Working On A Distributed Team

The way everyone, myself included are used to working is rapidly changing.

Since I started my role as a Product Owner on Particl from a small town in South Africa, named Jeffrey’s Bay, the workplace structure as I knew it certainly changed.

Particl is an open source project that has built a privacy-focused platform for decentralized applications — the first of which is my obligation, Particl Marketplace.

We have a global team of paid and volunteer staff and I noticed right away that you are allowed more freedom to get the job done the way you choose to do it. From a professional standpoint, I prefer being judged by the work I deliver instead of my time. I firmly believe in the statement that “freedom goes a long way when it comes to managing the happiness of distributed team members” Once there is a good system in place everything works like a well-oiled machine.

Being part of a distributed team, I have found that it is so important to have a shared understanding of what is expected and that everyone is working towards the same goal. Working across different time zones and geographies allows for the team members to work on Particl around the clock.

While working on a distributed team offers many perks it also comes with barriers; namely communication. One can think that communication is one of the most significant obstacles as it is much easier speaking to a colleague that is in the same room than remotely, but with technology being so advanced we have all the tools at our disposal to make it work.

“Virtual teams give startups access to international talent.” — Dave Nevogt, Hubstaff

Although a few bumps in the road are unavoidable, as long as you set clear goals and keep everyone on the same page, distributed teams offer many advantages. The Particl team members are smart, innovative, and highly skilled individuals who contribute significantly to the progress of the project. The diversity of backgrounds and experience provided by the team members lead to more innovative, creative solutions and results that will benefit the entire project.

In conclusion, I am happy to be part of such an innovative and challenging project. Working on a distributed team is indeed not for everyone, but currently, for the Particl team, it is working out awesome!