COVID 19 and #WFH

COVID 19 and #WFH

#WFH is the new norm

By Andrew Dewdney – CEO & Director

On the 12th of March when An Taoiseach Leo Varadkar announced “every person that can work from home should work from home” we immediately put our “Go Remote Plan” into place.  We had been planning for some time a business continuity strategy. That in the event of the Covid-19 pandemic reaching our shores that we would be able to continue to function effectively as a business and support our client’s needs whilst keeping our team safe.  Both Jamie and I had been keeping a close eye on the outbreak in Wuhan, as our wives are both HSE Nurses so we had a vested interest in the outcome Chinese containment strategy.  But when there was an outbreak in Northern Italy it became clear that a strategy needed to be implemented sooner rather than later.  In the weeks prior we conducted a team survey into various WFH requirements (Broadband availability, Access to GIT, Installed Software, Access to Armour files, phone connectivity, etc).  So when the call was made we were able to be up and running the same day in a WFH capacity.

 

So what tools & technics does Armour use to #WFH

Armour is running its business off Google G Suite.  So continue to operate our LEAN processes by scheduled daily standup after lunch using Google Hangout Meet.  We also have our 10am coffee chats where there is craic, banter, Covid-19 update/rumours, and general shop talk outlining whats the plan for that day.  We use TeamWork for Project Management.  All task, time allocation, time recording, client communication is done through here.  It allows us all to work as one on a central PM tool.  For meeting request with clients, I use Calendly which is connected to my Google Calendar which in turn generates a Google Hangout meeting.

For our inbound sales and telephony, we use galway based CallPal as our phone answering service.  They keep away unwanted distractions of sales calls from off-shore development companies trying to shill their services to us.  Once CallPal has determined whether is a Sales enquiry, current project, or support issue they forward the call to the specific teams.  Our office teleco system is BlueFace and we all have softApp’s installed on our mobile devices.  This Allows us to hook into our office systems seamlessly.

For internal project communication, we use Slack.  We set up channels to discuss individual projects and also have specific teamTalk & #AgencyLife channels.

 

What else are we doing

We have setup a dedicated Covid-19 Project Slack Channel.  We use it to discuss ideas for technical solutions that could assist frontline workers, general assistance to the Irish public, affected businesses, technical workarounds for our existing clients.

 

What is it like – this working from home craic?

Well since probably a lot of you are working from home (given the current climate) you’ll know yourself it has its ups and downs.  Its great to be able to work remotely.  Extra family time is a bonus.  Though it can be difficult to juggle having to look after small children and babies whilst running a company, bringing in jobs and keeping projects moving.  But thankfully we have a great team here at Armour that just gets on with it.

 

COVID-19 – What next?

Well we can keep ploughing on remotely until its deemed safe to return to the office.  We are working with our clients to assist in digital solutions that will keep them in business.  So, in summary, we are here to help.  If your business needs to adapt to this current working environment, we are happy to assist. Medical projects and COVID-19 adaptions will have to take priority over general business.  But hopefully, once we get out the other side of this pandemic, Ireland will be well placed to move forwards in this digital-first world.