Chapter 36. Work in Cycles
OUR BODIES ARE FULL OF NATURAL CYCLES, and our productivity is no different. The human brain cannot focus on any single issue for more than a few hours at a time. Ideal workdays are designed to ensure that the body has time to rest and refocus every 90 to 180 minutes. Productivity has been shown to degrade after about 90–120 minutes of work, requiring the brain to change focus before productivity can increase.
The most effective software projects are created in environments that ensure that developers are mentally productive. However, many things that contribute to developers' productivity are out of the control of their software project manager. You can't ensure that they eat appropriately, or sleep enough hours at night. However, a project manager can help ensure that a developer's productivity does not degrade during the day, by encouraging frequent breaks and providing opportunity for nutrition. The old saying that developers are driven by their stomachs is true.
Studies also show that projects are more successful when broken into iterations. By creating weekly or monthly subprojects—complete with goals, priorities, feedback, and releases—software bugs can be mitigated and developer satisfaction can be increased. Breaking the work into smaller iterations provides opportunities to track progress and acknowledge good results. It also gives everyone ...
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