We’ve all been part of this debate about whether we should have an open-plan office or not. In general, executives would advocate for the open-plan office, while the individual contributors will say, “Please, no!!!” Executives won’t listen because they feel they are the only ones who can see the full picture clearly enough to make this decision. Apparently, 70% of all offices now have an open floor plan.
So I was wondering if maybe we could make a very rational analysis of this matter with an objective methodology. Then, perhaps, we can agree on what’s the best for the company (although you may never convince an executive what’s the best for your developers, unfortunately). And finally, we can discuss what can be done if you’re stuck with an open office.