Remote collaboration
Our three-location, async-first protocol. This page is the authoritative version of the Remote Collaboration SOP (v0.1 is the Word version that circulated; this MDX version supersedes it).
Four principles
- Handbook-first. Any question asked twice gets written down. Any decision gets written down. The handbook is the single source of truth.
- Public by default. Internal information is visible to everyone in the company unless there’s a specific reason to restrict it. (Note: “public within the company” is different from the external public docs site.)
- Async first, sync sparingly. Our three locations only have 4–5 hours of overlap per day. Don’t waste them on information transfer that could be a document.
- Outcomes, not hours. Performance is measured by what gets delivered, not by online time or response speed.
Working hours and the core window
| Location | Typical working hours (local) | Core collaboration window (local) |
|---|---|---|
| Beijing | 09:00–18:00 CST | 10:00–14:00 |
| Bali | 09:00–18:00 WITA | 10:00–14:00 |
| Melbourne | 09:00–17:00 AEDT/AEST | 13:00–17:00 (AEDT) / 12:00–16:00 (AEST) |
During the core window: respond to Slack within ~30 minutes. Outside the core window: respond when you next log in, no expectation of immediate reply.
Daily async update
Every staff member posts a short update in #daily-updates before signing off:
✅ Done today:
- [brief item, with link]
- [brief item]
🎯 Tomorrow:
- [planned item]
🚧 Blocked on:
- [if anything]3–5 lines, no essays. This is how the next time zone picks up where you left off.
Tool routing
Different conversations go to different tools. Don’t do the wrong work in the wrong place.
| Conversation type | Tool | Rule |
|---|---|---|
| Task that needs to be done and tracked | Linear / GitHub Issues | Anything assignable with a deliverable |
| Decision to be recorded | Handbook (this site) | Write the decision into the relevant page |
| Quick discussion, async | Slack | Discussion only — outcomes migrate to handbook or Linear |
| Urgent, immediate attention | WhatsApp / Slack @channel | Reserve for real emergencies |
| External — customers, suppliers, partners | WhatsApp, email | Appropriate channel per relationship |
| Meetings | Zoom/Google Meet with pre-written agenda | No agenda = no meeting |
Decision records (ADRs)
Major decisions get an ADR (Architecture/Action Decision Record) in /operations/decisions/. Template and threshold (roughly: anything impacting >10,000 AUD/year, or structural changes) in the Operations module.
Meeting rhythm
| Meeting | Frequency | Duration | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-hands | Weekly | 30 min | Everyone |
| Location standup | Weekly | 30 min | Per location |
| Monthly business review | Monthly | 60 min | Everyone |
| Quarterly strategy | Quarterly | 2–3 hours | Core team |
| 1:1 | Biweekly | 30 min | Manager + report |
Every meeting: pre-written agenda, designated facilitator, written outcomes. No agenda = meeting is postponed.
When to escalate vs write it down
- Write it down — anyone else might hit this issue, the answer is stable, or the issue can wait >4 hours
- Escalate in core window — blocking your work right now, nobody has obviously owned it
- WhatsApp / emergency channel — genuine emergency (customer mass complaint, system down, major financial issue)