Communication is absolutely key for remote teams to work. That being said, I often find remote teams using hip tools as a crutch for communication. We use Trello/HipChat/Hangouts/etc, but it doesn't mean Asana/Slack/Bootcamp/etc work as well.
IMO, I usually rate remote resources on the following:
- Are they a resource that will "finish my sentence"?
- Do they constantly set expectations about progress and milestones?
- Do they tell us when things aren't going well and need help?
- Do they update our communication channels frequently?
And we do this by putting them in a small project first and then moving forward after. The project typically has very little to do with code, but rather to see if the points are true.
Source: I've almost exclusively been running/working-with remote teams for 8 years now.
IMO, I usually rate remote resources on the following:
- Are they a resource that will "finish my sentence"?
- Do they constantly set expectations about progress and milestones?
- Do they tell us when things aren't going well and need help?
- Do they update our communication channels frequently?
And we do this by putting them in a small project first and then moving forward after. The project typically has very little to do with code, but rather to see if the points are true.
Source: I've almost exclusively been running/working-with remote teams for 8 years now.