Sync or Async: Choosing the Right Approach
The basics of sync and async activities and how to benefit from both worlds
The basics of sync and async activities and how to benefit from both worlds
Key points
Sync activity expects an immediate response, while a-sync assumes offline methods.
Both are valid, and we can achieve our goals faster when appropriately utilized.
Consider sync activities when it’s essential to draw the full attention of the parties involved and async interactions for high-quality results without the burden of online communication.
Overview
Lately, I see conflicts that come down to the essence of sync (short for synchronous) vs. async (short for a-synchronous). Competitions such as remote work vs. work from the office, meetings vs. offline communication, and assignments over interviews, all come down to the sync-async dilemma.
In this post, I will share the basics of these terms, their pros and cons, and when it is best to use each. While the phrases are derived from the software engineering world, I use them broadly to describe real-world scenarios.
Sync
Sync represents the anticipation of an immediate response. After a specific action, the owner waits until a resolution. To demonstrate, consider paying with your phone at the local grocery shop. The set of activities is -
Wait to see the prompt to pay.
Unlock your phone.
Hold your phone close to the card reader.
Wait for confirmation.
Remove the phone from the reader.
You must carefully attend to all the steps in this flow and wait until the final resolution. That’s a sync process.
Other examples include -
Working from the office — This sync activity includes physical attendance, online communication, and participation in immediate interactions (such as water cooler talk and more).
Meetings — physical or video meetings take the attention of all the participants, who should respond immediately to the topics raised.
Interviews — similar to meetings, interviews require full attention and immediate response. You might ask for a minute or two to gather your thoughts, but it’s still a sync experience.
Async
A-sync represents offline communication. Much like the pigeon post’s early days, you know it will take time to resolve the contact once you send it.
A classic example is an email correspondence -
You compose an email (and rewrite it a couple of times).
You send the email.
The recipient gets a notification on a new email.
On her time, she opens the email and reads it.
She composes an email back (if she wants to).
She sends an email back.
Note how this offline process allowed us to take time and gather thoughts, rewrite, decide how to tackle the problem, and simultaneously delay the time to resolution.
Other examples include -
Working from home — while expected, availability is limited, and it takes time to engage in online communication.
Deep work — reading, writing a response, commenting on a meeting agenda, and research- require async methods.
Assignments — home assignments are a clear example where the interviewer expects the process to take time.
Instant messaging — this one is tricky. While the experience offers some sync experience (like reactions and push notifications), at its core, it’s an a-sync way to communicate (less than emails, but still).
Which to choose
There is no one correct way, as it depends on your goals. Generally, sync is better when you need the extra benefit of online collaboration and brainstorming. Async is more suited when deep work is required, and it doesn’t justify wasting time (I use the term waste in the context of lean manufacturing).
Here are some tips to optimize the benefits of each -
Reach decisions — involve async communication to share the details, allow preparation and offline communication, and, if needed, set up a meeting. This way, the meeting with either be short or not required in the first place.
Solve big problems — innovation and breakthroughs require teamwork. It’s a classic case where sync communication makes sense.
Focus on the desired outcome — when we are confident in the result we’re looking for, like a bug fix, a home assignment, or assistance in finishing a task, async methods win. Explain what you need, and give the other part the time to do it.
Focus on the road — when we want to understand the way of thinking and the outcome is vaguer, it makes more sense to use sync interactions. Examples include observing an interviewee’s critical thinking, discussing feature implementation details, and a group retrospective.
Conclusions
Inspired by the software engineering world, we can divide many actions and activities into sync and async. Each comes with its benefits and caveats; when appropriately utilized, we can achieve our goals faster.
Consider sync activities when it’s essential to draw the full attention of the parties involved and when the expected outcome has more excellent value than the invested attention. On the contrary, optimize async interactions when you can sustain the slower time-to-resolution in exchange for high-quality results and without the burden of online communication.