bwm@ccice1.UUCP (Bradford W. Miller) (07/30/85)
Labor Letter: Raising the ouptut of software designers began with a new milieu. TRW Inc. started an experiment in 1981 to boot the productivity of 40 computer-program designers in Redondo Beach, Calif. Each TRW designer was given a separate office, and a choice of a chair. Many offices had windows and views. Workers could also adjust their own lighting and computer terminals. The design process was automated and designers got an advanced computer network to work with. After two years, the designers figured that their output of software jumped an average of 45% a year. There was also a reduction in sick days taken and in employee turnover. By the end of this year, the Redondo Beach office will expand to 1,000 designers. The production improvement idea also is spreading to five other TRW divisions. <Normal dislaimers, used without permission, (C) 1985 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.> Brad Miller -- ..[cbrma, ccivax, ccicpg, rayssd, ritcv, rlgvax, rochester]!ccice5!ccice1!bwm