Are you comfy?
Reading an article like A Field Guide to Developers by Joel Spolsky makes me wonder:
- What part of this story is ‘American’ and what could/should be implemented right here, right now?
- If you answered the previous question with ‘all of it is very American’, my guess is you are a manager. If you answered ‘we need all of that right here and now’, I think you are a recruiter or addicted to being pampered. (Or is that my latent manager alter ego?)
- How do these ‘environmental conditions’ MoSCoW (Must have, Should Have, Could have, Would have) for me?
- How do you, dear reader, MoSCoW them?
My ‘environmental priorities’
(Read the article to understand what these topics mean)
Must (can’t do without)
- A spot where I can work without getting interrupted when I don’t want to be interrupted.
- A clean, bright office but not sterile or lamp lit
- Top notch chair and table
- Smart colleagues
- Independence and autonomy
- Work on something interesting
- Use cool new tools
- Identify with my company
- Getting paid competitively
Should (can do without but only after being/getting convinced)
- Free reign on Amazon.com
- No politics
- Flying first class
- Pick my own projects
- Multiple screens
Could (it would be pleasant to have these but I can do without)
- Nice office location
Would (good to have but I wouldn’t even notice if it is lacking)
- Limo pick up
- Being treated like a star
The funny thing is that having all must have would make me feel like ‘being treated like a star’.
While assembling this list I was rather shocked to find out what my Musts and Shoulds are. I like to think of myself as someone who isn’t hooked to a lot of stuff and adapts easily. However, the way I prioritized was by thinking about the effect the ’thing’ would have on my work. My guess is that I would be more productive with these around. The fact that those makes me happy, content and comfy is just proof of the fact that I would be more productive and deliver a higher quality.
Oh, and by the way, I am not telling you which are the ones I have and which I don’t: I am not allowing this post to turn into a battle of the employers.
Please consider that when responding with your MoSCoWs 😉