# DRAFT - Ways of working

>> Easy to read documents stored in well-known locations are a superpower. The time lost scrolling up in slack, checking email, recalling random meatspace or video calls without notes is unbounded. I strive for “the answer is in the doc” and if it isn’t, I make sure it is next time.
>> --- https://twitter.com/bryanl/status/1535000102095527936
>>
> *taps sign*
> I've had at least three convos about this this week.
> --- https://twitter.com/stephenaugustus/status/1535004317798875136

Shared here:
- https://hackmd.io/@justaugustus/ways-of-working
- https://twitter.com/stephenaugustus/status/1535008910536499217

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From an email I sent internally one time.

I don't necessarily agree with every individual point as much as I did when I wrote this, but I'm putting it up to crystallize some artifact that could be useful to you.

I may update this in the future; maybe not.

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Finally, a note about how I work, some of which are informed my open source experiences:

- default to openness
- communication is async, by default
- email/Webex is not a tracking system. Collaboration platforms enable faster feedback loops, but decision records/tracking needs to exist in a highly visible/fidelity location for future reference. Without counting Webex spaces/teams, I'm in 11 Slack workspaces with multiple channels, and over 20 public mailing lists for open source communities. Because of this, I default to away status on all platforms.
- if it's not documented in a tracking system, it doesn't exist
- pull me into the conversation early if you think you're going to need open source guidance (I can likely shave some time/headache off of the discussion when it happens early)
- I'm going to question your process if it feels unnecessary or exclusionary
- I'm going to try to push you into a public discussion space if the information is generally useful and the discussion is not sensitive: https://twitter.com/stephenaugustus/status/1486529247317483521 (knowledge is better when federated and I can absolutely guarantee someone else has asked me the question before)
- NO HELLO (https://nohello.net/). I don't like linking this because some of it feels passive-aggressive, but if you're reaching out to someone, it's likely you have an ask. Prefer saying exactly what you want immediately, instead of starting with "hi" and maybe waiting hours/days for someone to come back with, "Hey, what's up?". Especially stressing this because of the global nature of the team and the volume of meetings we're in.
- everyone should be able to view the event titles for meetings on my calendar to get an idea of what I'm up to and ask questions
- unless you're an exec, if you send meetings outside of working hours, without an agenda, or without coordinating with me, I'm almost definitely going to decline
- if you have a meeting request, loop in `REDACTED`, to assist with scheduling