Chapter1: HowtoRunaRemoteTeam 9 that you can measure progress for both the company and the people in the company. HereareafewoftheprocessesweusetorunZapier.OrasIliketocallthem: HowWeWork. 1. Everyonedoessupport The customer is our lifeblood. We strive everyday to solve our customers’ problems and help make their job just a little bit easier. When everyone on the teamdoessupport,everyonegetstohearthevoiceofthecustomer. Also, the people who build the product also end up supporting the product. If a customer is angry about a bug, then the person who introduced said bug is going to hear about it and fix it right away. Readmoreabouthowwedosupporthere. 2. A culture of shipping As we’ve grown, maintaining a culture of shipping has been crucial. The best waywe’vefoundtodothisistokeepproductteamssmall.Tokeepthefocus onshipping,wedivideupintosmallteams—usually3to8peoplewithdiffering skill sets. The base roles are a PM, an engineer, and a designer. Theseteamshaveasingularmission,forexample,improveonboarding.They then have full autonomy to set their own roadmap to make this happen. With that autonomy,theyalsoholdresponsibilityforthesuccessoftheirinitiatives. This works well, since small teams can move and ship fast and also appreciate the autonomyandresponsibilityfortheir ownprojects. 3. WeeklyHangouts Every Thursday morning or afternoon (rotating every week to accomodate people in different time zones), we get together for lightning talks, demos, and/or interviews. With over 200 people in seven major departments and even more smaller teams, it’s hard to see everyone on a weekly basis. These hangoutsareachancetosay“hi!”tofolksyoumaynotnormallysee. These hangouts are also a good chance to learn something new. Each week, someoneinsidetheteamdoesalightningtalkordemoonsomethinginterest- ing. We’ve had folks share their latest project, new teammates share fun facts about themselves and their backgrounds, and leadership members conduct well-being workshops through these hangouts.