Home | Login | Recent Changes | Search | All Pages | Help

InterruptProcessing

How do you handle interrupts?

I've noticed lately that I get a large number of requests to participate in a meeting or a conference call without advance notice. For instance, yesterday I was asked to participate in a 2 hour meeting with zero minutes of notification. If that weren't enough -- like everyone, with the exception of a few people like Jerry Weinberg, I have a cell phone and can be potentially interrupted anytime someone has the urge to reach out.

[Steve, you can only be interrupted if you answer the phone. - JerryWeinberg]

Interrupters seem rankled when I say "No." to there last minute requests for my time or my failure to answer my cell phone. Somehow I get the impression that the interrupter believes that unless I'm meeting with someone else, I should break away from whatever I'm doing to meet with him or her.

I've noticed that servicing interrupts may cause me to lose control of my day. I have a strong preference for single threading my work. It seems to me that other people may have a strong preference for interrupt driven work.

I have a couple of questions for you --

• Does this last minute phenomenon only happen where I work?
• How big of a problem is it for you?
• Do you work better single or multi threaded?
• What tips would you offer me?

SteveSmith 2002.07.16

I don't have a cell phone, which helps. I do have email and voice mail both at work and at home, so I think I am easy to get hold of. But I multi track by nature, so I don't usually find interruptions a major problem. Also, when I am actually testing, not planning or estimating, my job is naturally full of interruptions. Every time I find an issue, I have to stop what I was doing and report it. Often, I can't go forward until it is resolved, so I have to change tracks. My work is often small pieces which can be picked up quickly, which helps. But, like you, I do say No when I don't have time to stop. Perhaps the fact that I don't do it often helps.

I have never tried this, but one Test Manager I know has a rule that any issue which is not critical can only be discussed with the developer involved at a regularly scheduled weekly meeting, and he enforces it. A manager I used to work for set up an hour a day on a posted schedule when she was available to anyone on her team who needed to talk to her. The times varied. If you could wait, you were expected to book a meeting. It was a good compromise. Knowing we could get her later that day, most people were willing to wait, unless we knew that she would consider it an emergency. The few people who didn't were very unpopular until they did learn. Can you implement something like that?

SherryHeinze 2002/7/16

It reminds me of the story of some author who was awakened at midnight by his neighbor telling him to make his dog stop barking. He thanked her and hung up. At 3am, he called her back and said, "Madam, I have no dog!" You have to put feedback in the loop - if there are no consequences for the caller, they will simply continue the behavior. - JerryWeinberg 2002.07.16

I think that my problem is that I want to be fully present in my interactions. If I plan my day, I prepare myself in advance for meetings so that I'm tuned in. Otherwise, I find that, unless its a real emergency part, the much of my mind may still be processing the previous interrupt. Surprisingly, this approach is contrary to my natural preference. I would prefer to do whatever I want whenever I want to do it. I certainly make sure that I can operate that way during part of my day, but, when working with other people, I find that approach ineffective and time consuming.

Jerry, I didn't know that you kept actual lists of people who interrupted your system with high-priority interrupts. That approach makes good sense to me. It fits right in with adding feedback into the loop.

SteveSmith 2002.07.18

Maybe some managers don't know how to distinguish between being interrupt-driven and being available and responsive.

I like Jerry's list idea and Sherry's Test Manager's setting clear expectations. I know I haven't always been clear about what I wanted in the past. People knew if I worked at home, I didn't want to be interrupted.

BeckyWinant 2002.07.18

-

I've tried this approach. One memorable response was "That's the way we do things around here. You better get used to it.". I've modeling the calmer approach for three years. I plan, do, and check my work. I had hoped that my example would influence people, especially the people whose opinion counts the most. Although I have a lot of people tell me that they admire my approach, I'm the only person, at least in the office where I work, that seems to be able to "get away with it".

I sometimes wonder why I'm not fired when I regularly buck the status quo. For instance, my pattern of refusing to participate in "mandatory" meetings without some understanding of the objectives, participants and agenda is unprecedented. I have no doubt that others would be fired if they tried a similar approach. Okay, I just realized I'm drifting from the subject of the thread so I'll just stop.

SteveSmith 2002.07.19

I've worked / consulted in several places where this was the pattern. If you are rushing around and are called into lots of last minute meetings, you must be important and valuable to the organization. Multitaksing is the order of the day. You do your email while you are in a meeting, and lean over to talk bo you neighbor to seal a deal on a completely different topic.

One woman I knew carried this to an extreme. She had so much to do and her time was so valuable that she could not use it inefficiently on mere bodily functions. She'd take her cell phone into the bathroom stall to listen to and return messages. (Yuck!)

In organizations like this, if you are seen working calmly in your office or talking quietly to one or two other people, the rushing-ones question your contribution to the organizations. I've seen effective people marginalized becase they don't participate in the rushing-culture.

EstherDerby 071902

Since running my tests takes some time, I'm trying to use two computers at the same time, doing unrelated work on each one. The problem is synchronizing each of them takes time. And OY, development environment problems! --KeithRay 2002.07.19

While at Fidelity Investments from 1996-98, the management rating game was who had the most interrupt toys: cell phones, beepers, pagers, office phones. The organization had a cadre of firemen who appreciated resourcefulness in fighting fires far more than resourcefulness in preventing fires. I traced the levels that bought into this equation as at least 4 above me, and probably all the way to the CEO. My immediate boss would hold weekly status meetings with all his leads (5) and the instant the phone rang, he answered leaving 5 people dangling. If we talked to each other during this "urgent" interrupt, a dark glance would indicate that we weren't respectful enough of the interruption.

Life is too short to play games like that. How widespread is this culture of urgency above quality? Can you find a boss to shelter with?

BobLee 2002.07.19

- BeckyWinant 2002.07.19