Six modules,
one clear thread
Remote teams fail for specific, repeatable reasons — unclear decision ownership, asynchronous communication that fragments context, and onboarding processes that assume physical presence. Each module addresses one of these failure points directly.
Sessions run weekly over six weeks. Between sessions, participants work through short structured exercises using real scenarios from distributed workplaces — not invented case studies.
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01
Async communication architecture Structuring written updates, decision logs, and status threads so teammates across time zones stay genuinely informed.
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02
Distributed decision-making Mapping ownership clearly when no one shares a room — covering RACI variants and lightweight decision documentation.
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03
Remote onboarding that sticks Designing first-week experiences for new hires who will never visit an office, with structured buddy systems and milestone check-ins.
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04
Trust and visibility without surveillance Replacing activity monitoring with outcome-based rituals — weekly wins, blockers reviews, and honest progress signals.
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05
Cross-timezone collaboration patterns Practical scheduling frameworks for teams spanning three or more time zones, including overlap analysis and handoff protocols.
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06
Conflict and repair at a distance Addressing tension through text before it calcifies — structured conversation formats and de-escalation approaches for remote managers.
Managers who
already tried
Participants typically manage teams of four to fifteen people spread across different cities or countries. Many have already tried daily standups, Slack channels, and retrospectives — and found that the problems persist anyway.
The programme works best when you bring a real, current challenge to each session. Participants who engage with their own team's friction — rather than hypothetical scenarios — tend to leave with something they can use immediately.
Sessions are kept intentionally small: no more than fourteen participants per cohort. That limit exists so discussion stays substantive rather than performative.
"The module on async communication changed how my whole team writes updates. We stopped having the same conversation twice."
Orla Beattie Engineering Lead, Edinburgh
"The conflict module was uncomfortable in exactly the right way. I had a situation with a direct report that I had been avoiding for weeks."
Sabine Veltri Product Manager, Glasgow
Led by someone who managed remotely before it was common
Declan has run distributed product teams since 2014 — across Glasgow, Warsaw, and Nairobi. The programme draws directly from that experience, including the mistakes that took years to understand.
Declan Farrugia Programme Lead — thichatas, est. 2023