The Remote Engineering Team Handbook

A handbook for founders and engineering leaders building a remote or distributed team. It covers how to hire for judgement and communication, onboard quickly, document decisions, set a working rhythm, give feedback and choose between direct hiring, staff augmentation and a dedicated team.

What you will learn

• Define the outcome before you add headcount
• Test for written communication and judgement during hiring
• Run a first week that ends in a merged change
• Keep decisions, agreements and runbooks in writing
• Set a rhythm of check-ins, planning, demos and retrospectives
• Choose the right engagement model for your situation

What is inside

1. Start with the outcomeWhy the goal comes before the headcount.
2. Hire for judgement and communicationWhat to test beyond technical skill.
3. Onboard in the first weekAccess, context and a first task that can ship.
4. Write things downThe documents a distributed team actually needs.
5. Set the rhythmA cadence that works across time zones.
6. Give feedback and build trustSmall corrections early, and habits that create trust at a distance.
7. Choose how to source the teamDirect hiring, staff augmentation or a dedicated team.

Who it is for

• Founders hiring their first remote engineers
• Engineering managers adding distributed team members
• Leaders choosing between hiring models