Earlier quoted context omitted.
It's a reference to cost of context shift. Context shift matters a bit less for a manager since they are by definition juggling things already. Doesn't not matter...but less
I'm aware of context switching but that doesn't apply to finite tasks that fit within a predefined timebox of e.g. less than half a day. And there are a lot of those out there. Presupposing that all programming is in the pursuit of grand designs (i.e. it take half a day to a day to make meaningful progress on any task) is the only thing that would justify it. But the reality is, it isn't like that except for a subset…
Maker's schedule, Manager's schedule (2009)
11–20 of 76 posts
Re: Maker's schedule, Manager's schedule (2009)
#12Earlier quoted context omitted.
That isn’t made up in the slightest. Creative thought processes take time to get into the flow state. Frequent disruptions to this are deeply frustrating and almost every dev I’ve worked with has made similar remarks. Poor meeting scheduling is a guaranteed way of ensuring your devs have little to no motivation to do anything. In a previous job we called Wednesday “Meeting Wednesday” because total meeting time was at…
Your rarity is another man's frequency. Defining all programming in terms of long drawn out creative endeavours isn't very useful, which is the point I was making to begin with.
Re: Maker's schedule, Manager's schedule (2009)
#13For me, the context switching issue can often be mitigated by dumping my brain into written form. Much like testing, it often feels like things are being slowed down, but usually pays itself back.
With this approach, I usually find that an hour of uninterrupted time is sufficient.
Of course, this doesn’t somehow mean that meetings are an effective use of time. In my experience, most meeting time is wasted because people are not writing down and organizing what is in their head.
Re: Maker's schedule, Manager's schedule (2009)
#14Earlier quoted context omitted.
It's a reference to cost of context shift. Context shift matters a bit less for a manager since they are by definition juggling things already. Doesn't not matter...but less
I'm aware of context switching but that doesn't apply to finite tasks that fit within a predefined timebox of e.g. less than half a day. And there are a lot of those out there. Presupposing that all programming is in the pursuit of grand designs (i.e. it take half a day to a day to make meaningful progress on any task) is the only thing that would justify it. But the reality is, it isn't like that except for a subset…
Re: Maker's schedule, Manager's schedule (2009)
#15Interesting article that makes some good points but this part >They generally prefer to use time in units of half a day at least. You can't write or program well in units of an hour. That's barely enough time to get started. Seems ... made up? There are all sorts of things you can do in an hour as a programmer: update a test, fix an automation script, fix and/or test a bug. Not all programming starts with grandiose a…
Re: Maker's schedule, Manager's schedule (2009)
#16Earlier quoted context omitted.
It's a reference to cost of context shift. Context shift matters a bit less for a manager since they are by definition juggling things already. Doesn't not matter...but less
I'm aware of context switching but that doesn't apply to finite tasks that fit within a predefined timebox of e.g. less than half a day. And there are a lot of those out there. Presupposing that all programming is in the pursuit of grand designs (i.e. it take half a day to a day to make meaningful progress on any task) is the only thing that would justify it. But the reality is, it isn't like that except for a subset…
Inversely, chopping up developers' days might be one way to keep them small, bug-fixing, value-tweaking, code-pasting peons.
Re: Maker's schedule, Manager's schedule (2009)
#17Specifically on the cost of meetings to developers.
Re: Maker's schedule, Manager's schedule (2009)
#18Interesting article that makes some good points but this part >They generally prefer to use time in units of half a day at least. You can't write or program well in units of an hour. That's barely enough time to get started. Seems ... made up? There are all sorts of things you can do in an hour as a programmer: update a test, fix an automation script, fix and/or test a bug. Not all programming starts with grandiose a…
Free time to work between meetings is rarely filled efficiently. An one hour gap is either filled by something that's finshed in 45 minutes with the remaining 15 minutes difficult to fill, or filled by something that takes 1.5hrs and therefore requires a context switch.
With meetings its different. They last one hour because they last one hour, not because the content takes one hour to discuss.
But like 1 hour slots for work the same is true for fixed 2-week sprints.
And for containers on shelves, which cannot be placed where the frames are.
Re: Maker's schedule, Manager's schedule (2009)
#19I’m inclined to agree with all this but when I’m conversation with someone who has only ever been in a Manager schedule, what would you recommend I point to as actual evidence? Specifically on the cost of meetings to developers.
This article is a pure product of this period when software developers thought themselves as extremely special and above such petty issues as having to attend meetings. It’s entitlement masquerading as wisdom. The truth is everyone has to balance their time between obligations and slots they can allocate to do longer work. Writers have to meet their editor. Artists have to plan for the logistic of their exhibitions. That’s part of life.
You can work for a bit do something else and get back to what you were doing. If you can’t that’s an issue with you, not the nature of your work.
Re: Maker's schedule, Manager's schedule (2009)
#20Earlier quoted context omitted.
That isn’t made up in the slightest. Creative thought processes take time to get into the flow state. Frequent disruptions to this are deeply frustrating and almost every dev I’ve worked with has made similar remarks. Poor meeting scheduling is a guaranteed way of ensuring your devs have little to no motivation to do anything. In a previous job we called Wednesday “Meeting Wednesday” because total meeting time was at…
Your rarity is another man's frequency. Defining all programming in terms of long drawn out creative endeavours isn't very useful, which is the point I was making to begin with.