MJ: Interaction: something where 2 objects have an effect upon one another. On Autocomplete we cannot accomplish unless we interact successfully. I find myself interacting with people across different roles and different teams. The mediums we use vary – face to face, emails, phone conferences, video conferences, IM… I find myself holding conversations that are professional, personal or downright uncomfortable. There is a lot of indirect communication between people as well- knowledge transfer through a middle man, announcements and sometimes rumors. This is not surprising on a large project involving professionals from 3 different organizations working on a code base that has been in development for over 3 years having a ton of dependencies on other existing projects.
Starting out, the reputation that precedes Autocomplete had me immensely curious and to some extent apprehensive about how the atmosphere on site will be like. I had imagined an environment thick with tension and competition. Today I will proudly admit to being a part of a ‘team’. Like mentioned above, although there are 3 organizations that are represented, the Autocomplete project has managed to strike a working equilibrium between consultants and team players and varying degrees of friendship. I see a lot of laughter, a lot of conversation and a lot of questions being asked across the different roles staffed. Debate is also not infrequent. So far I have seen healthy discussions that have lead to constructive solutions/approaches to tackle the issue at hand.
On the flip side, in a group this large and diverse it is not easy to knowledge transfer as quickly or evenly as one likes. Sometimes it is difficult to evenly distribute credit. Agreed we don’t work to get patted on the back but a sense of accomplishment never hurt anyone. Further, I have seen misunderstanding and misstating of opinions can lead to quick souring of relationships. Conflict is inevitable when there are humans involved. What has been amazing about this project is that whatever might be the personal stand effort has been made not to let it creep into quality or the ability to work efficiently.
Over all I find some days my effect is positive and some not so much but I love the constant challenge of maintaining the balance between consultant and friend.
Molly: In a team of about thirty people, from three different companies - TW, "Auto-Complete" and "The Middle Man", the interaction will vary dramatically between members, companies, roles, etc. As you can see from our personalities blog, the women on our project alone are a varied group. However, we have several commonalities with one team member or another. As our team has come into a 'norming' phase, I see many patterns we have developed - both during and outside of work. For instance, there are trips to the grocery on Mondays, dancing on Wednesdays and team workouts during our spare time. Groups of the team drink together, play basketball after work, read the same books, etc. Being that three companies are working together, there are times the team is split by company, role, etc. With a group of thirty, it's very difficult not to split at these natural breaks.
I believe much of our team interaction during work is influenced by the dynamics of Agile software development. For example, we have our retrospectives and IPMs on Wednesdays. Our meetings have a significant influence on how thirty people structure their Wednesdays. Also paired programming and the open space environment inherently promote more conversation between team members. While we pair we learn about our teammates, create a connection between members and roles. For example, the interaction between all roles is required as a user story is written, reviewed and developed. Agile demands the need for flexibility within a team, something that has to be learned over time. As we have entered the 'norming' phase, I believe our team's ability to react together in order to meet changing requirements and unexpected bumps in the road has grown significantly in our few months as a team.
Rachel: I have two favorite quotes about working in a team:
“Individually, we are one drop. Together, we are an ocean.” ~ Ryunosuke Satoro
“If you can laugh together, you can work together.” ~ Robert Orben
The second quote immediately comes to mind when I think about the TW and [Autocomplete] members on our current project. I enjoy the joking, teasing and laughing that occur between many of the members. This type of interaction helps to cement the team together and builds a rapport, thus enabling us to push towards and complete our objectives. In addition, it relieves pressure when stressful situations arise. However, I feel that there are still a few members from [Autocomplete] and more than a few from [MiddleMan] that we should actively try to incorporate into our “world” of laughter, jokes, and various fun outings. Only then will we become the ocean - an unstoppable force - to which Satoro refers.
Shefali: Everyone I have interacted with on the [Autocomplete] & TWU teams have been very approachable and friendly. The people I have paired with have helped me understand the code base and patiently answer my questions around the business and technology. I haven't had a chance to interact with the MiddleMan BAs much. But from what I gather they seem to be approachable too. In all I find our current project is a very safe environment where in I can learn from my peers and voice my opinions fearlessly.
Toni: Now that we have all been working together for a couple of months - it feels like we are a more cohesive group. I personally enjoy the fact that I'm able to interact with everyone daily/hourly/every few minutes :) In the beginning it was frustrating because when I needed to find one of the client employees to answer a question I would have to go through the middle man. Which was often time-consuming, now that's not the case anymore.
A unique nature of this project is that we are working on one of several applications that our client has. This requires us to work with other teams to ensure the smooth integration of our new development. Also a few weeks ago all project teams across the client site stopped their individual work and focused on defect fixing for the next release - which was a awesome undertaking but also really helped foster a feeling of unity among our team and between other teams as well.
Awesome posts everyone. While Agile has certainly helped with team dynamics, having a diverse team has helped improve team dynamics as well from my perspective. While diversity seems to have helped your team grow and connect with each other, other teams may buckle should diversity turn into adversity - something people should be on the look out for in future projects.
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