At Whimsical, we love using templates! Here is a selection of some that our teams use regularly to help document and plan various work, and facilitate meetings asynchronously. In our remote-first company structure, we rely heavily on written communication and collaboration, and these templates help us to achieve that.
Asynchronous (async) communication is communication that doesn't happen in real time. It may be in the form of writing a text message, an email, or a recorded video that doesn't require an immediate response. It enables more thoughtful discussion across many voices in a more efficient manner when it best suits the people involved. Async communication doesn't need scheduling, but clear timeframes for any discussion or decisions are helpful.
The Shape Up Method describes the specific processes used by product development teams to shape, bet, and build meaningful products. It is based on Basecamp's internal approach to product development, which they shared publicly in this book, with techniques that any team can apply to their own process. The method aims to better define and prioritize projects before handing them off to teams to build and ship.
A team heartbeat is a great way for everyone in your company to get to know what's happening across every team on a regular basis, without needing to have a lot of meetings! Heartbeats become an excellent tool for onboarding new teammates as well. They give a sense of what your teams do, how they work, who's doing what, and how you recognize each other's efforts.
