Guidelines for Open Office Layouts

By Ed Kraay

The situation

84% of companies surveyed claim using some Agile practices*Open office formats used to enjoy low cost or free communication – aka “Osmotic Communication”With more firms “going Agile” more managers are tasked with making open space team rooms workCommon questions we get:

How much space do I really need?What configuration will optimize communication for my team?How much power do I need? How many whiteboards? What about private space? Do I get tables or use desks….

*Source 2009 State of Agile Survey Version One

Common problems with open space moves

Moving from cubicles to an open space often results in:

Cramped conditionsNot enough power or networkNo space for design sessionsCross team noise (bad noise) vs Team noise (good noise)No private space for phone callsBarriers to flowFixed configurations with no room to adapt

Two Key Principles to keep in mind

1. Workspace should never be an obstacle to getting work done

2. Keep the workspace configurable so you can adapt it to your changing needs

Guidelines: Size and Layout

Space6 feet by 8 feet per person (enough so they could have had a cubicle)

Privacy for the teamHigh Walls, Doors Optional

» orEnough space to create separate team areas

WindowsHumans get stressed without access to natural lightOne wall, preferably two or three walls with abundant natural light

Working Areas

FreedomGive teams freedom to adjust their working area to suit them without a work orderEasy to move tables are goodSome organizations even attach wheels to their desks!

AvoidFixed to the wallInstalled furniture

Enough room to work together side by side to pair programAvoid

Corner DesksPhoto by Carlos Villela

Wall Space

Ample wall space for task boards, burndown charts, whiteboards everywhereWhiteboard paint works very wellSome teams use movable walls for this

Photo by Carlos Villela

Technology

PowerAmple amounts as unobtrusively as possible (in desks, dropped from the ceiling)

ProjectorsFor video conferences, planning meetingsWe see more teams using large screen LCD TV’s for this

Video conferencing and Smart boards for distributed teams

High definition web cameras work wellLarge Flat Panel Monitors - two per workstation (>20 inch)

Breakout Rooms

A mix of small quiet areas for private conversations for 2-3 people or phone callsLarger collaboration rooms for conference calls or planning meetingsSome teams use an open space for this

Table Configurations

Long Tables

U Shapes

Drawing by Dean Cornish

Drawing by Erik Doernenburg

Notice the open space between desks

Photo by Sudhir Tiwari

Photos of the ThoughtWorks Bangalore Office…the principles in action.

Photo by Sudhir Tiwari

Plentiful access to power and ethernet

Wall space for card walls.

Photo by Sudhir Tiwari

Cube Area for Marketing and Recruiting Team

Photo by Sudhir Tiwari

Meeting Rooms Along interior walls, so desks can be along windows

Photo by Chris Stevenson

Windows to let in natural light…

Photo by Chris Stevenson

Adjustable chairs

= Happy team.

+

Enough space so that each person could have had 6’x 8’ to themselves

Photo by Chris Stevenson

Another collaborative workspace design

Drawing by Anupam Kundu

These are some team room configurations…

What's yours?

Summary of the Principles

1. Workspace should never be an obstacle to getting work done

2. Keep the workspace configurable so you can adapt it to your changing needs

Appreciations to:

Erik Doerenburg, April Johnson, Sarah Taraporewalla, Daniel T. Abel, Dean Cornish, Peter Gillard-Moss, Benjamin Butler-Cole, Anupam Kundu, Sudhir Tiwari, Chris Stevenson, Rajeev Singh and Johnny Leroy for photos and ideas.

Resources

BooksAgile Software Development by Alistair CockburnPeopleware by Demarco and Lister

LinksMartin Fowler on the Team Room: http://martinfowler.com/bliki/TeamRoom.html