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N6030X(at)DaveMorris.com
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 Posted: Mon Jan 29, 2007 2:54 pm Post subject: To buy or not to buy, that is the question |
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Bob, when I was managing a software company that was moving into a
new building, we designed in 2 unusual rooms:
1. A complete laundry room with a washer, dryer, sink, ironing board,
hooks, cabinets, hangers, etc.
2. A children's play room, complete with miscellaneous toys
The theory was that we had a bunch of brilliant programmers who
enjoyed coding, and if they had time on a Saturday afternoon to do
their laundry but could also do some coding while they were waiting
for the washer or the dryer, they would come to the office to do
it. If they had kids, they would bring them to the office to play
while they did some playing of their own on the computer. This was
back in the days when few people could yet afford a personal computer at home.
I personally thought it was brilliant, and it worked like a
charm. Right up to the time the management of the company was
swapped out for some bean counters who were more concerned with
whether little Johnny would hurt himself in the play room. Soon
thereafter the company's doors were locked at 17:01 every day, nobody
came in on weekends, the brilliant team of programmers dissolved, and
I don't work there any more either.
Dave Morris
At 04:33 PM 1/29/2007, you wrote:
| Quote: |
<nuckollsr(at)cox.net>
>As usual, Bob has succinctly assessed the problem. If I looks at a
>project or item and decide that "I can't build it for that" then it
>seems far better to expend money than time--unless one undertakes it as
>an educational endeavor and not to save money. If we value our time
>very highly (which we must not or we wouldn't be building airplanes!),
>then with an embarrassingly high frequency, it truly is cheaper to buy
>it then build it.
This is usually the case . . . unless you're already skilled
at the building part. On the other side, real education is
truly expensive in terms of $time$ expended . . . often with
no demonstrable expectation for return on investment.
I'd hate to see a real spreadsheet on the $time$ I've expended
purely for the fun of finding out something new or to try
my hand at some new skill. I've often admitted to being
"afflicted" with that strange disease where my vocation
is also my avocation. I do this stuff for the boss under
conditions that are often frustrating and then come home
to do it some more where it's got to be fun or I wouldn't do it.
I'm crafting a white paper for the new managers of
Hawker-Beech dealing with the need for REAL IR&D
facilities. The business case goes to several
management issues but the one I like the most is to
suggest that we (the company) should support an IR&D
activity with tools, materials, facility and mentorship
but to be utilized on the employee's OWN time. Shucks,
everybody would show up if they had a work order.
I've suggested that such a facility would be a valuable
human resources "filter" . . . I would guess that out
of 900 or so engineers and perhaps 1,000 more technical
staff, there are perhaps 50-100 folks who have "the
disease". I'm telling them that it would be useful
to KNOW who those folks are and what they're REALLY
good at. An IR&D facility provide a means by which
folks could exercise their skills EVERY DAY. Further,
we'd acquire valuable insight into skills that
the most motivated individuals in our employ can bring
to bear on the company's fortunes.
The best thing is that such a facility can be operated
on perhaps 2-5% of our total engineering overhead
budget. A pittance.
This is a generic document intended to identify and
exploit simple ideas. I'll be pleased to share it
with the List and get your feedback. Further, it's
my hope that many of you may find the document useful
in your own workplaces. Watch this space.
Bob . . .
----------------------------------------
( IF one aspires to be "world class", )
( what ever you do must be exercised )
( EVERY day . . . )
( R. L. Nuckolls III )
----------------------------------------
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bonanza(at)vodamail.co.za
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| Posted: Mon Jan 29, 2007 10:04 pm Post subject: To buy or not to buy, that is the question |
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Dave, apparently the folks at Google have the same philosophy, right down to
sleeping facilities!
Bobv
A35 Bonanza
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