Another thing we did that really helped - make Monday 20% day not Friday.
On Friday there are always too many things remaining in the sprint, and 20% time gets pushed off and continually forgotten about.
Making 20% Time Work
31–40 of 142 posts
Re: Making 20% Time Work
#32We have successfully pulled off 20% for 5+ years now at Kiva, doing some of the things suggested here. However, the key thing we do is actually make the 20% be a full two-week sprint, it just happens every 5th sprint. That way, you can have the time to do some planning, suggesting, and documentation before setting out to build something and you get the full amount of time you needed to build it. We purposefully do tr…
That's a really great idea. Two weeks is just about enough time to see if an idea is going to go anywhere.
I've worked under 6-8 week fail fast R&D regimes before as well and have found they really help provide focus...though in all cases it seems to push the R&D effort much more towards an Applied R&D approach than a theoretical one.
Re: Making 20% Time Work
#33I don't get it... They give you 20℅ 'off' to do stuff they need?! Either they want me to solve their problems and plan this with me to do it like normal work, which IT IS or they want me to do my own thing and don't bother me if they can't use this...... Sounds like all this crap loke pingpong, Snacks and billiard tables to me :D
Many jobs give you 28% time to do stuff you need. It's called the weekend.
Like have a life, do your laundry, tidy up your place, that sort of thing? What does it have to do with work supporting 20% of your time for coding something of interest to you or learning a new language/framework?
Re: Making 20% Time Work
#34There are IT departments inside of non-IT companies that would love to have this sort of luxury. But with department heads that would have their heads explode if you try to explain this to them.
sigh
Re: Making 20% Time Work
#35Googler please chime in, but as far as I read it's been dead for years. http://qz.com/115831/googles-20-time-which-brought-you-gmail...
Re: Making 20% Time Work
#36I've never met anyone who has this luxury, quick poll: Do you have 20% time?
I have 10% time.
Re: Making 20% Time Work
#37I don't get it... They give you 20℅ 'off' to do stuff they need?! Either they want me to solve their problems and plan this with me to do it like normal work, which IT IS or they want me to do my own thing and don't bother me if they can't use this...... Sounds like all this crap loke pingpong, Snacks and billiard tables to me :D
Many jobs give you 28% time to do stuff you need. It's called the weekend.
Wasnt the big idea behind those 20% increased creativity?
I have the feeling most great ideas in our field get bastardized by people who know nothing about it.
Re: Making 20% Time Work
#38I don't get it... They give you 20℅ 'off' to do stuff they need?! Either they want me to solve their problems and plan this with me to do it like normal work, which IT IS or they want me to do my own thing and don't bother me if they can't use this...... Sounds like all this crap loke pingpong, Snacks and billiard tables to me :D
[deleted]
Re: Making 20% Time Work
#39Just keeping it 100: if you come up with a really good idea, (orthogonal to the companies business) that can make a lot of money in 20% time and give it back to your company rather than starting your own shit with it, you're stupid. Or just have low testosterone.
>Or just have low testosterone.
Huh? You're getting paid for it. The company isn't stupid, they wont let you use their resources just so you can take all the credit.
Re: Making 20% Time Work
#40Earlier quoted context omitted.
Many jobs give you 28% time to do stuff you need. It's called the weekend.
Like have a life, do your laundry, tidy up your place, that sort of thing? What does it have to do with work supporting 20% of your time for coding something of interest to you or learning a new language/framework?
I do all of those things and code something of interest to me and my company has no 20% time. I understand, you'd like more time to do those things, but time when we get to do whatever we want is called a day off.