Not that it is undesireable, just that it doesn't exist. The mess you are talking about is fact. Maybe this is because managment sucks, but it's still a fact.

Not that it is undesireable, just that it doesn't exist. The mess you are talking about is fact. Maybe this is because managment sucks, but it's still a fact. Goals & requirements are unclear. This is a fact almost everywhere. Very few people (definitely programmers) have very clear requirements and goals to work against. So, I agree with you that having clear goals and requirements is a path to virtual workplaces. But, I think this is a troublesome route. Clarity is elusive. If it wasn't elusive, all the outsourcing efforts of 10 years ago would have been more successful. Computers are against us on this. If something is very clearly defined, it is a candidate for automation, outsourcing and such. The stuff we're left with is the poorly defined mess. That's why we have so much of it.