Building international teams

Write down how work moves, across time zones

Request, sort, do, check, release, sign off. That is the flow. Keep it short and clear so it works the same in Hartlepool and in Ahmedabad.

Every task needs a tiny brief, who owns it, what outcome is expected, when it is due, and which time zone the deadline refers to.
If any one of those is missing, send it back.
Get confirmation, ask the person to repeat the brief so you know it landed.

Keep one tracker, same columns every time, who, what, when, timezone, status, link.
Start small, two or three people and a reviewer, get it smooth, then copy the setup to the next squad.

Use the rule, one task, one owner, one deadline, one place to look.

Fit your system to the local culture

If you try to force a UK way of working into a different culture, you will fail.
Learn the local rhythm first, how people meet, how they message, what good looks like for them.

Set your must haves, quality, security, deadlines.
Let the how flex, meeting style, comms channels, working hours.
Publish a simple ways we work, include how to raise blockers, who to call for help, a shared calendar with bank holidays and festivals in each country, and which days you will shift stand ups.

Have a trusted local lead who can translate nuance and calm the noise.

Make comms simple and steady, async by default

Do not assume people can read your mind. Write it down.
If something is fiddly, record a quick screen video with captions.

Keep a light rhythm that works across zones, daily stand up posted in chat before a set time, weekly demo with a rotating slot, monthly retro with notes sent in advance.
Finish every meeting with next steps, who, what, when, and where updates live.

Use two hour check ins only when something is burning, protect focus time so both sides of the clock can actually ship.

Handover is the heartbeat

Design your day so one team closes and the other team starts with a clean slate.
End of day handover note, what changed, what is next, what is blocked, what you want reviewed.
Keep the work small so the next person can pick it up without a call.

Instil leadership and responsibility

Make ownership visible on every task. Agree a clean path to escalate. Pair people so no one is stuck alone, ideally cross country pairs so context spreads.

Leaders go first, share context, remove blockers, set clear quality bars, give direct feedback, and own outcomes in public.
Reward the behaviour you want, tidy handovers, honest status, steady delivery, help a teammate before you log off.

Pay well, give flexibility, earn loyalty

Pay fairly and on time. Be open about rates and reviews in each country.
Offer learning time and a clear growth path with titles that map across regions.
Respect family time and faith time. Give flexibility around festivals and school events. Focus on outcomes, not clock watching. Remote days are fine when the work suits it.

Say thank you in public. Back people when life happens. Loyalty is built in quiet moments, not posters on a wall.

Security and quality, simple and non negotiable

One identity per person, managed devices where you can, least privilege access, and a clean offboarding checklist.
Definition of done on every task, code reviewed, tested, documented, link added to the tracker.
No surprises at release, use checklists, runbooks, and smoke tests.

Templates you can copy today

Task brief,
who, single owner,
what, outcome in one line,
when, date and time, include timezone,
links, design, spec, repo, ticket,
definition of done, how we will check it.

Stand up, async,
yesterday, one or two lines,
today, one or two lines,
blockers, names and help needed,
handover, what the next time zone should pick up.

Sign off,
what we tested,
what passed,
what failed,
what is left,
go, no go, owner and time.

Keep it boring, that is the point

Boring process wins. Same tracker, same fields, same reviews, same exit criteria.
When the basics are predictable across countries, the work gets less noisy and the team gets faster.

Start with one squad, nail the loop, then scale it.
That is how we build international teams that deliver without losing the plot.