I did remove the 1mm spacer which I have determined is not necessary for this upgrade at all. It didn't make a difference, though.
I went out for my regular 16 mile ride yesterday which is mostly road with tons of hills and a small stretch of rocks/gravel in the middle of it. The shifting was not as smooth as my Shimano 11-32 but it didn't bother me enough to ever have to get off the bike to adjust it. I was able to access all 11 speeds but wasn't in the largest or smallest cogs very long.
I'll see how how things go over the next couple weeks if another tweak is necessary. For the time being I'll need to get used to the higher cadence since I'm used to grinding up hills.