Work-From-Home Essentials Cheat Sheet

Use this cheat sheet as a checklist for the essential needs of teams making a change to working-from-home (WFH). These are recommended minimum requirements for WFH.

This article accompanies the Skills Matter talk of 13 August 2020, “Essential Techniques for Leading Software Teams in the Work From Home Era”.

• Reliable internet access
• Appropriate computer equipment (including video camera and microphone)
• Group-centric instant messaging software like:
  • Slack
  • IRC
  • Element
  • Rocket.Chat
• Video conferencing software like:
  • Zoom
  • BlueJeans
  • Google Meet
• Asynchronous communication tools like:
  • Discourse
  • Basecamp
  • Phabricator
  • Jira
  • GitHub
  • Email
• Emergency contact information (telephone numbers), shared appropriately
• Preference for asynchronous communication
• A clear way to submit deliverables

In the case of software tools, companies must make a definitive choice of which to use and must communicate that choice clearly to employees.