Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!ames!ncar!ico!vail!rcd
From: rcd@ico.isc.com (Dick Dunn)
Newsgroups: comp.software-eng
Subject: Re: Maintenance (was: Schedule and Budget...)
Summary: the importance of making new assignments carefully
Message-ID: <1989Oct19.043614.7866@ico.isc.com>
Date: 19 Oct 89 04:36:14 GMT
References: <1271@accuvax.nwu.edu> <1989Oct18.170532.1586@mrspoc.Transact.COM>
Organization: Interactive Systems Corporation
Lines: 18

Noted in passing in an article from itkin@mrspoc.Transact.COM (Steven M.
List):
> ...When you change jobs, do you expect to walk into
> your new job and immediately start designing their hottest project?  While
> it does happen, it is the exception rather than the rule...

Even more than the needs which List outlined (listed?:-) to get the new
employee oriented and familiar with what's going on, establish continuity,
etc., there's an important reason not to hire new employees and start them 
right off on a new project (or, especially, to staff up a new project with
all new people):  New projects are usually perceived as being more fun,
more rewarding, more relevant, etc.  What sort of a message does it send to
the employees who have been around for a while?!  "Oh...I see...I'd get a
new project if I were a new employee.  I know how to solve that!"  It's the
best way to start a process of flushing people through the company.
-- 
Dick Dunn     rcd@ico.isc.com    uucp: {ncar,nbires}!ico!rcd     (303)449-2870
   ...No DOS.  UNIX.