In my work as a project manager, I’ve often been confronted with what seems to be the ultimate challenge of modern management: how do you effectively coordinate a team scattered all over the world? The answer we came up with may surprise some: a “no meeting” approach. In this article, I share our experience of this organization, which favors asynchronous working and minimizes meetings.
Background: a multi-faceted team
Our development team, whether for specific development or tool integration management, embodies diversity in all its forms. Dispersed across several continents, it brings together professionals working in Asia, Europe and Africa. This geographical distribution is naturally accompanied by linguistic diversity – although English is our common language – and above all by a multiplicity of time zones, making synchronous meetings particularly complex to organize.
But the diversity doesn’t stop there. Each team member has his or her own preferences in terms of working hours. Some are more productive early in the morning, others late at night. Some prefer to work in continuous blocks, others split up their day. This diversity of working patterns, far from being an obstacle, has become one of the pillars of our efficiency.
No Meeting”: a philosophy rather than a rule
Let’s make one crucial point clear from the outset: “no meeting” does not mean “zero meeting”. Rather, it means the elimination of the recurring meetings that usually populate our calendars. Gone is the daily stand-up at a fixed time, and gone is the weekly team meeting that drags on and on.
Instead, we have adopted a pragmatic approach: meetings are organized only when really necessary, usually in bilateral format or, more rarely, with a maximum of three participants. It’s not uncommon for a developer and myself to go for over a month without any vocal or visual exchange, communicating exclusively in writing.
The asynchronous culture: the written word as a pillar
The elimination of recurring meetings is naturally accompanied by a strong asynchronous culture, with the written word becoming the preferred mode of communication. This approach has several major advantages:
Precision and clarity: Writing forces you to structure your thoughts and be precise in your requests or explanations. This minimizes misunderstandings.
Natural documentation: Each exchange automatically becomes a reference that can be consulted at a later date. Decisions, their contexts and justifications are naturally archived.
Respecting people’s rhythms: everyone can process information and respond at their own convenience, optimizing productivity.
The concrete benefits of this approach
The switch to “no meeting” mode has generated tangible benefits for the team:
For developers
- Better concentration thanks to fewer interruptions
- Greater autonomy in work organization
- A better work-life balance
- The ability to work at peak productivity times
For management
- Considerable time savings on coordination
- More rigorous project documentation
- Better traceability of decisions
- Greater focus on results rather than presence
For projects
- More precise and thoughtful communication
- Reducing misunderstandings through the written word
- Naturally updated technical documentation
- Easy onboarding for new members
Challenges and how we meet them
This organization is not without its challenges. Here are the main points of attention and our solutions:
Emergency management
We have implemented a clear prioritization system and well-defined escalation protocols for critical situations.
Detecting difficulties
The absence of regular eye contact calls for close attention to weak signals in written communication and more proactive monitoring of well-being and performance indicators.
The keys to success
The success of this type of organization rests on several fundamental pillars:
A culture of trust
No-meeting can only work in an environment where trust is the norm. Each team member must be considered responsible and able to organize independently.
The right tools
A well-chosen set of communication and collaboration tools is crucial. We use a combination of asynchronous tools for documentation, project tracking and communication (hello JIRA 🙂 ).
Clear processes
Well-defined workflows and rigorous documentation ensure that everyone knows how to proceed in different situations, without the need for constant synchronization.
Conclusion and outlook
The “no meeting” mode is not simply an adaptation to the geographical dispersion of the team, it’s a genuine organizational choice that forms part of a broader approach to remote working. This organization requires a certain maturity on the part of the team and a strong culture of trust, but the benefits in terms of efficiency and quality of life are undeniable.
In future articles, I’ll be exploring other aspects of our full remote organization, including our documentation practices, collaboration tools and asynchronous project management approach.
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