Skype calls are important for project communication, but also to connect with your remote coworkers.
Our first set of tips for Architects and Design Professionals Working From Home focused on creating a productive environment and honoring one’s routines. These suggestions were very helpful and universal in their application.
Today’s advice focuses more on the technical aspects of working in our industry. All of our insights are courtesy of our resident homebody and Senior Project Architect Bryan Zacharias.
Communication
Keep in regular contact with your team. Catch up as often as you need to keep track of work progress and deadlines. Use Skype or Slack for a real-time discussion with the whole group about each team member’s daily task load. If you feel like you’re floundering, call your manager to get some guidance.
Use technology effectively. Setting up a screen share and using Blu-Beam to draw colorful rectangles on a PDF can be a surprisingly effective way to talk through something simple. For more complicated issues, take some time beforehand to gather your thoughts, create markups, and grab examples so that you’re ready to present your thoughts clearly during a meeting.
Anticipate the ebb and flow. Unlike in the office, when working remotely, you cannot easily request someone’s attention by simply approaching them. You may need to adjust to waiting for a response to your questions or requests. You’ll have to be more mindful of how you manage your time to avoid frustration or gridlock. Keep non-urgent tasks on the back-burner so you can fill time when waiting for someone to get back to you, and try not to push your work all the way to the point that you cannot make any progress without someone else’s input.