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I've worked with developers who never EVER allow themselves to be interrupted. Yes, yes, I acknowledge mental state, "flow", etc. ...but when you've got a dev
by tjic 18y ago
I've worked with developers who never EVER allow themselves to be interrupted.
Yes, yes, I acknowledge mental state, "flow", etc.
...but when you've got a developer who comes in, nods "hi", goes straight to his desk, codes for 8 hours, then stands up, nods "bye" and leaves, that's almost as disruptive to team cohesion.
"Schedule a meeting" is not an acceptable answer. There is value - big value - to informal communication.
I suggest that all resilient systems need a bit of unscripted, unscheduled slop.
This applies to HR policies, customer support policies, building large physical structures ... and team interactions.
- Retric 18y agoMy advice for working with such people is to just use email. Require people to respond within 4 hours and before they leave and 95% of the time that's good enough. Interrupting flow costs between 1/2 and 4 hours of productivity, but most people take breaks so as long as they respond in a reasonable time frame it should be fine.