Design Ch. 7

In chapter 7 Brooks covers  telecommunication.  He first covers the pros. Most of the pros are pretty straightforward, such as specialization, cost, and the ability to work with people in drastically different time zones. The author then goes into possible cons of telecommunication.  The cons seem to be a little more subtle than the pros. The author believes that lack of face-to-face time will cause problems down the road of design, even if the problems aren’t immediately obvious. He then goes into example about the IBM System /360 Project he worked on. In order to have a successful project, one must find a balance between using high tech and low tech methods on communication. The high tech can be used for the speedy transfer of information, while the low tech is used for establishing personal relationships. The author published a book with a coauthor via mail, but he believes this was only possible because he spent 7 years of face-to-face time with the coauthor prior to the project. The author finished by talking about the different communication options.