by: Arshad Chowdhury at: July 26th, 2010
This is our last week working from the fabulous Crowd Mansion, as we are almost ready to move to a new office. We have to admit that it will be difficult to leave this space because it is a very comfortable and spacious spot, but we need to take things up a notch.
Our primary reason to move is that this house is no longer working for us. We are involved in many projects and we need to be working closer together. Technology helps, but we still need real physical interaction with our co-workers.
The new office is a more adequate space because we will all be working under the same roof, with no physical barriers to keep us apart. We can coordinate faster, and in person, rather than using Instant Messaging services (that sometimes get lost or buried under many other things). At the new office we will have a general development and designing area, conference rooms, 2 areas specifically designed for English classes, private call spaces, and last but not least: a fun room.
The goal is not to change our methodology, but to enhance our Agile processes. By providing this environment we will be able to detect and communicate any impediments earlier than when the teams are separated by long halls and closed doors.
At the new office, Crowd will endorse a productive lifestyle that includes smart eating, napping, exercising, and having enough space to think through problems. Integral to that is the Fun Room, where we have the facilities for napping, meeting, and playing ping pong.
We will be updating this blog with entries that relate to how we cope in our new office, how we manage to interact respectfully and peacefully and how we feel about working elbow-to-elbow.
