We are professionals, we take pride of our work and we pursue continuous improvement. Most of all we learn.
One thing we’ve learned is that pursuing 100% utilization is a myth and a harmful one. Another thing we’ve learned is value of slack time. Building on that, hereby we declare ourselves Slackers.
And here is our Manifesto (you can sign it by leaving a comment if you like to).
Slacker Manifesto
On occasions we do nothing. Or something different. Or else.
Because this means that our teams are more effective.
It also means that we are freaking awesome.
Signatories:
Full list of signatories can be found here — in a stand-alone copy of Slacker Manifesto.
Big thanks to Kate Terlecka and Andrzej Lorenz who influenced creation of this masterpiece highly.
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118 comments… add one
Sign me up :-)
I feel I have contributed to this glorious idea hence i sign :)
:D Is Manifesto another buzzword? Everybody is writing one.
I’m in.
Sign me up.
How can we make things better if we never have time to do it!
I’m signing the Slacker Manifesto!
Here’s my thoughts on how managers can participate by being slack:
http://www.andrewfuqua.com/2011/11/slack-and-managers-role-in-scrum.html
Sign me up :)
Sign me up ;)
Signing:)
Hereby I sign this valuable manifesto.
Very classy, almost romantic, then you reached… Freaking Awesome. I dig it.
I’m in.Totally. Sign me up.
Improvment is the keyhole, slacking is the key.
Sign me up!
I’m in :) Sign me up please! :)
I completely agree and am in. Sign me up, please!
Great stuff, Pawel! Sign me up.
Sign me up!
i’m in :)
slack creates opportunities for improvement without needing to schedule them
http://ingvald.posterous.com/kanban-slack-creates-opportunities-for-improv
Signed!
I’m in!
I’m in :)
+1
I’m in of course.
Just a few more worlds of comments. Lately I have heard from one manager that it is good to keep everyone in the team busy all the time. Why I asked naturally? I was told that otherwise it would look like people are in slack, so reductions in the team are needed. I am sorry for organizations which choose reducing costs over increasing creativity :/
@Radoslaw – I pity them. By the way, a common strategy is to pretend that work done in slack time is regular work. One idea I’ve heard is to use “golden ticket” as a signal that someone is working on something in their slack time. On one hand it leaves some slack on the other it builds this facade that shows to anyone interested that basically everyone is busy.
After all, when it comes to slack: doing nothing still improves team’s efficiency although it is advisable to use slack to do improvement work and not just nap peacefully in a hammock.
sign me up please!
Please sign me up :) its extremely interesting to watch the Team when they have free time and can freely use their creativity and make amazing ideas come true :)
Sign me up :)
Add me to your list!
Sign me up please :)
Great! I’m in!
Sad, so few people seem to get this point. Sign me up, please!
I’m in – great idea. I’m guessing it was on slack time the manifesto got written :)
Sign me up, please
Sign me up! @jgoodsen
I don’t normally sign manifestos on my slack time, but I’ll make an exception for this one.
Sign me up please :-)
Yes please… I’m a slacker too ;-)
I’m in!
I’m in too!
Signed.
Amen
Sign me up :)
Signed, thanks! @drummintime
Bingo. Sign me up. :-)
I’d sign this if it wasn’t for the last line. Slacking doesn’t mean we are awesome, it means we have the opportunity to become so (although I dislike the term awesome, it is way too overused).
I’d prefer that last line to read something more like:
“It also means we create opportunities for self-actualization.” (ref: Maslow)
So, not signing, but greatly in favor of the sentiment :)
Down time, as little as there is, is awesome.
Very nice approach. The manifesto. Great. I’ve done something similar in a different context (http://bit.ly/QBvDJ1) but yours is 10x better for the social approach and conciseness, although I believe that awesomeness is overrated ;)
Will happily sign in, because not only it’s important but said well too :)
Sounds like very rational idea, count me in :).
sign me up!
Slack time for every one!
I,m in, Sign me up :)
Yes. Slack is necessary; and it should be balanced with another pillar – that of “sustainable pace.”
Hello, I’m in :-)
Oh heck yeah – count me in!
What a great idea! Sign me up!
sounds about right! sign me in!
Awesome! Sign me up!
How did I miss this previously? Sign me in!
Yes, I like to sign that.
+1
Gimme slack!
Yes I can!!
Cheers! Greetings from Argentina
Completely agree, signed!
Slackers, unite! Sometimes a gal just has to break away from validating requirements and deep diving into processes and put the red queen on the black king — just for a few minutes to reboot the brain.
Reading this during my “post-deadline slack time”.
Some of the blog posts here may inspire my management style going forward. Mission accomplished.
Yes: 100% utilization is a myth, slack time is a must. So we all should repeat and repet that sentence, similar to Cato the Elder in Rome, finishing every his speach in Senate with the phrase “Ceterum censeo Carthaginem esse delendam” (Carthagine must be destroyed).
Please sign me up.
I’m in :-)
Signed up!
I’m definitely in!
Sign me up :)
Came to this manifesto quite late but have been practising it for years, so very happy to sign it, despite the “f…king awesome” bit. Slackers of the world unite!
I like the slacker manifesto in the sense that we are communicating what value means.
Yes I wish to be included. For me slack time is when I am doing what induces me from inside heart and mind. Free of pressure from some one. That way I do my productive work only during slack time.
Coming to 100 billable hours in IT and SW community, please note it is sheer rubbish for management who want to use human talents as machine or juke box or ATM machinary. No human should be on billable work except when he is a trainee or junior worker less than 3 years experience. Leaders and HODs should not have any work besides 50% of their work time. Only then they become creative and think strategically. Otherwise they become pigs as often billable account leaders of software services industry would love to do.
I’m in…as are any team I work with
I so agree with this. Thanks
I agree. I cannot be effective at 100% all the time.
I’m a slacker too!
Let’s slack :)
Made me what I am today.
2 years passing by and it still holds. Count me in! :)
@pawelrychlik
Signed.
I am on board with this manifesto – signing with a flourish!
Count me in!
Sign me up
Sign me up!!
let’s slack it
I’m in. thanks …
I sign.
I sign.
#slackers
Slack for the win!
Sign me up please! ;-)
I found the Slacker Manifesto to work naturally well on university projects.
Of course, as individual students, we sometimes did nothing [1]. But, as a lean team, we still had a steady, value-producing workflow.
Of course, as individuals, we did different stuff along the way [2]. But, as a team, we never got off the customer’s track.
And most importantly, we had fun doing so — Slacking is indeed awesome!
___________
[1] not necessarily idle time
[2] not necessarily project related stuff
I am a slacker.
I also sign the slacker manifesto :P
Sign me up!
Tx
:-)
Add me please!
Proud to be a slacker
I’m in :) Sign me up please! :)
Great post
I am in:)
Please add my name.
Sign me up :)
Hereby I sign the manifesto!
I agree.
I agree!
I live by this!
I could not agree more – I’m in! ;)
I am in…
Sign me up :)
Great idea :). Please sign me up.
I am also adding some examples of “doing really nothing” below :p
Are Scrum Masters lazybones?
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/scrum-masters-lazybones-piotr-maksimczyk/
What Scrum Masters Do?
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/what-scrum-master-do-piotr-maksimczyk/
Add me please!
I’m with you! :)
I’m in.
Sign me up <3
Sign me up!!
Sign me up! :)
Please add my name as a signatory to the Slacker Manifesto.