Re: On programmer schedules and productivity

I manage a staff of web developers (all students) at a unveristy. I've gone through something very similar in the past two years. Here's my take on this issue in general and what I did to solve it.

BOTTOM LINE: They're my staff! I work with them the way I think is best. When my upper management told me to change something about my staff, I shielded my staff from those blows. I completely blocked upper management's fingers from them. I didn't do this because I'm on a power trip. I did this to protect my staff!

Upper management will never understand that you can't have a sterile environment with all workers sitting for exactly 8 hours at their desk all orderly, prim, and propper! It doens't work that way for the creative employees AKA: your knowledge-workers. I tried for two years to get my management to understand that what works for other non-creative (knowledge-worker) employees doesn't work for my staff. So I started to stonewall their access to my staff. I can tell you it was not initially well received, but I presented it in this way, which was positive, and did give my management what they wanted.

As management, you are very busy doing a wide variety of things. My speciality and my job / commission is to oversee this particular staff of computer specialists. I can limit you're frustrations, and concerns, by telling you that I will manage the staff to the best of my ability. I'll handle that staff for you, so you don't need to worry about them. They will be more productive if we limit their distractions. You can talk to me at any time, and I'll be able to update you what is going on with the projects that we are currently working on. This way we can keep their productivity up.

I can tell you that it was a strange moment, but it did two things for me. Firstly, it gave the managment the thing they wanted, someone is taking care of it, so "I don't have to worry." Secondly, it gave me what I wanted, the freedom to do the things that will make my staff happier, and more productive. I've had to correct management just a few times after the initial change, but after they understood that I meant hand's off, they just dealt with me, and I handled the rest.

I don't know if that would work in every situation, but I know that for my and my employees, it worked out just fine.

- Mission

"Heck I don't know how to do it either, but do you think that's going to stop me?!!"

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