Guidelines for open office layouts

Guidelines for Open Office Layouts,[object Object],By Ed Kraay,[object Object]

The situation,[object Object],84% of companies surveyed claim using some Agile practices*,[object Object],Open office formats used to enjoy low cost or free communication – aka “Osmotic Communication”,[object Object],With more firms “going Agile” more managers are tasked with making open space team rooms work,[object Object],Common questions we get:,[object Object],How much space do I really need?,[object Object],What configuration will optimize communication for my team?,[object Object],How much power do I need? How many whiteboards? What about private space? Do I get tables or use desks….,[object Object],*Source 2009 State of Agile Survey Version One,[object Object]

Common problems with open space moves,[object Object],Moving from cubicles to an open space often results in:,[object Object],Cramped conditions,[object Object],Not enough power or network,[object Object],No space for design sessions,[object Object],Cross team noise (bad noise) vs Team noise (good noise),[object Object],No private space for phone calls,[object Object],Barriers to flow,[object Object],Fixed configurations with no room to adapt,[object Object]

Two Key Principles to keep in mind,[object Object],Workspace should never be an obstacle to getting work done,[object Object],Keep the workspace configurable so you can adapt it to your changing needs,[object Object]

Guidelines: Size and Layout,[object Object],Space,[object Object],6 feet by 8 feet per person (enough so they could have had a cubicle),[object Object],Privacy for the team,[object Object],High Walls, Doors Optional,[object Object],or,[object Object],Enough space to create separate team areas,[object Object],Windows,[object Object],Humans get stressed without access to natural light,[object Object],One wall, preferably two or three walls with abundant natural light,[object Object]

Working Areas,[object Object],Freedom,[object Object],Give teams freedom to adjust their working area to suit them without a work order,[object Object],Easy to move tables are good,[object Object],Some organizations even attach wheels to their desks!,[object Object],Avoid,[object Object],Fixed to the wall,[object Object],Installed furniture,[object Object],Enough room to work together side by side to pair program,[object Object],Avoid,[object Object],Corner Desks,[object Object],Photo by Carlos Villela,[object Object]

Wall Space,[object Object],Ample wall space for task boards, burndown charts, whiteboards everywhere,[object Object],Whiteboard paint works very well,[object Object],Some teams use movable walls for this,[object Object],Photo by Carlos Villela,[object Object]

Technology,[object Object],Power,[object Object],Ample amounts as unobtrusively as possible (in desks, dropped from the ceiling),[object Object],Projectors,[object Object],For video conferences, planning meetings,[object Object],We see more teams using large screen LCD TV’s for this,[object Object],Video conferencing and Smart boards for distributed teams,[object Object],High definition web cameras work well,[object Object],Large Flat Panel Monitors - two per workstation (>20 inch),[object Object]

Breakout Rooms,[object Object],A mix of small quiet areas for private conversations for 2-3 people or phone calls,[object Object],Larger collaboration rooms for conference calls or planning meetings,[object Object],Some teams use an open space for this,[object Object]

Table Configurations,[object Object],Long Tables,[object Object],U Shapes,[object Object],Drawing by Dean Cornish,[object Object],Drawing by Erik Doernenburg,[object Object]

Photos of the ThoughtWorks Bangalore Office…the principles in action.,[object Object],Notice the open space between desks,[object Object],Photo by SudhirTiwari,[object Object]

Plentiful access to power and ethernet,[object Object],Photo by SudhirTiwari,[object Object]

Wall space for card walls.,[object Object],Photo by SudhirTiwari,[object Object]

Cube Area for Marketing and Recruiting Team,[object Object],Photo by SudhirTiwari,[object Object]

Meeting Rooms Along interior walls, so desks can be along windows,[object Object],Photo by Chris Stevenson,[object Object]

= Happy team.,[object Object],Windows to let in natural light…,[object Object],Adjustable chairs,[object Object],+,[object Object],Photo by Chris Stevenson,[object Object]

Enough space so that each person could have had 6’x 8’ to themselves,[object Object],Photo by Chris Stevenson,[object Object]

Another collaborative workspace design,[object Object],Drawing by AnupamKundu,[object Object]

These are some team room configurations…What's yours?,[object Object]

Summary of the Principles,[object Object],Workspace should never be an obstacle to getting work done,[object Object],Keep the workspace configurable so you can adapt it to your changing needs,[object Object]

Appreciations to:,[object Object],Erik Doerenburg, April Johnson, Sarah Taraporewalla, Daniel T. Abel, Dean Cornish, Peter Gillard-Moss, Benjamin Butler-Cole, AnupamKundu, SudhirTiwari, Chris Stevenson, Rajeev Singh and Johnny Leroy for photos and ideas.,[object Object]

Resources,[object Object],Books,[object Object],Agile Software Development by Alistair Cockburn,[object Object],Peopleware by Demarco and Lister,[object Object],Links,[object Object],Martin Fowler on the Team Room: http://martinfowler.com/bliki/TeamRoom.html,[object Object]

Guidelines for open office layouts

Guidelines for open office layouts

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