Communication Patterns
Summary
Intentional, transparent communication keeps flow moving across time zones and schedules. Golazo favors written, searchable, lightweight asynchronous artifacts over private chats and meetings.
Principles
- Default to Public Conversation: Use shared team channels so others can learn passively.
- Context over Pings: Provide enough detail so someone returning later can answer without a back‑and‑forth.
- Async Friendly: Assume recipients may respond hours later and batch questions.
- Signal Review States: Make design / PR status legible at a glance.
- Avoid Notification Fatigue: Thread conversations and avoid tagging the entire channel.
Recommended Channels
| Channel | Purpose | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Dev General | Everyday technical discussion, questions, decisions | Prefer here over 1:1 DMs for discoverability |
| Review | Each design doc and PR gets a thread | Status signaled via emoji and short text |
| Release | Deployment coordination and approvals | Include links and expected impact summary |
| Social | Non‑work bonding and quick availability notes | Encourage fun! |
Review and Release Signaling
Define a team culture around communicating status of reaction to posts in the Review and Release channels. For example, the team could use common emojis:
- 👀 "Reviewing" – Someone actively reading.
- 💬 "Comments posted" – Feedback awaiting author response.
- 👍 "Approved" – Signoff given.
Async Best Practices
| Instead of | Prefer |
|---|---|
| "hi" (wait) | Immediate full question and context |
| Private DM for general issue | Public channel for shared learning |
| Vague bug report | Steps, expected vs actual, logs, environment |
| Large design debate in chat | Summarize options in the design doc and request a focused review |
| Unstructured status update | Concise learnings, blockers, and what needs to be done to move the ticket to the next column |
When asking: include links (ticket, PR, logs), reproduction steps, and what you’ve already tried.
Anti‑Patterns
- Important decisions only in meetings with no written record.
- Direct message reliance creating knowledge silos.
- Too many low‑usage channels diluting attention.