<aside> <img src="/icons/info-alternate_yellow.svg" alt="/icons/info-alternate_yellow.svg" width="40px" /> This page is part of The Toolbox by Danny Smith.

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In a globally distributed organisation, there’s someone at work pretty much all the time. As someone in Europe signs off for the day, someone on the US west coast starts their work day. And when they sign off, someone in the Philippines is just starting work. Because of this, it’s normal for work to be handed from one person to the next around the globe.

While working at Oyster, I coined the term Follow The Sun ☀️ to describe this.

The Four Pillars of Follow The Sun

The four pillars below are a great set of starter principles for empowering the people that make up globally distributed teams to work within our own time zones without losing the meaningful connections that are needed in any good team, and without dropping the ball when it comes to work. they’re a way to working together without the need for late-night or early-morning meetings. And they help folks to sign off for the day with trust that the work will continue, without fear we’ll be missing out somehow.

1️⃣ Project Management Done Well

Good project management systems create confidence that everyone is working on the right stuff and that tasks won't slip through the cracks. **It takes some time to get a project kicked off right, but the benefits gained from this clarity are worth the upfront investment. What does this look like?

• Well-understood systems and conventions for managing projects and tasks.
• Keeping tasks (and conversations about them) updated with the latest information, so others can easily pick them up when you’re asleep.
• Explicit task prioritisation, with guidelines and checkpoints for re-prioritisation.
• A culture of internal documentation and clear communication about the status of projects and tasks.

2️⃣ Handoff Done Well

Handoff is the practice of “putting down work” in a way that it can be easily picked up by someone else (or by yourself in the future). It's a way of capturing open loops, and allows us to sign off for the day with confidence, knowing work will continue progressing as others sign on and pick it up. What does this look like?