Letters

LETTERS

LIFE IN A TIME BOX

The following is my response to Dan Appleton's article in the February issue (Technology Transfer, p. 118).

Time Boxing is a concept born out of the U.S. business world's panic over its loss of position in the global market. Simplified, time boxing is a system for accomplishing a task within a specific period of time using formal team management tools and processes designed to ensure that the time allocated is used efficiently. Time boxes contain horizontal time (e.g., calendar weeks) and vertical time (e.g., the hours expended by the members of the team in the time box). There are two keys to the success of a time box: The horizontal time is finite, unchangeable; and everyone in the time box must be on salary so the amount of vertical time expended (a maximum of 24 hours per day) doesn't have any effect on the cost of the accomplishement of the task.

The idea is, if you take a five-person team with a 10-week task and put it in an eight-week time box, the folks in the time box immediately panic. For the sake of survival these team members work day and night, through lunch, skip unrelated appointments, miss the kid's school play, the dog dies of starvation, etc.--but, bu golly, the tasks get done, and on time.

The good news is that the folks in the time box tend to build a camaraderie through their shared feelins of accomplishment. The good thing about the bonding is these team members is that they really need each other now because their wives, husbands and/or significant others (surviving family pets) probably only vaguely remember them. That's because the team members have been spending a great deal of vertical time (the time that's free to the company) in their time box.

I know about this stuff because I live my working life in a continuing series of time boxes. In fact, I came crawling out of a time box about 2:20 this afternoon, fell into the real world gasping, panting, close to brain dead, but regained some enthusiasm for life while eating my lunch (at 3 p.m.) when the idea for writing this piece came to mind.

But you see, the time boxes I work in are not the fancy ones described above. My time boxes have no procedures or team management techniques; there is no time for these formalities because my time boxes are usually two to four days long. The expensive time (horizontal) has all but been removed. My team members and I (if I'm lucky enough to have team members) simply hit the time box at a full run and wake up when its over.

Time boxes don't end gradually--they crash against the immovable wall called "deadline" like a fast-moving wave against a breakwater, leaving team members stunned and dazed.

This near-vegetative state, called PTBS (Post Time Box Shock), is a common after effect. The victims go into a trance-like state, their pupils dilate, they speak in tongues, they like to do tasks such as separating the big paper clips from the little ones, but need help doing it. Furthermore, they get very disconnected from the outside world (what Gulf crisis?), forget to pay bills, bladder infections are common, whole days are spent without nourishment.

The problem is that victims of PTBS often contract TBA (Time Box Addiction). One of the reasons for TBA is that the people who spend a great deal of time in time boxes have no life; that is, no life outside the time box. They become asocial, except when in a time box environment. They forget what to do with spare time because they have spare time so infrequently. Eventually, they feel comfortable only within the safe confines of a time box.

One positive aspect of TBA is that these folks become very popular with management because they are successful at accomplishing tasks within the horizontal time allotted. Management is pleased with their apparent dedication, but what make management happiest is the fact that this dedication was exercised using vertical time, the time that is free to the company.

TBA victims feel disoriented when between time boxes. The desired reward for outstanding performance by a team member in a time box? Not money, recognitoin, plaques, watches or letters of commendation--but time boxes! Bigger ones, better ones, more important ones. Avoid Time Box Withdrawal (TBW) at all costs ... ah, yes. Chris Russell Monette Hermosa Beach, Calif.

CLIENT/SERVER ON CCA'S HORIZON

I enjoyed reading "Client/Server Computing: Development Tool Status Report," by Paul Korzeniowski, in the February issue (p. 75). The article offered a good, in-depth look at how client/server architecture is evolving, and presented an overview of the larger players in today's software industry.

There was, however, an inaccuracy in the listing on page 76: Computer Corporation of America is listed as selling a product called Prod/Net for IBM PC/MS-DOS. This product was discontinued several years ago.

CCA does provide client/server architecture through our Advantage Series product line with Horizon, CCA's cooperative processing environment. Horizon's client/server architecture splits the processing between two peer applications: Model 204 and any environment communicating with LU6.2.

Horizon enables organizations to achieve server capabilities that are unique in handling rapid access and rapid development, and it runs across any platform that supports LU6.2.

I look forward to receiving future issues of what is an excellent industry publication. Richard D. Stewart President, Chairman, CEO Computer Corporation of America Cambridge, Mass.

COPYRIGHT 1991 Wiesner Publications, Inc.
COPYRIGHT 2004 Gale Group