This post originated from an RSS feed registered with Ruby Buzz
by David Heinemeier Hansson.
Original Post: The net benefit of transparency
Feed Title: Loud Thinking
Feed URL: http://feeds.feedburner.com/LoudThinking
Feed Description: All about the full-stack, web-framework Rails for Ruby and on putting it to good effect with Basecamp
While there wasn't much hesitation before sharing our troubles with the latest upgrade, I did pause for just a second. Will people think less of us because we didn't do this or that? How will the story reflect in the light of calm analysis and perfect hindsight? Luke offered just that view in the comments:
...building solid web applications is your THING. And that's not just about development. You need to take some of your developer brilliance & insight, and invest I tiny bit into the operations side of what you do too.
Which is a fair stance. But it's of course also what makes a lot of companies terrified of sharing stories of trouble. And what gave me pause. In the end, though, I believe that the net benefit of transparency far outshines the small bruises you'll inevitably in return.
As an example, we're currently conducting an open-ended questionnaire with our customers asking what they like, don't like, and would love see changed. I took especial comfort in this comment on what to like about Basecamp:
The clean interface, ease of use, basic tasks are easy to execute. All features aside, I greatly appreciate the transparency of the operation. Not only has david released Rails to the world, but you guys (or David) had the balls to discuss the hardships felt during your recent upgrades. Most companies would leave it at "we apologize for the failures".. but letting/having a partner discuss the issues in detail is something you just don't get every day. It's extremely refreshing, and something more companies should emulate.
I believe this is part of the competitive advantage that small companies can enjoy if they dare. The freedom to say that you made mistakes. How you made them and why. The freedom as a partner of the company to say fuck, if that's how you feel.
P.S.: It definitely seems like the transparency is infectious. Jamis just shared another story on what can happen when you go to the keyboard ill. Hopefully we'll soon return to the stories about how we're conquering the world instead of how we're failing to ;)
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