Embrace Communication That Seems Excessive

2025-05-10

This is a work diary personally published by @nishimotz, the Chair of PyCon JP 2025.

PyCon JP 2025 will be held at Hiroshima International Conference Center on September 26-27.

We are recruiting organizing members. Please apply through the Organizing Member Application Form.

The Concept of “Working Out Loud” (WOL)

Have you heard of the concept “Working Out Loud”? It refers to a work style where you actively share what you’re doing and thinking with others.

This approach has become increasingly important in today’s world of asynchronous and remote collaborative work. Today, I’d like to reflect on the value of what might seem like “excessive communication” in the context of organizing PyCon JP 2025.

Challenges in Asynchronous Remote Collaboration

In asynchronous remote environments, several challenges tend to arise:

Misalignment in understanding among team members
Difficulty in tracking work progress
Feelings of isolation
Trouble knowing who is working on what

For these challenges, communication that might feel “excessive” can actually be just the right solution.

Why “Excessive Communication” Is Actually Just Right

For example, imagine a system where Slack bots respond when you type a Jira ticket code like AAA-123. Simply declaring “I’m starting work on this ticket” can significantly enhance interactions with team members.

The value of these seemingly small declarations includes:

Enhanced Transparency: Clarifies who is working on what task
Prevention of Duplicate Work: Reduces the risk of multiple people starting the same task
Promotion of Mutual Support: Creates opportunities for experienced members to offer assistance
Strengthened Sense of Belonging: Builds the awareness that “we’re working on this together as a team”

Information that might seem unnecessary to share can actually provide significant benefits when shared.

Effective Use of Slack

Slack offers various ways to communicate:

Mentioning Specific Individuals: When you need to draw someone’s attention
Mentioning Groups: When sharing information relevant to a specific team
Writing Without Mentions: When immediate response isn’t necessary, but you want to record information

Readers can adjust notifications according to their preferences. This creates an environment where “necessary information reaches the necessary people at the necessary time.”

From a WOL perspective, posts without mentions are also very valuable. Even if no immediate reply is needed, sharing what you’re currently working on helps align the team’s understanding.

Jira’s Role and Use Cases

Jira is particularly useful in situations such as:

When you want to preserve evidence of completed work: Record decisions and completed tasks
When assignments change frequently and need clarity: Manage who “has the ball”
When managing complex task dependencies: Visualize relationships between tasks

As I’ve written in previous posts, as Chair I believe mutual agreement and maintaining motivation are more important than deadline management. However, as the event date approaches, time-critical tasks will increase.

To balance these aspects, both daily communication on Slack and documentation in Jira become important.

Utilizing Google Drive/Documents

Another essential platform for information sharing is Google Drive and Google Documents. When using these with personal accounts, document ownership tends to remain with individuals, making it difficult for organizations to manage information consistently.

Fortunately, PyCon JP operates organizational shared drives. Google Documents has recently added useful features like markdown data exchange and tab functionality. Real-time collaborative editing and review features are also very useful.

I encourage you to actively use these tools for taking notes during online meetings, team discussions, and developing ideas. Also, please avoid meetings that don’t leave records.

The use of shared drives is a crucial part of “Working Out Loud” to ensure information transparency and continuity.

The Weight of the Chair’s Words

I’m pleased that each team is reading my work diary and proceeding with activities that reflect my intentions. I remind myself that as Chair, I must not easily contradict what I’ve written here when answering questions or consultations in chats or meetings.

I now realize that I’m no longer steering a bicycle but piloting a massive ship or a large spacecraft where sudden turns or brakes don’t work. I’m conscious that each statement carries significant impact, and I feel the importance of maintaining consistency.

Current Status and Future of PyCon JP 2025

With the second hybrid general meeting completed, we’re about to begin a series of major external launches. Let’s stay focused.

I’m also looking forward to our June retreat, which will include a venue tour, where we can work together with many people. While online communication is important, face-to-face interaction also plays a crucial role in team cohesion.

Conclusion

Practicing “Working Out Loud” means not just increasing the quantity of communication but also enhancing its quality. By using appropriate tools to share the right information at the right time, the team’s understanding aligns, and cooperation becomes smoother.

Like PyCon JP 2025’s slogan “pieces of python, coming together,” individual voices combine to create greater strength. Let’s move forward together.

Update History

2025-05-10: Initial publication