As the world becomes increasingly “flat”, organizations are seeking out operational and cost efficiencies by leveraging distributed teams. These distributed teams are a common constraint on most technology projects today. To continue wide-spread adoption, Agile projects must find ways to thrive in distributed environments. The Ambassador Model is a proven, effective approach to building highly productive distributed and off-shore agile teams. Complementing this model are “carrier pigeons,” a metaphor for tools (technology and practice) used to overcome the challenges of distance.