Team Communication Best Practices

Good communication isn't more communication—it's the right information reaching the right people at the right time through the right channel. Poor communication creates gaps, but over-communication creates noise. The goal is signal, not volume.

Communication Channels

Channel Selection

Right Channel, Right Message

CHANNEL SELECTION GUIDE
═══════════════════════

SLACK/CHAT:
─────────────────────────────────────
✓ Quick question with expected quick answer
✓ FYI that needs no response
✓ Casual team interaction
✓ Real-time coordination
✓ Announcements

✗ Detailed technical discussion
✗ Anything needing more than 2 replies
✗ Long-form content
✗ Decision that needs documentation
✗ Sensitive/negative feedback

DOCUMENT:
─────────────────────────────────────
✓ Technical proposals (RFC)
✓ Meeting notes
✓ Decision records
✓ Onboarding guides
✓ Anything people will reference later

✗ Urgent communications
✗ Questions needing quick answers
✗ Informal discussion

TASK COMMENTS (GitScrum):
─────────────────────────────────────
✓ Discussion about specific work item
✓ Clarifying requirements
✓ Progress updates on task
✓ Technical decisions for that task
✓ Information future-you needs

✗ General team discussion
✗ Personal messages
✗ Unrelated topics

MEETING:
─────────────────────────────────────
✓ Complex problem needing discussion
✓ Multiple perspectives needed quickly
✓ Sensitive topics
✓ Relationship building
✓ When async has failed

✗ Status updates (use async)
✗ One-way information sharing
✗ Topics that need preparation
✗ Default because "easier"

Writing Clearly

Complete Messages

EFFECTIVE WRITTEN COMMUNICATION
═══════════════════════════════

BAD MESSAGE PATTERN:
─────────────────────────────────────
"Hey"
*waits*
"Quick question"
*waits*
"About the API"
*waits*
"Is it ready?"

Result: 4 notifications, incomplete info,
interrupted someone unnecessarily.

GOOD MESSAGE PATTERN:
─────────────────────────────────────
"Hey Mike, quick question about the User API:
Is the GET /users/{id} endpoint ready for
frontend integration? I'm starting on the
profile page and need to know if I should
mock it or use the real endpoint. Need to
know by EOD if possible. Thanks!"

Result: One notification, all context,
clear timeline, can respond async.

COMPLETE MESSAGE TEMPLATE:
─────────────────────────────────────
1. Context: What is this about?
2. Request: What do you need?
3. Timeline: When do you need it?
4. Options: If applicable
5. Next step: What you'll do

EXAMPLE:
"Context: Working on GS-245 (payment flow).
Request: Need decision on refund states.
Options: Map to 2 states (simpler) or 3 states (accurate).
Timeline: Tomorrow EOD to stay on sprint track.
Next step: I'll proceed with 3 states unless you say otherwise."

Clarity Techniques

WRITING FOR CLARITY
═══════════════════

USE STRUCTURE:
─────────────────────────────────────
Instead of:
"So I was working on the thing and found
that the thing doesn't work when the other
thing happens and I'm not sure what to do
about the thing."

Use:
"Issue: Payment fails when user has no card.
Found: We don't check for card existence.
Proposed fix: Add null check in PaymentService.
Question: Should we show UI message or silent fail?"

FORMAT FOR SCANNABILITY:
─────────────────────────────────────
├── Bold key points
├── Bullet lists
├── Short paragraphs
├── Clear headers
├── TLDR at top if long
└── Respect reader's time

BE SPECIFIC:
─────────────────────────────────────
Vague: "It's broken"
Specific: "Login returns 500 on Safari 17"

Vague: "Soon"
Specific: "By Friday EOD"

Vague: "Some users"
Specific: "23% of users in EU region"

Async First

Default to Async

ASYNC-FIRST CULTURE
═══════════════════

WHY ASYNC DEFAULT:
─────────────────────────────────────
├── Respects focus time
├── Works across timezones
├── Creates documentation
├── Allows thoughtful responses
├── Reduces meeting overload
└── Scales better

ASYNC PRACTICES:
─────────────────────────────────────
1. Set response expectations
   "Slack: Respond within 4 hours"
   "Email: Respond within 24 hours"
   "Not urgent = not instant"

2. Write complete messages
   (See above)

3. Use status indicators
   "🔕 Focus mode until 2pm"
   "🌴 OOO until Monday"
   "⏰ Delayed response today"

4. Batch communications
   Check Slack at: 9am, 12pm, 4pm
   Not: Every 5 minutes

5. Emergency escalation
   "Production down = call, not Slack"
   "True urgent = call directly"
   Everything else can wait.

