It’s very easy to divide and delegate your plans for the future into tiny, isolated pieces. Putting people to work on their own little niche, somewhat detached from the rest of the flow of improvements. And that’s usually a very efficient way of making progress on many fronts concurrently.
But every now and then it’s good to come together on a single project or feature for an all-men-in sprint. We like to call that The Swarm.
We go into Swarm Mode when we’re just days from launch. It’s a time where roles blend together and the sense of purpose and unity is heightened. We’re all in this launch together.
When you’re done, it’s a moment to bask in shared appreciation of the accomplishment. Good times.
John
on 30 Jul 07For some reason, this made me think of the forgotten apes, the bonobos. They work through things in a big free-for-all orgy and are known as the most peaceful primate on Earth. Coincidence?
Jamie Tibbetts
on 30 Jul 07From Wikipedia:
Sexual intercourse plays a major role in Bonobo society, being used as a greeting, a means of conflict resolution and post-conflict reconciliation, and as favors traded by the females in exchange for food.
From David:
We go into Swarm Mode when we’re just days from launch. It’s a time where roles blend together and the sense of purpose and unity is heightened. We’re all in this launch together.
When you’re done, it’s a moment to bask in shared appreciation of the accomplishment. Good times.
Those do sound pretty similar actually. ;)
Andrew Conard
on 30 Jul 07Jamie – Great thoughts about swarm. I have seen this in effect several times in the life of the church where I am employed – big events, such as Christmas Eve, Easter and Leadership Institute – a large training event. Do you find that leadership flattens during the swarm or is there still a clear leader?
John
on 30 Jul 07Andrew—What denomination are you involved in? How does it compare to the bonobo’s conflict resolution?
Sean Iams
on 30 Jul 07Does your 37s workflow (campfire, basecamp, geographically distributed people) allow for an easy transition into this mode of work?
Do you have any formal (or informal) guidelines for participating in the swarm?
Jack
on 31 Jul 07Interesting question Andrew asked. I would like to add the questio how you handle leadership outside the swarm (in the niches).
So there is the whole project and you guys have your “niches” to work in. Who defines the niches and allocates work. And who controlls the overall project success and how does he achieve this?
Ole Begemann
on 31 Jul 07Yes, the swarm can produce a whole new level of intelligence. Did you read the book? It’s a very interesting read.
ChrisFizik
on 31 Jul 07Ha, great name … defo gonna pitch it to my team that way as we approach roll-outs and launches
Definately always good to share accomplishments as a team … esp. when everyone contributes and it all works out :-)
Mike
on 31 Jul 07My employer calls it “All Hands”, where everybody falls in to complete the task (usually a rollout or db upgrade). To answer Andrew’s question, the person most often calling the shots is the person who owns the project prior to the all-hands effort.
Brian
on 31 Jul 07If it works for the Wu-Tang Clan...
Seriously though, a good post David. Something I’ve never thought about before.
This side effect makes the whole process worth it in my mind. Interesting…
Martin G.
on 01 Aug 07I’ve been working for about two months now at a small software company. We had a release this past Saturday, and it was the first I’ve ever experienced. I definitely felt what you’re describing, especially when testing until 3am on Thursday and wrapping up close to midnight on Friday.
whatever
on 01 Aug 07So an network administrator who knows nothing about design and layout is allowed make UI changes. Yeah big boys like Apple don’t care for specialization either – their security doorman works with John Ive. Sounds so “Getting Real”.
Andrew Conard
on 01 Aug 07John – I am in the United Methodist Church and I am not sure there are a lot of parallels with the bonobos.
Mike – Thanks for your response to the question. That is what I was thinking, but was curious about others experience of the swarm creating empowerment, equipping, and action that at times outreaches the project owner.
Jack
on 01 Aug 07Any answers from 37signals team to the questions above? Would be great this is an interesting topic.
This discussion is closed.