun things like having an online Christmas party! We have also invited an Agile Project Manager reveal some of his unique challenges when delivering with distributed teams.

River Island's BAs also work frequently with remote teams located across head office locations in Shoreditch and Hanger Lane. But, what happens when an off-shore team in Barcelona is added to the mix? Sarah and Nisha will share why the off-shore team was created, the planning that went into ensuring a smooth ramp-up period, the technologies and ways of working that keep the teams connected, and what River Island has learned about remote workforces along the way.

What you miss the most with distributed teams is getting to know the people behind the screen, that camaraderie that is built over lunch.

However, it is not impossible and putting the effort in to get to know people you work with is often the key to unlocking the huge amount of potential with a distributed team.

If this sounds interesting to you, come and join us on 7th Feb at River Island's offices!