Information Radiators

Introduction

The term “information radiator” was coined in 2001 by Alistair Cockburn as part of a much broader metaphor which draws parallels between the movement of information through people with that of the dispersion of heat and gas - Convection and Conduction being equated to the inevitable communication gaps and the energy cost of information transfer.

What are they?

An information radiator, sometimes referred to as a Big Visible Chart (BVC), is a large graphical representation of important information kept plainly in sight within an agile development team's shared workspace.  This may be a virtual / online workspace in this hybrid and remote era of work but they are not as effective (see below).  They may be handwritten, drawn, printed or electronic displays placed in a highly visible location, so that all team members as well as passers-by can see the latest information at a glance.

Visualise your process, progress and radiate information 

Information radiators help amplify feedback, empower teams and focus a team on work results. Too many information radiators become confusing to understand and cumbersome to maintain.

" Two characteristics are key to a good information radiator. The first is that the information changes over time. This makes it worth a person's while to look at the display. This characteristic explains why a status display makes for a useful information radiator and a display of the company's development process does not.

The other characteristic is that it takes very little energy to view the display. Size matters when it comes to information radiators—the bigger the better.

Hallways qualify very nicely as good places for information radiators. Web pages don't. Accessing the Web page costs most people more effort than they are willing to expend, and so the information stays hidden.

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- Alistair Cockburn

Agile Software Development

ISBN-10: 0-201-69969-9