11.1. Tools for Communication Some of the most helpful tools for project communication have common characteristics. These characteristics are:
Easy to use -
If a tool is hard to use, people will use other tools instead. Obvious, but often overlooked.
Context -
Who is speaking? When did they speak? Who were they talking to? Without this kind of context, all communication becomes harder to understand.
Active and passive modes -
Sometimes you want to find information or actively seek someone out. Other times you want the information to be sent to you, with no action needed on your part. A good environment can provide both kinds of communication.
Archives -
Communications that can be stored, printed out, and searched are more useful than those that are ephemeral or just a mass of data.
Some communication tools that are commonly used in software projects are:
Web sites -
Web sites, Wikis (which are web sites that anyone can edit, with the editing being done via a web page) and weblogs (online diaries, also known as blogs). These are all simple to browse actively (though they are not always easy to follow) and they can sometimes be searched.
Email -
Email, mailing lists, web-based groups such as Yahoo! Groups, and newsgroups. Email is the common denominator, and everyone on the project already uses it. It's easy to be a "lurker" and passively receive information. Messages are often archived, and following a conversation by subject or thread usually works well enough.
RSS feeds -
RSS feeds are places that RSS reader applications can regularly poll for information. Most weblogs and many news sites already have RSS feeds. Some automation environments can provide RSS feeds about the state of the build. Many web browsers also have RSS readers already built in.
Messaging -
Instant messaging (IM) and SMS text messages on mobile telephones are used by some groups for short conversations. Some IM conversations are archived for later reference.
Telephone -
Telephones are easy enough to use, but they actively interrupt other people, and voicemail messages are tedious to search through. Section 12.4 discusses other problems with telephones in a development environment.
Office navigation aids -
The basics for finding people in an office are a list of telephone numbers that is regularly updated and name tags on cubicles and offices. A map of where people sit and a web page with photographs of people's faces are even better.
Wise users of each of these tools know when it's time to put the tools aside and to try to talk to the other people face to face. All the tools listed above deliver compressed forms of communication, and some information is inevitably lost in the compression. Subtle tones of voice, quick facial expressions, and body posture are all part of complete communication. If you are in a company, find the people involved and find a good-sized conference room; corridor communication is only good for short conversations and it can disturb other people who are working. |
