Valentina Servile, Thoughtworks Lead Developer, on how to win remote work

Distributed.

How do you foster collaboration and trust in distributed engineering teams?

In this episode of the Distributed podcast, Jack Hannah talks with Valentina Servile, Lead Software Developer at Thoughtworks and author of Continuous Deployment. Valentina shares how her teams leverage practices like pair programming, collective code ownership, and streamlined processes to succeed in a remote-first world.

They also discuss managing cognitive load, communicating effectively across time zones, and her strategies for replacing outdated practices like pull requests with more dynamic approaches.

Highlights:

• Why pair programming improves team dynamics and code quality
• The role of trust and alignment in distributed teams
• Automating quality gates for faster, safer workflows
• How to foster collective code ownership in remote teams

In this episode, we cover:

(00:00) – Kicking Things Off with Valentina Servile

(01:59) – The Realities of Remote Work at Thoughtworks

(02:13) – How Kickoffs Build Trust and Clarity in Remote Teams

(04:22) – Structuring In-Person Meetings for Maximum Impact

(08:20) – Effective Communication Between Distributed Teams

(12:00) – A Cautionary Tale: When Remote Work Fails

(16:02) – Pair Programming as a Management and Productivity Tool

(21:55) – Why Collective Code Ownership Improves Team Performance

(26:13) – Rethinking PR Reviews: Avoiding Bottlenecks in Remote Development

(38:41) – The Struggle to Disconnect: Managing Notifications and Overload

Referenced:

Lean Inception by Paulo Caroli: https://caroli.org/en/livro/lean-inception-how-to-align-people-and-build-the-right-product/

Where to connect further:

Connect with Valentina on LinkedIn

Check out Valentina’s book, Continuous Deployment

Email Valentina at [e-mail]

More about Thoughtworks

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Connect with Jack Hannah