Rockton Software: Leading a Virtual Company

Written By Kelli Sexton,
CEO of Rockton Software

Rockton Software www.rocktonsoftware.com is a virtual company with employees living in five different states.  This came about partially because we hire talent no matter their locale, but it is also a result of Mark and me living in three different states since starting Rockton Software!

We work hard to create a culture where the team thrives even though we meet infrequently face-to-face. The keys to our success are communication, clarity, and visibility, which derive from the dreaded 8-letter word: meetings.  While we once feared the connotation that meetings are willy-nilly and unfocused, it wasn't until some of our team members requested more formal meetings that we started putting them in place.  We are now more successful by having departmental teams meet daily and our company meetings twice a month.

Our daily meetings, or scrums, were adopted from agile methodologies.  These are short meetings where each person reports what they got done yesterday, what they are committed to completing today and any roadblocks impeding their progress.  Fifteen minutes is sufficient for everyone to get on the same page. These brief meetings have brought us the visibility into what the other team members are committing to and accomplishing, and help us better meet our departmental goals and objectives.

Our twice-monthly All-Company meetings help bring everyone together to understand what the other departments are working on. They are also an opportunity for the Executive Team to share changes, concerns, and insights.  Additionally, each of us gets to share personal challenges or celebrations.  Since we don’t get to have casual gatherings around the water cooler, these shared moments help us feel closer. We also plan two All-Company Retreats. These in-person gatherings create opportunities for team building, brain storming, and problem solving.

Along with our meetings, our adoption of Lync, Outlook Calendars, SharePoint, and Team Foundation Server have helped us improve visibility and communication.  We have found with the right team members, creating well-structured productive meetings, and embracing collaborative technologies that running a virtual company can still provide a great team environment and a real sense of family.

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