Cautious Reflection About “How” We Change

As George Santayana is often quoted, “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” Since I believe that is true, it is worth looking back at another, less often quoted individual — Melvin Conway. He was a programmer in the 1960s. He wrote an assembler for the Burroughs 220, he wrote a paper on coroutines, but the reason we know him at all, is that he is credited with coining Conway’s Law. Unlike other, so-called “Laws,” Conway’s Law was not intended as a joke, but rather as a valid observation of how real organizations make things.

In 1968, Conway wrote a paper called “How Do Committees Invent?” In it, he wrote:

…organizations which design systems… are constrained to produce designs which are copies of the communication structures of these organizations.

This is more commonly quoted as, “Any development project reflects the organizational structure that produced it.”

As we move forward in an environment of change, it is important that we keep this in mind.

To see how this manifests itself in the real world, please read this blog entry from one of the Vista programmers on how they developed a particular feature for which he was responsible. While you are reading, see if you find any of what he says familiar. If you do, consider that we may need to address those issues ourselves as we try to move forward.

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Flexible Scheduling

As a new manager, I have a lot to learn about how Penn State does business. One of the engineers that suddenly reports to me has been working with my director — his interim manager — on a work schedule proposal for the time after the delivery of their baby.

Human Resource Guideline HRG02 includes a section describing the policy on telecommuting. Within it is a description of the supervisor for telecommuters:

The supervisor of a telecommuter must be open to new ideas, be trusting of employees, and be a good communicator.

While I can guess that some people would feel threatened by that, I’ll give myself a pat on the back and say, “I think I can handle it.”

It also makes some points about the types of jobs that work:

Not all jobs are adapted easily to a telecommuting arrangement. Jobs that are adapted easily include those that consist of writing, reading, researching, independent thinking, editing, and working with data.

That pretty much describes the job in question.

It also says, “An employee interested in telecommuting first should present a proposal to her/his supervisor… ” Here is his proposal. The points to address are straight from the guideline.

Telecommuting Proposal:

1. The reason for the request

   I am requesting this telecommuting plan to allow me to continue to work while being able to provide support to my wife following the birth of our first child.

2. The length of time that the telecommuting arrangement is desired

   1 month

3. The number of hours-per-day or days-per-week that the employee will be telecommuting — including when (what days/hours) the employee will be accessible

   Telecommuting 3 days per week.

   Accessible M-F, 8a-5p.

4. A description of the impact on customers in terms of service and quality of work

   I see no impact to customers regarding service and quality of work.

5. An explanation of how necessary communication with University offices and customers will be maintained

   Communication would be maintained as it is when I am in the office via telephone and electronic communication (e-mail). My office extension could be forwarded to my home or cell phone on days I am telecommuting by using https://voip.psu.edu

6. The daily hours when the telecommuter is accessible to coworkers and customers

   M-F, 8a-5p

7. A list of duties to be performed while telecommuting

   The same duties as performed while in the office. Daily work activities would not change.

8. A list of the necessary equipment and where/how/by whom it will be obtained and maintained

   I already have a home PC and work laptop connected to a wired/wireless network utilizing a high-speed internet connection. I am able to access the same resources from home that I do when I am in the office. I also would use my personal cell phone or home phone. I would need no additional equipment.

9. Potential problem areas (if any)

   I have not identified any potential problem areas. I live within 15 minutes driving distance of campus. Should something come up on a telecommuting day that would require my presence on campus it would be no problem to come in. In reference to HRG02 regarding Child Care, I would state that the reason for this proposal is not for me to provide primary child care while working from home. My wife will be home during the same time and my main goal will be work but I will have the ability to play a helping role in child care when needed. Also, a large number of job duties I perform could also be done outside of the traditional 8am-5pm hours (if necessary) while the child is sleeping, etc, etc (as stated in HRG02).

In regards to that last point, HRG02 has this to say:

Telecommuting may not be a good alternative for child care. If the job duties can be performed at hours outside of the traditional 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., when the child is sleeping or alternate care is available, then telecommuting may be a good alternative. Otherwise, it is difficult to work effectively while trying to care for small children. Trying to do both at once usually means that the individual is neither an effective worker nor an effective parent. This is a conflict that needs to be resolved before commencing telecommuting.

Hence the clarification.

Ultimately, we are handling this as an extension of the flexible scheduling policy defined in HRG02, since this is not a permanent change to the job and is only three days a week. We expect that the engineer will be physically present at all appropriate meetings.

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