It’s certainly true that communication is one of the key issues facing development teams.

I also think that developers are now becoming more open to the idea of communication but there is a long way to go.

We’ve gone from the basement programming geek sterotype to a more open and agile environment in some places and I think it’s a step in the right direction.

The gap between “the business” and “the developers” is slowly shrinking (or at least that’s what would be nice) and the more it shrinks and the more communication becomes the forerunner to good development practices, the more profitable it’ll end up being for the company overall.

Emails to collegues can be good as reminders for conversations, especially when people are busy at the present moment. I think one of the main fears of developers is that if they start talking with people and communicating effectively, their workload will double or tripple.

It’s easy to keep “the business” at arms length by not communicating with them and this is why good communication needs to promote negotiation skills as much as anything else.

The business, including it’s developers, need to be able to discuss requirements and ensure that the customer and the business get what they need not only at the end of the project but during the project also.

There will be more to come on the topic of communication since it’s something I’ve been studying in depth for the past 7 years or so.

Thanks again for the comment David.

Unfortunately, I think that the very personality types that are drawn to being developers naturally avoid communication.

When was the last time you sent an email to your collegue sitting next to you, rather than just talking to them….