Google pays attention to the little details that keep things running smoothly
I tripped over this post over at some blog that appears to be a very interesting attempt to dissuade folks from thinking Google is as great as it is. However, I actually read the article and conclude that Google is at least as wise as they say in terms of recruiting and maintaining developer satisfaction.
All devs hate dealing with IT issues. Anyone who has ever tried to run a company knows that IT management is just a big, frustrating distraction. This idea of “Tech Stops” is brilliant.
“Google has the concept of “Tech Stops.†Each floor of each building has one. They handle all of the IT stuff for employees in the building including troubleshooting networks, machines, etc. If you’re having a problem you just walk into a Tech Stop and someone will fix it. They also have a variety of keyboards, mice, cables, etc. They’re the ones who order equipment, etc. In many ways the Tech Stop does some of what our admins do. If your laptop breaks you bring it to a Tech Stop and they fix it or give you another one (they move your data for you). If one of your test machines is old and crusty you bring it to the Tech Stop and they give you a new one. They track everything by swiping your ID when you “check out†an item. If you need more equipment than your job description allows, your manager just needs to approve the action. The Tech Stop idea is genius because:
1. You establish a relationship with your IT guy so technical problems stop being a big deal - you don’t waste a couple of hours trying to fix something before calling IT to find out it wasn’t your fault. You just drop in and say, “My network is down.â€
2. Most IT problems are trivial when you’re in a room together (“oh that Ethernet cable is in the wrong portâ€)
3. The model of repair or replace within an hour is incredible for productivity.
4. It encourages a more flexible model for employees to define their OWN equipment needs. E.g. a “Developer†gets a workstation, a second workstation or a laptop, and a test machine. You’re free to visit the Tech Stop to swap any of the machines for any of the others in those categories. For example, I could stop by and swap my second workstation for a laptop because I’m working remotely a lot more now. In the Tech Stop system, this takes 5 minutes to walk down and tell the Tech Stop guy. If a machine is available, I get it right away. Otherwise they order it and drop it off when it arrives. In our current set up, I have to go convince my manager that I need a laptop, he needs to budget for it because it’s an additional machine, an admin has to order it, and in the end developers always end up with a growing collection of mostly useless “old†machines instead of a steady state of about 3 mostly up-to-date machines.”
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