Bringing people together across countries and disciplines is a key success factor for modern digital development. In Wolfsburg, colleagues from Germany and Portugal recently came together on site for the first time to kick off their collaboration in person.
Developers from Portugal, designers from Germany, and colleagues from different professional backgrounds met face to face to start working as one team. What made this moment special was not only the start of a shared journey, but the opportunity to build personal connections beyond screens, time zones, and locations.
From distributed teams to one shared way of working
International collaboration brings diversity in perspectives, skills, and experiences but it also requires trust, openness, and clear alignment. The on-site kick-off created space to establish exactly that. Instead of starting work remotely and in isolated roles, the teams invested time upfront to get to know each other, understand each other’s ways of working, and align on how they want to collaborate going forward.
Design and development worked closely together from the start, supported by open exchange and mutual curiosity. The goal was not only to align on tasks, but to create a shared mindset and a common understanding of collaboration across borders.
A strong foundation for international teamwork
The days in Wolfsburg were more than just a formal kick-off. They laid the foundation for a strong, collaborative working relationship between teams in Germany and Portugal – based on transparency, respect, and shared ownership.
Starting collaboration this way sets a clear signal: international teamwork works best when people come together early, invest in relationships, and jointly shape how they want to work. A strong basis for effective collaboration across borders and for everything that follows.