Assembla’s Post

🚀 Exciting News from Assembla! 🚀 We’ve just launched our brand new website: https://get.assembla.com, and with it, two powerful new products designed to enhance your development and collaboration workflow. 🔧 Assembla Repos: A versatile Source Code Management platform that supports Git, SVN, and Perforce Helix Core—giving you the flexibility to work with the tools you already trust. 🛠️ Assembla Spaces: A comprehensive Ticketing and Sprint Management system that streamlines project planning and execution, with built-in Wiki functionality for seamless documentation and collaboration. And we’re just getting started—many more exciting features are coming in the next 6-12 months. Stay tuned! #CodeAndCollaboration #Assembla #DevelopmentTools #SoftwareInnovation

🚀 Great tech products aren’t just built—they’re co-created through collaboration. But let me be honest: I’ve seen promising software projects crash and burn simply because the teams weren’t communicating. Miscommunication in tech isn’t just frustrating, it can delay timelines, waste budgets, and demotivate brilliant minds. Here’s a scenario you might recognize: Developers are deep in their code, solving one problem. Product managers are focused on timelines, keeping stakeholders happy. Stakeholders? They’re expecting magic, but the scope keeps shifting. Without alignment, cracks start to show. Deadlines are missed. Features are built that no one needs. And suddenly, blame gets tossed around. But the good news? Clear, intentional collaboration can turn things around. Here’s what I’ve seen work well in tech so far: 👂 Prioritize understanding: Developers may speak in code, stakeholders in goals, and product managers in timelines. Ensuring everyone feels heard is the first step to alignment. 📅 Regular touchpoints: Short sprint reviews, daily standups, or one-on-one syncs keep the team in sync and prevent feature creep or bottlenecks. 🔗 Centralized tools: Platforms like Jira, Slack, and Figma are lifesavers for keeping conversations flowing and tasks clear. 🤝 Break silos with empathy: Cross-functional meetings often reveal insights that no single team could uncover alone. 💡 Tech tip: Never assume someone will “figure it out.” Small conversations can preempt big delays, whether it’s clarifying a requirement or discussing a bug before it spirals. When collaboration falters, projects slow down, frustration grows, and trust diminishes. But when it thrives, teams create magic. What’s your favorite tool or strategy for fostering team collaboration in tech? Let’s learn from each other! #TechCollaboration #AgileTeams #SoftwareDevelopment #ProductManagement #TeamworkWins

🚀 Looking to improve your dev team’s communication? This article from Semaphore shares practical tips for better teamwork and smoother workflows. From clear documentation to open feedback, these simple strategies can help your team work more efficiently and deliver great results. #DevTeam #TechLeadership #Teamwork #SoftwareDevelopment

In December, I wrote a long article about focus in product teams and the cost of context switching. Sharing ideas on how to reduce said cost and increase focus for engineers to be truly productive. You can find it here: https://lnkd.in/gjiqK4Yw

How do I improve the effectiveness of tech teams? Often, I find myself as the bridge between the tech team and the customer, carefully listening to feedback, concerns, and warnings from both sides. How do I handle these challenges? 1. I listen actively to both sides: clients, tech team. 2. I ensure the project process is structured and organised with a tools (Jira / Trello / Slack / Documentation / Phases & Stages) 3. I bring everyone together to foster open communication. 4. I kick off the next project sprint with clarity. 5. Lastly, I run a retrospective using my favorite approach: the Mercedes-Benz technique (more on that soon 🚗). For me, challenges are a constant, but it’s all about solving them without creating new ones.

🤝 Enhancing Collaboration in Software Development! 🌟 Collaboration is at the heart of successful software development. Here are some strategies to foster a more collaborative environment: 🛠️ Utilize Collaborative Tools: Embrace platforms like GitHub, Slack, or Microsoft Teams. These tools streamline communication and make it easier to work together in real-time. 👥 Encourage Pair Programming: Pair programming not only improves code quality but also fosters knowledge sharing. Two heads are better than one! 💬 Hold Regular Stand-Ups: Daily or weekly stand-up meetings help keep everyone aligned on goals, progress, and any blockers. 🔍 Be Open to Feedback: Create a culture where team members feel comfortable sharing constructive feedback. This leads to better code and stronger team dynamics. 🎉 Celebrate Wins Together: Acknowledge both small and big achievements. Celebrating successes boosts morale and fosters a sense of community. 📖 Document Decisions and Processes: Clear documentation ensures everyone is on the same page and can refer back to previous discussions and decisions. What strategies do you use to enhance collaboration within your team? Let’s share our insights! 👇 #Collaboration #SoftwareDevelopment #Teamwork #DevCommunity #Agile

