Matt C. posed this question:
Whenever I read [Steve McConnell's] Rapid Development book, I notice that their suggestions for workspaces and productivity environments are completely opposite of what we have here, with our open office space and frequent interruptions. Our setup contributes greatly to my enjoyment of working here, but it makes me want to ask why we have decided to do it this way.
We are trying to facilitate a more communal feel, but I do think that it makes sense to frequently assess whether or not this works that well for development. There is the Steve McConnell argument is that the interruptions and distractions torpedo productivity.
However, there is also the alternate argument, which I saw in a NY Times article today which essentially said that an experiment conducted at Google concluded that communication seemed to flow best when people sat near each other:
According to the report, “Using Prediction Markets to Track Information Flows: Evidence From Google,” which was presented Friday at the American Economic Association meeting in New Orleans, the strongest correlation in betting was found among people who sat very close to one another, trumping even friendship or other close social ties.
This is tangible evidence, the authors argue, that information is shared most easily and effectively among office neighbors, even at an Internet company where instant messaging and e-mail are generally preferred to face-to-face discussion.
This is a strong argument for the way we do business—all in one office rather than spread out virtually all over the place. I think that information does definitely flow freely when you can turn around and ask somebody a question—there’s all kinds of cues that are already taken care of e.g., presence, “degree of availability”, etc.—things that needed a technical solution in the case of IM clients, and that are not solved with telephone and email.
But I think we need to be careful about how freely we let non-critical information flow =), or else be free to “go into your office” (put on headphones, etc.) when you need to get something done.
