I’m sure you’ve heard this before: teamwork makes the dream work. Doesn’t it have a subtle yet beautiful feel to it? As much as I like the tone of it, it’s also true. Good teamwork goes a long way for companies to achieve high levels of creativity, productivity, and engagement. But wait, what really makes teamwork come in play effectively? As I hear some drums roll in the background…it’s definitely effective team communication!

Leading a team of individuals is no simple task — it takes patience, technical experience, and a ton of leadership skills. If you work in tech, you’ve probably heard the terms “Scrum Master” or “Project Manager” being thrown around in many of the day-to-day conversations you’re having. And if you’re new to the industry, you’ve probably asked yourself what makes the two roles so different.

The Build is a newsletter for software engineers dedicated to sharing useful technical content on effective development and collaboration techniques. In each release, we’ll share what we’re reading this month, open source projects we’re inspired by, and more news from the DevOps community. Read the December 2022 Build below, and subscribe to receive The Build every month right in your inbox.

You’re trying to focus on coding, but office chatter keeps disturbing you. You want to reach your teammates, but they don’t respond to their emails. You’re trying to find a piece of information related to your current project, but you don’t know where to start. Do these scenarios sound familiar? We hope not. Developers’ tasks are complex as is. But sometimes, productivity issues can add to their woe.

Slack is one of the most popular instant messaging tools for organizations of all sizes. Due to its easy interface and features, many clinics and healthcare establishments prefer to use Slack for their everyday communication. HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act) is a law that guides how to protect sensitive PHI (patient health information).

Do you know that mental health memes not only make us laugh but also help us feel less stressed? Technology has made it easy to generate fun-filled relatable mental breakdown memes, emotional memes that can be shared with coworkers, clients, and others. This helps reduce stress in various ways, regardless of the industry. Let me familiarise you with mental health before you start thinking about it.

Distance learning and digital education have opened up many opportunities for students worldwide, allowing them to learn flexibly and conveniently. With course materials and lectures made available online, students can learn on their own terms. By leveraging online tools and resources, teachers can provide a personalized learning experience for students' needs and learning styles. Therefore, effective teacher-student communication is key to ensuring the success of digital education.

After the pandemic, remote work became mainstream. In IT, hiring global developers has become necessary for those who want access to a better talent pool. However, most of the benefits that remote work brings to the table are impossible without understanding how to enhance collaboration and dynamics between remote employees. Having the right working tools helps teams organize better and more efficiently, allowing them to coordinate time zones, manage workload, keep track of projects, and more.