[qwer]

I know this goes against the usual attitude about remote work around here but...

That flow-chart at the bottom is hilariously true. I've been a part of remote work as both a manager and an engineer, and this is exactly how it is because of different locations, the lo-fi aspect of existing remote collaboration tools, and the activation energy required to communicate more often (and if you're in different timezones, good luck to you!).

If you're an engineer that wants to really understand what you're trying to build and why, or if you want to be part of the problem-identification stage rather than just implementing someone's specs, this type of arrangement will drive you insane.

Some engineers are perfectly happy with a detailed spec though. For them, I completely understand the lure of remote work.