''Workspaces of the future'' -- ThinkingOutLoud DonaldNoyes 20070729.200912092226.m05
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Workspaces of the future may become Integrated, Geographically Separated by roughly 6 hour separation in time zones.

In the future, Working Spaces will be highly and rapidly portable. It is possible that a product might be worked on for 6 hours in Atlanta, 6 more in Hawaii, 6 more in Hong Kong, and the final 6 of the day in Athens.

Or breaking it into 1 + 6 + 1 hour day with time off for lunch during the 6 hour period, at 4 locations about 6 hours separated in the world.

Or an overlapping arrangement based on 6 hour working, overlapped with a one hour period at the beginning and again at the end with the next zone.
* one hour period would be used by the sites for DualSiteProgramming.
* The remaining 6 hours could be pair-programmed with a locally based leading and trailing programmer working together.
* The total for a W''''''orkingSession would be 8 hours.

The TrailingProgrammer at the HandoffSite would pair coordinate with the LeadingProgrammer at the ReceivingSite:
* Leading
** 1 hour intersite 6 hours with TrailingProgrammer locally, 1 hour freewheel
* Trailing
** 1 hour freewheel 6 hours with LeadingProgrammer locally, 1 hour intersite

The FreewheelPeriod would be the time for for intersite coordination, planning, summaries, documentation and reports.
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Related:
* WorkingFromHome
* WorkingWhileTravelling
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In a recent conversation with a friend of mine, I was surprised to learn that such workspaces are already routinely employed. -- DonaldNoyes.20080720.2226.m06

''I'd like to know for what kind of projects this is used. Size, difficulty (newness), timeline, ...''

Here is one which could do this if not already engaged: (I have no way of knowing this, not being associated in any way with them, or knowing anyone in their employ)

A firm, whose world headquarters is located in Olathe, KS, is philosophically and geographically set up to do this. I would be surprised if they were not doing some of, if not all of the things mentioned on this page. They have offices in time-zone differences which would allow this.

A clue from their website: "What began as a brainstorming session of a handful of engineers around a card table in 1989 has evolved into a worldwide '''collaborative effort''' of thousands of colleagues."

''It is a global company with several offices in the United States (Kansas, Arizona and Oregon), one in Europe (UK) and and also another in Asia (Tawain).''

At these facilities: 
* they carry out various stages of product development, from initial concept to shelf-ready unit. Their business structure is based on performing all design, manufacturing, warehouse and marketing processes in-house.
** Origins and Philosophy http://www8.garmin.com/aboutGarmin/
** Facilities http://www8.garmin.com/aboutGarmin/facilities.html?activeBranchId=about

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I think I am doing some of this now. I am sitting in a hotel room in Chennai (Madras), India. I flew in today from Delhi. I am logged into C2, and also to a workspace at my home university which I have been using to write up my visit. I have also used email to request information from home, arrange to go to a conference when I get back, send electronic postcards to my family. I also use my mobile phone to take photographs and upload them to the computer to add to my report. I could have got set up to log into computers back home and do program development, but did not get that done. -- JohnFletcher

I think this will become a PatternForTheFuture. Where one will use mobile devices to replace the brick and mortar office cubicle and wired connectivity devices usually associated with the TraditionalOffice. The device(s) may include a Laptop with wireless internet connectivity, a TelephonicComputingDevice with a form factor similar to the cell phone of 2010, or other device, only now being invented and considered for manufacture for the consumer market. ComputerData, WayPoints, PhotoGraphs, ElectronicMail, VirtualTransactions and VirtualOfficePrcedures communicated and processed by the handheld, ShirtPocketElectronicDevice from nearly anywhere on or above the planet. Perhaps some day from the moon or planets in the solar system. -- DonaldNoyes
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CategoryFuture