I love post-it notes, but there’s a limit to how many projects can linger in the "almost done" category... "Almost done" means it's not ready for customers to buy. Remember, businesses earn revenue by solving real customer problems, but if a solution isn’t released, it effectively doesn’t exist—and can’t be sold. Here are the top reasons for a backlog of "almost done" projects: 1. Unclear Definition of Done (DoD): For product managers, DoD should mean "released for sale to customers". For developers, it might just mean "my part is done". 2. Confusion about the next steps: Often, teams are unsure of what the next step is or who should take over, causing delays - more often than you’d think. 3. Constant reprioritization and more reprioritization: If today’s priority is Project A, yesterday's was Project B, and tomorrow's might be Project C, the development team is losing time due to context switching. Context switching is the time a developer needs to learn about/relearn what is happening with an unfinished project and figuring out what is left to do. It is soul-sucking activity. How to help the software development teams: If you can't get a project manager assigned to the team - the PdM may get pulled into it. If that's you: 1. Predefine DoD and acceptance criteria before coding begins. Avoid the "figure it out later" approach—it usually catches up with you. 2. Fully plan each sprint before starting. * Leave about 20-25% of the sprint for unexpected needs like urgent bugs or last-minute requests from other teams. * If all planned work is completed, the team can move on to other planned projects. 3. Set sprint priorities and stick to them. Completing 30% of the "almost done" projects is far better than none. Plus, it boosts team morale. What would you add to this list? If you find this post useful, please share it with others.

Confluence for Software Development Teams: Enhancing Project Documentation and Collaboration In the fast-paced world of software development, effective documentation and collaboration are crucial for project success. Confluence emerges as an invaluable tool that empowers software development teams to streamline their processes and enhance communication. Centralized Documentation: With Confluence, teams can create a single source of truth for all project-related information. From requirements to design specs and API documentation, everything is easily accessible and organized. This reduces the risk of miscommunication and ensures that all team members are on the same page. Agile Collaboration: Confluence supports Agile methodologies by enabling real-time collaboration. Development teams can create sprint planning pages, retrospective notes, and release documentation, fostering a culture of transparency and continuous improvement. Integration with Development Tools: By integrating Confluence with tools like Jira and Bitbucket, teams can link project tasks directly to their documentation. This seamless connection helps track progress and ensures that documentation evolves alongside the project. In conclusion, leveraging Confluence for software project documentation and collaboration not only enhances productivity but also fosters a cohesive team environment. Embrace this powerful platform and watch your software projects thrive! #Confluence #SoftwareDevelopment #Agile #Documentation #Collaboration #ProjectManagement #TechTeams

The four components you can practice to get your product, design and engineering teams firing on all cylinders, together. • Team principles • Roles and responsibilities • Ways of working • Tooling 🍏  𝗧𝗲𝗮𝗺 𝗽𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗶𝗽𝗹𝗲𝘀: Find time to talk through what the team expects of one another, regardless of specialism, and the things that really matter to each person. Five minutes of sharing thoughts on a wall or a Miro board, followed by some affinity sorting and then dot voting is enough to reach a consensus. A few usual suspects we see bubble up from principles sessions: quality, professionalism, Slack etiquette, awareness of unavailability, flexible working, focus on value / outcomes and, delivering iteratively. 👥 𝗥𝗼𝗹𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗽𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗲𝘀: Create an environment where teams have clearly defined roles and responsibilities but there’s a shared responsibility amongst the team and no one is overly dependent on one another. We’ve observed in high performing teams that whilst one person may lead the charge on any given item, ultimately the whole team have a level of responsibility. To achieve this, throw all of the team roles up on a board, and collaboratively discuss expectations from each role, so everyone is on the same page. Some affinity sorting should enable you to map out expectations and begin plotting out who takes responsibility for each. ⚙️ 𝗪𝗮𝘆𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴: (𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘯𝘵, 𝘴𝘰 𝘸𝘦’𝘷𝘦 𝘣𝘳𝘰𝘬𝘦𝘯 𝘪𝘵 𝘥𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘶𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘵 𝘱𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘴) • Clear definitions of ready and clear definitions of done • Understand what constitutes moving an item of work from one column to another • Know best practice but be pragmatic enough to know it’s not a hard and fast rule • Consistent ceremonies to ensure alignment and continuous improvement whilst adopting a “work in the open” mantra • Encourage active working channels like Slack, create artefacts as part of conversations, and champion three amigo sessions • Over-communicate, particularly in the early stages of a new development 🎁 Use our go-to Kanban board if you require inspiration (see image below) 🔨 𝗧𝗼𝗼𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴: For a new team, assessing tools should be a baseline activity. It will help you understand the constraints that you’re working under, as well as the preferences of your colleagues. For more established teams, a good system to review and document the tools that you use, who the owners of each are, and what you typically use them for will always unearth tools you didn’t know existed.

I’ve been talking with product managers and technical writers, and one thing keeps coming up: collaboration on documentation is a mess. Here’s what I hear over and over: Someone’s sending Word docs back and forth with endless email threads. Others are working in Google Docs, leaving feedback that gets buried in comments. And let’s not forget developers writing in markdown files buried deep in GitHub. Sound familiar? These tools might “work,” but they create silos, slow down progress, and make it nearly impossible to ship fast. Documentation is supposed to make things simpler. But the way we collaborate on it often adds complexity. The fix isn’t about better etiquette or “cleaning up” these tools—it’s about rethinking the entire process. When teams move to centralized, real-time platforms, collaboration finally starts to flow. No versioning headaches. No context lost. Just seamless teamwork.