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In almost every aspect of our lives poor communication is often the root cause of problems that result in misunderstandings and inconsistent expectations. Software development teams comprised of multiple individuals, many with other responsibilities who are working part time on a project, are no exception to being prone to communication issues. Numerous studies, such as a web survey in March 2007 by the Computing Technology Industry Association, single out poor communications as the number one cause of project failure. One of the key agile tenets is frequent and consistent communication. It is seen in numerous forms. User Acceptance Tests every two to three weeks allow business and development to collaborate and course correct as necessary, daily stand up meetings allow a team to identify the day’s tasks and roadblocks, and continuous builds inform the development team almost immediately when there is an integration failure. Establishing a team room is another practice many agile project teams implement with the intention of facilitating communication and expediting the identification and resolution of issues. How does a team room accomplish this?

• If all the decision makers and subject matter experts for a project are in one room it is more efficient and effective than emailing, scheduling and holding meetings, trading voice mails, or even sending IMs.


• Team members can learn from and interject knowledge based on previous experiences into conversations between other team members.


• Team members are aware of what their colleagues are working on. This prevents duplication of work and encourages the sharing of lessons learned to increase efficiency.

The practice of working in a team room, however, often faces great resistance. Requiring people to leave their office or cube is scary and psychologically tough for some individuals to overcome. On a recent engagement with a project struggling, members of the development team, business team, and data team were required to work together in a conference room. A team member asked on day one, “do I have to come back tomorrow?” The following are a few suggestions for how to foster the adoption of a team room in the initial stages of a project. Over time the majority of people who are hesitant will see the value of the communication and teamwork that is fostered within a team room, but you need to make it accommodating enough for individuals to initially cross the doorway.

1. Concisely explain the reason for having a team room: Eliminate the lag time spent emailing or scheduling conference calls and meetings, ensure all team members are marching towards the same goal, foster teamwork, etc. Individuals might not agree working in a team room will have those results or are even necessary, but at least they will understand the premise and hopefully will be willing to try.


2. Establish core team room hours in an attempt to alleviate team members’ fears.
For example, from 10am to 2pm the whole team will be in the team room. Some people may initially work in their office the rest of the day. That is their prerogative. It is important not to eliminate cubes or offices. Eventually people observe the value of hearing conversations and having immediate feedback to their questions and decide to sit in the team room more frequently, but people must come to the conclusion on their own over time rather than immediately spending 40 hours in the team room.

3. If at possible, set up the team room near an open office, work space, or conference room. A private place easily accessible for team members to take personal phone calls, discuss project issues that shouldn’t be heard by the whole team, etc. In short, provide privacy and reduce noise in the team room.


4. Don’t underestimate the value of food and ‘fun’ activities! Ensure the team room is stocked with snacks. A project manager should bring in breakfast or organize a team pot luck lunch early in the team room’s formation. Perhaps keep a quote board to record memorable and funny lines said in the team room or add a basketball hoop for folks to blow off steam. These type events and activities help build camaraderie and trust within a team so people feel more comfortable sitting together in a room.

This is not an easy concept for people to embrace, but implementing these practices and policies will mitigate common fears and give team members the ability to judge the value of working in an environment with an immediate feedback loop and sense of team accomplishment.