Milestone map
Milestone map
3 milestones
Diagnose Remote Team Health
2 weeks
Conduct a structured diagnosis of your remote team's current culture and working practices: run an anonymous survey covering communication quality, meeting effectiveness, async work norms, social connection, and psychological safety (at least 10 questions, scale-based). Supplement with at least four one-on-one conversations with team members at different levels. Produce a diagnostic report identifying the three highest-priority culture gaps and the data that supports each.
Proof required
Submit the survey questions, anonymised summary of results (distributions not individual responses), notes from the four one-on-one conversations (anonymised), and the diagnostic report (min 600 words) naming three priority gaps with supporting evidence.
What gets checked
- Survey covers all five dimensions with at least two questions per dimension
- Three priority gaps are supported by both survey data and one-on-one evidence
- One-on-one notes are from team members at different levels — not just one seniority
Common mistakes
- Diagnosis is done by the leader alone — no survey, no one-on-ones, gaps are assumed
- Survey is run but one-on-ones are skipped — quantitative data misses the nuance
- Three gaps are identified from the survey but are not the highest-priority ones — all gaps are treated equally
Resources
Foundationstart here
Depthgo deeper
What a verifier looks for
- Ask the submitter to name the three priority culture gaps and the evidence for each
- Confirm the survey covered all five dimensions with scale-based questions
- Verify one-on-ones were with team members at different levels — not just managers
Build and Launch the Remote Culture Playbook
4 weeks
Produce a remote culture playbook addressing the three diagnosed gaps. The playbook must include: communication norms (what goes in which channel, async-first rules, response time expectations), meeting standards (which meetings exist, why they exist, how they run), social connection rituals (at least two recurring non-work touchpoints), written documentation expectations, and a psychological safety section (how to raise concerns, how feedback is given). Launch the playbook to the team with a kickoff session and collect feedback at the 30-day mark.
Proof required
Submit the remote culture playbook (min 1000 words covering all five sections), documentation of the team kickoff session, and 30-day feedback summary showing at least five team member responses.
What gets checked
- All five playbook sections are present with specific, actionable norms
- Kickoff session is documented — team questions and responses are noted
- 30-day feedback shows at least five team member responses, not just the submitter's assessment
Common mistakes
- Playbook is written but not launched — it exists as a document with no team adoption
- Kickoff session is a one-way presentation — no team questions or discussion documented
- 30-day feedback is collected from three or fewer people — the sample is too small to be meaningful
Resources
Foundationstart here
Depthgo deeper
What a verifier looks for
- Ask the submitter to explain the async-first rule in their playbook — what specifically must be async?
- Confirm the 30-day feedback includes at least five team member responses
- Check the psychological safety section is specific — how are concerns actually raised?
Measure Culture Change at 90 Days
13 weeks
At 90 days after playbook launch, re-run the original survey and repeat the one-on-one conversations with the same sample. Compare results to the baseline on each of the five dimensions and the three priority gaps. Produce a 90-day culture change report with data, qualitative findings from one-on-ones, an assessment of what changed and what didn't, and a revised playbook with updates based on what didn't work. Present to the team.
Proof required
Submit the 90-day survey results compared to baseline (showing direction of change on all five dimensions), one-on-one notes from at least four conversations, the 90-day culture change report (min 600 words), and the revised playbook. Team members must confirm the follow-up survey ran.
What gets checked
- 90-day survey covers the same questions as the baseline — direct comparison is possible
- At least one gap that improved and one that did not are identified and analysed
- Revised playbook reflects specific changes — it is not the same document relabelled as '90-day version'
Common mistakes
- 90-day survey uses different questions — baseline and 90-day cannot be compared
- All gaps are reported as improved — no honest assessment of what didn't change
- Playbook is not revised — the 90-day report produces findings but no updated guidance
Resources
What a verifier looks for
- Ask the submitter which of the three original priority gaps improved most and which improved least
- Confirm the follow-up survey used the same questions as the baseline
- Check the revised playbook contains specific changes — what was removed, what was added?
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