[closed] Does anyone have experience working in a virtual office management workplace?

Hi,
That is a fantastic question, I think what you are asking is not directly what I do but there are some similarities...
In my current job I have worked both in the office and now 100% remote or sometimes called Distributed Teams. There are definitely advantages and disadvantages to both, working remote 100% is not all wonderful and great as many people think it is. Sure, there is a definite advantage to not commuting, sleeping later, no prep time dressing for work and saving money on gas, meals, etc...but, it has hurt my career a little since I do not network as much as I used did when I was in the office. Also, unless I specifically make it known on a daily basis that I am available for projects, group meetings, etc...I am sometimes overlooked or forgotten about. We used to use MS Lync for IM and recently switched to Skype for Business which I hope will help with some of the networking and meetings.
Hopefully someone else can answer your question more directly regarding working on software projects together...
Good luck!

Many companies today are employing distributed teams. I think the key to success is when most of the people are in fact remote. The difficulty lies when one person is remote and the others are all located together (aka "co-located"). When you're the online one who is remote, you get left out of the casual hallway meetings. And for companies that rely heavily on hallway conventions, you get forgotten as Gary pointed out.

On the other hand, my last three companies are virtual. All the key employees work out of their homes, so it is understood that meetings take place over Go-To-Meeting or Skype or Zoom. We book meetings together just as if we were in an office.

So, if the culture has embraced distributed teams, you'll likely find working from home a delight.

Problems with working from home include 1) spouses and children, 2) poor lines between home and work, and 3) a feeling of isolation. My wife is a wonderful person and she means well but she really has a hard time NOT bothering me during the workday. She asks me to fix her computer, asks me if I want her to pick up anything at the store, and comes into my office to chat. She honestly doesn't know she's bothering me and it's hard to get mad at her when she's being so kind. Oh, and by the way, the dog barks at the mail carrier, usually when I'm on the phone with a client. But still, family members are often have difficulty separating work from home time.

Likewise, you and I might have that problem too. I start the day at the computer and would probably work well into the evening if not stopped. So it's important to have a formal work-only area that you do not use when you're "home".

My daughter started a home-based business and after a year she felt so lonely she shut down the business to get a "real" job. So home-based workers need to set up social time in the community and with work colleagues so they don't feel isolated.

Working from home is mostly a delight. I can get work done in a few hours that used to take days at the office. No interruptions is great! Particularly if you're writing. But working from home requires discipline--there's no one to force you to work. In that way, it's not that different from college.

The key is to be self-motivated while working for a company that understands distributed teams.