Agile project methodologies depend on near-constant communication and collaboration. Sometimes team members are not all in the same work area. Instant Messaging (IM) seems like an obvious solution. But does the immediacy of IM help or hurt workflow? This article examines the pros and cons of IM.
IT Project Communication & Collaboration Needs
The importance of collaboration and communication on IT projects becomes even more important in rapid development environments. Agile project methodologies require a level of teamwork, interaction, and near constant communication that presents problems when staff members are not in the same room, or building. Today's workforce can work effectively remotely, even while mobile and out of the office. Video conferencing, shared workspaces and presentations, collaboration platforms, and VoIP all allow for team members to be connected almost as well as if they were in the same building. Instant messaging (IM) seems like an obvious solution for real-time communication.
Why Use IM?
Is the immediacy and constant connectivity of IM really as helpful as it first appears? Let's look at it. We want to have developers work as close-knit teams, with as much interaction and collaboration as possible. The development teams likewise should have rapid communication, Q&A, and feedback from other project members and business sponsors or stakeholders. Testing teams and of course project leads should likewise be in close contact with each other, and the other project members. We can see that IM can satisfy the desire for a faster and more distributed communications channel than e-mail or a message board.
IM Can Disrupt Workflow
Dealing with a flurry of messages while concentrating on a task is distracting. They are interruptions. And once the practice is adopted there is often an expectation for a team member to be available all the time. Decisions may be made quickly (because they can be), that would be better decided at a slower pace, or in a formal meeting or conference with more structure. You may say, "Clemmer, that wouldn't happen!" But I've seen it several times. The habits and expectations grow as IM use continues and becomes second nature. Blackberry and text messaging communication channels represent similar potential problems.
Solutions
IM software can be configured in ways to minimize the disruption. Teams can be educated on how to minimize the problems potentially caused by IM. One moderating control I've used in the past is assigning a particular time window where IM is "off". Such as the first 30 minutes of the workday or 1 hour in the afternoon. This allows team members to work on specific tasks best served without interruption, and know that there will be none unless it is extremely urgent, or by phone. Less urgent communication can continue via e-mail or other means. Just as you may insist cell phones are silent and prohibit text messaging during conferences and meetings, you may also restrict IM then. By all means use it as a helpful tool, but perhaps consider project policy and guidelines for appropriate use.