When to Choose Synchronous Vs Asynchronous Communication

At Asana, we’re big fans of how asynchronous communication can increase productivity and reduce work about work, but there are some drawbacks to consider as well. Asynchronous communication is better for working with different time zones as it creates a permanent record of ideas, decisions, and discussions. Successful distributed work is a result of coordinated asynchronous communication. Since knowledge workers oscillate between highly collaborative modes and highly focused modes depending on the task at hand, balance becomes key. Distributed teams that want to be effective across time and space will seek this balance and communicate in ways that neither require constant attention, nor create frequent interruptions for employees.

But this form of communication also has some significant disadvantages, which can get in the way of your team’s efficiency and effectiveness. Instead of scheduling a specific time for your daily standup meeting, ask your teammates to add talking points and action items to the Fellow note asynchronously. This is a great way to know what each person is working on, without taking too much time or interrupting their workflow.

The cons of asynchronous meetings

Asynchronous services tend to consume less resources and components in microservices architecture tend to do one thing only. These facts combined with sharding at the message broker level make asynchronous messaging integrations the most viable option for scaling. Synchronous vs. asynchronous methods each have potential benefits and drawbacks, but the method you choose depends on an application’s purpose. This trend of constant communication means that entire their day is arranged around meetings with time in between spent on core job functions. It usually results in employees working overtime on weekdays and weekends (without extra pay) to complete assigned tasks. Up until very recently, it was nearly impossible for asynchronous work to well…work.

• Real-time communication is ideal for time-sensitive issues, and for building rapport and connection amongst your team.
• Everyone can find the information they need, without dealing with silos or folders they can’t access.
• The optimal time for one person may be the middle of the night for another and if synchronous communication is the expectation that won’t be overly effective.
• Even if you’re just stopping at your co-workers’ desk for an opinion on something, think about the urgency of this discussion and what you’d like out of it.
• There are lots of ways to make two separate workloads communicate over a network.
• In distributed teams, presence usually means being available to meet with other people rather than doing individual work.
• Use positive, polite, and professional language, and express your appreciation, gratitude, or support.

Here are five examples of how using asynchronous video can make an impact at your organization. Therefore, in order to enforce microservice autonomy and implementing a more stable system, request/response chains should be minimized. Also, it is recommended to only use asynchronous integration (even for queries) for inter-microservice communication (Message- or Event-based). Even if you chose HTTP protocol, it is much better to use HTTP polling independent of the original HTTP request/response cycle. From the items listed above, we want to focus on the last one which is mostly about the communication architecture of services. The communication is not about the protocol we use (HTTP and REST, AMQP, messaging, and so on).

Synchronous vs. Asynchronous Communication

Asynchronous communication is any type of communication that includes a lag between when someone sends the message, and when the party receiving the message interprets it. Clock skew is even more damaging in asynchronous https://remotemode.net/blog/guide-to-asynchronous-communication-definition-and-examples/ communication, and it is a challenge to ensure each module and constituent component’s clock remains synchronized with the others. Without clock synchronization, I/O operations will occur in the wrong order.

• You get instant digital access, 800 links and references, a library of tools for remote-friendly work, commentary and future updates, and a high-quality PDF download.
• A quick response may seem like the most efficient use of time, however, that is a misguided thought.
• You need it to build a foundation of trust and create a more engaged team.
• Let’s start by exploring some scenarios that illustrate how these two communication approaches work.
• Also, it is recommended to only use asynchronous integration (even for queries) for inter-microservice communication (Message- or Event-based).

Second, it lets you think the answer through and send a better and more considered response. Some forms of synchronous communication, such as meetings, can last forever. Something that could’ve been relayed through email gets turned into a meeting, which in turn transforms into a multi-hour ordeal.

More honest communication

It’s also useful when you want to discuss sensitive topics, give critical feedback, performance review, or brainstorm a lot of ideas at once. To be clear, we’re not asking you to ditch real-time communication entirely.

The main distinction between synchronous and asynchronous communications is the time lapse between each message. Synchronous communication happens at the moment while asynchronous communication is stretched over a period of time. This difference gives each communication method its own pros and cons, and potential use cases. Synchronous communication works well if you want to execute tasks on priority or have something urgent to discuss with your team members.

One of the reasons for this is that the traffic load is much higher for asynchronous transmission. For low-speed devices that transfer small amounts of data, this is often not a problem. However, the more data being transferred, the more this will hamper the transmission speed, which can pose a problem when using high-speed devices which need to transfer a lot of data.

In conclusion, in a microservice architecture, you can use request/response synchronous (HTTP) protocol for most queries. For delayed responses that might take seconds to finish, you should implement asynchronous communications based on messages. And if there is a request chain to provide some data, it is a much better approach to replicate or propagate data into the initial microservice database. It is not a rule, and it is to lower the sequential calls between microservices.

Before meetings, use threads to share relevant information to help your team understand the topic at hand. After the meeting, continue the thread so those who couldn’t attend can find the information. You can share a link to the video of the meeting in the thread and anyone who asks questions will get answers right inside the thread. Async communication gives you the freedom to plan your workday based on your most productive hours.