When Sync Is Right

SYNC COMMUNICATION TRIGGERS
═══════════════════════════

USE SYNC WHEN:
─────────────────────────────────────
├── Async has failed
│   "We've gone 5 messages and still unclear.
│   Let's do a quick call."
│
├── Complex discussion
│   "This architecture needs whiteboarding.
│   Let's meet for 30 min."
│
├── Sensitive topic
│   "Performance feedback in person,
│   not in writing."
│
├── Relationship building
│   "1:1 coffee chats build trust."
│
├── Urgent issue
│   "Production down—hop on call now."
│
├── Multiple perspectives needed fast
│   "Need input from design, eng, product.
│   30 min meeting better than 50 messages."
│
└── Celebration
    "Team won award—let's do video call."

SYNC RULES:
─────────────────────────────────────
├── Have agenda
├── Timebox
├── Document outcomes
├── Invite only needed people
└── Could this be async? (Always ask)

Information Flow

Keep People Informed

INFORMATION DISTRIBUTION
════════════════════════

CATEGORIES:
─────────────────────────────────────
NEED TO KNOW:
├── Affects their work directly
├── Push to them actively
├── @mention or direct message
└── Confirm receipt

SHOULD KNOW:
├── Relevant but not urgent
├── Post to channel
├── Don't require response
└── They can catch up

MIGHT WANT TO KNOW:
├── FYI only
├── Put in accessible place
├── Don't push
└── Weekly digest perhaps

METHODS BY CATEGORY:
─────────────────────────────────────
Need to know: DM with @mention, meeting
Should know: Channel post, shared doc
Might want: Wiki page, newsletter

DON'T:
├── Push everything to everyone
├── CC the world on emails
├── @here for non-urgent
├── Create noise that hides signal

Reducing Noise

NOISE REDUCTION TACTICS
═══════════════════════

CHANNEL HYGIENE:
─────────────────────────────────────
├── Purpose-specific channels
│   #proj-alpha (project discussion)
│   #team-engineering (team-wide)
│   #random (non-work)
│   #alerts (automated notifications)
│
├── Use threads for follow-ups
├── Avoid channel pollution
├── Pin important messages
└── Archive dead channels

NOTIFICATION MANAGEMENT:
─────────────────────────────────────
Encourage:
├── Mute low-priority channels
├── Schedule notification windows
├── Use DND during focus time
├── Keywords for must-see topics
└── Don't demand instant response

MEETING REDUCTION:
─────────────────────────────────────
├── Cancel meetings that should be email
├── Decline meetings you don't need
├── Reduce recurring frequency
├── Shorten defaults
└── Async agenda before sync meeting

GitScrum Communication

Work-Related Discussion

GITSCRUM AS COMMUNICATION HUB
═════════════════════════════

TASK COMMENTS:
─────────────────────────────────────
Keep work discussion on the work:
├── Requirements clarification
├── Technical decisions
├── Progress updates
├── Blocker notes
├── Links to relevant docs
└── Future reference

Benefits:
├── Context travels with task
├── New team members see history
├── No digging through Slack
├── Searchable
└── Source of truth

EXAMPLE:
─────────────────────────────────────
Task: GS-245 Payment Integration

Comment 1 (Sarah):
"Confirmed with Stripe that we need
their v2 API for this flow. Docs: [link]"

Comment 2 (Mike):
"Found an edge case with partial refunds.
Adding GS-250 to handle this."

Comment 3 (PM):
"Stakeholder agreed to cut offline mode.
Updated acceptance criteria."

All context in one place.

DASHBOARDS:
─────────────────────────────────────
Use GitScrum dashboards for visibility:
├── Sprint status → stakeholders can self-serve
├── Burndown → progress visible
├── Blockers → visible without asking
└── Reduces "where are we?" meetings

Best Practices

For Team Communication

1. Right channel — Match message to medium
2. Complete messages — All context at once
3. Async first — Sync for complex/sensitive
4. Reduce noise — Signal over volume
5. Document outcomes — Sync conversations → async record

Anti-Patterns

COMMUNICATION MISTAKES:
✗ "Hey" messages (incomplete)
✗ Chat-style fragments
✗ Everything is urgent
✗ CC everyone on everything
✗ Meetings for status updates
✗ Expecting instant response
✗ No documentation of decisions
✗ Wrong channel for message type

Related Solutions

• Remote team collaboration best practices
• Improving team collaboration with GitScrum
• Reducing meeting overhead for developers