Loup’s Favorite Software for Remote Work
Loup is a fully distributed team working across North America. We’re a small shop, but we dedicate a sizeable portion of our monthly operating costs to software that allows us to work seamlessly from afar. Yes, there are free (or cheaper) alternatives to some of the tools we use, but through trial — and certainly through error — we’ve come to realize that dependable software is critical to our success as a distributed team. Here is the minimum set of tools we use and recommend:
- A video conferencing tool. We prefer Zoom, which allows for plenaries and breakout rooms, as well as the ability to record calls to share with anyone who missed it due to meeting conflicts or time zone issues. Many teams use the free alternative, Google Hangouts.
- Collaborative document editors. We use G Suite for documents with staying power like plans, budgets, and meeting notes and for anything we want to share beyond our team. For a more temporary place to co-work, jot down ideas, or organize our messy thoughts without the burden of properly naming and storing them for the rest of eternity, we use the simple, real-time text editor Cryptpad.
- An informal communication tool. Slack allows our team to easily stay in touch without email and to organize our ongoing, asynchronous conversations around specific projects. Mattermost is a great open-source alternative.
- A task tracker. We like Airtable because it can do almost anything! We use it as a lightweight CRM to track contacts and conversations, as a social media planner, and to manage our large database of communication assets. (Read about our adventures with Airtable here and here.) Some teams prefer tools like Trello, Monday, or Notion.
- A virtual whiteboard (with sticky notes!) This tool is a must for creative teams. We’ve had great success with Mural and use it for everything from brainstorming sessions to regular retrospectives.
Loup offers custom organizational design and guidance with a specialization in helping geographically distributed teams. Through training, coaching, tooling, and facilitation, we help establish healthy project management processes and practices for teams. Learn more about our services.
