Remote teams need explicit documentation of values and principles that guide behavior, decision-making, and collaboration. Without the organic interactions of a physical office, building this document through a collaborative process ensures buy-in from everyone and creates a foundation that actually reflects how the team operates.
This guide walks through a practical workflow for creating remote team values using async-first processes, version control, and structured help techniques.
Why Collaborative Creation Matters
Values documents fail when leadership drafts them in isolation and presents them as done. Team members who never contributed to the discussion treat them as performative artifacts. Collaborative creation serves two purposes: the final document benefits from diverse perspectives, and the process itself builds shared understanding about what the team stands for.
Phase 1 - Gathering Initial Input
Start with a structured async brainstorm rather than a live meeting. This gives everyone equal opportunity to contribute regardless of timezone.
Create a shared document and ask specific questions:
- What behavior do you most appreciate seeing from teammates?
- What frustrates you about remote collaboration?
- What principles should guide how we make decisions?
- What does great teamwork look like in our team?
Give everyone 5-7 days to respond. Here’s a bash script to create a timestamped brainstorm document:
#!/bin/bash
Create a new values brainstorm entry
TEAM_DIR="team-values"
mkdir -p "$TEAM_DIR"
DATE=$(date +%Y-%m-%d)
FILENAME="$TEAM_DIR/input-$(date +%s).md"
cat > "$FILENAME" << EOF
Values Brainstorm - $DATE
What behavior do you most appreciate from teammates?
What frustrates you about remote collaboration?
What principles should guide our decisions?
What does great teamwork look like?
EOF
echo "Created brainstorm template: $FILENAME"
Phase 2 - Synthesis and Categorization
Designate a facilitator to synthesize the responses. They cluster similar themes, identify patterns, and draft an initial framework.
Common value categories that emerge:
- Communication: How we share information and handle async vs sync discussions
- Ownership: Taking responsibility for deliverables
- Respect: Time zone awareness, assuming good intent
- Growth: Learning from mistakes and knowledge sharing
- Results: Outcome over hours, sustainable pace
Create a structured document:
Team Values Draft
Communication
- Over-communicate context: Share the why behind decisions
- Async by default: Reserve sync time for complex discussions
- Document decisions: If it wasn't written down, it didn't happen
Ownership
- Raise blockers early: Better to ask for help than miss deadlines silently
- Take initiative: If you see something broken, fix it
Respect
- Assume good intent: Text lacks tone, give colleagues the benefit
- Respect time zones: Record meetings, use async video
Growth
- Learn from mistakes: Blameless post-mortems make everyone safer
- Share knowledge: Teaching reinforces your own understanding
Results
- Outcome over output: Working more hours doesn't equal more value
Phase 3 - Collaborative Refinement
Share the synthesized draft for another async review. Ask specific questions:
- Does this resonate with your experience?
- What’s missing that should be here?
- What’s here that you disagree with?
Use GitHub issues or PRs for this phase:
---
name: Values Feedback
title: "Values Review: [Category]"
labels: team-values
Your feedback on this value:
A real example from your experience:
Suggested change:
Values should emerge with strong consensus. If three or more team members strongly disagree with a value, revise it or remove it.
Phase 4 - Finalization and Version Control
Commit the document to version control. Treat it like code:
git checkout -b values/update-2026-spring
git add team-values/principles.md
git commit -m "Add team values and principles document"
gh pr create --title "Team Values - Final Draft" --body "Please review before merging."
Keep it alongside other team documentation:
docs/
values.md # The living values document
decision-log.md # How we make team decisions
onboarding.md # New team member guide
Phase 5 - Living the Document
A values document only matters if the team uses it. Build reference points into workflows:
- Onboarding: New team members review and share which resonate most
- Retrospectives: Reference values when discussing what worked
- Hiring: Share values with candidates to assess cultural fit
Review quarterly. Teams evolve, and values should reflect current priorities.
Values Review Checklist
- [ ] Quarterly review scheduled
- [ ] New team members introduced to values
- [ ] Recent decisions referenced values
- [ ] Any values feel outdated?
Example Values Document
Our Team Values
Last updated - March 2026
Communication
Over-communicate Context
Include the reasoning behind decisions, not just the what.
Async First
Default to async. Use sync time only for complex discussions.
Bad News Travels Fast
Share problems early. Hiding issues removes options.
Ownership
Take Initiative
If you see something broken, fix it or assign it.
Raise Blockers Early
Asking for help is a strength. Blockers unraised become crises.
Respect
Assume Good Intent
Written communication lacks tone. Give colleagues the benefit.
Respect Time Zones
Record meetings. Don't expect immediate responses outside core hours.
Growth
Learn from Mistakes
Blameless post-mortems. The goal is systemic improvement.
Share Knowledge
Writing things down helps the team scale.
Results
Outcome Over Output
Focus on what actually moves the needle.
Sustainable Pace
Burnout destroys long-term productivity.
Tools
Remote teams use various tools:
- Notion/Confluence: Structured databases with property tracking
- GitHub/GitLab: Version-controlled documents with PR reviews
- Google Docs: Async commenting and suggestions
Choose tools your team already uses.
Common Pitfalls
Avoid these mistakes:
- Too many values: Limit to 5-8 core principles
- Generic language: Be specific about what values look like in practice
- Written once, never revisited: Treat values as living documents
- No accountability: Reference values in feedback and decisions
Frequently Asked Questions
How long does it take to create remote team values and principles document?
For a straightforward setup, expect 30 minutes to 2 hours depending on your familiarity with the tools involved. Complex configurations with custom requirements may take longer. Having your credentials and environment ready before starting saves significant time.
What are the most common mistakes to avoid?
The most frequent issues are skipping prerequisite steps, using outdated package versions, and not reading error messages carefully. Follow the steps in order, verify each one works before moving on, and check the official documentation if something behaves unexpectedly.
Do I need prior experience to follow this guide?
Basic familiarity with the relevant tools and command line is helpful but not strictly required. Each step is explained with context. If you get stuck, the official documentation for each tool covers fundamentals that may fill in knowledge gaps.
Can I adapt this for a different tech stack?
Yes, the underlying concepts transfer to other stacks, though the specific implementation details will differ. Look for equivalent libraries and patterns in your target stack. The architecture and workflow design remain similar even when the syntax changes.
Where can I get help if I run into issues?
Start with the official documentation for each tool mentioned. Stack Overflow and GitHub Issues are good next steps for specific error messages. Community forums and Discord servers for the relevant tools often have active members who can help with setup problems.
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