I think multitasking should be eliminated from engineering work. Sometimes people outside engineering seem to think engineers cannot multitask because they are not dexterous, but I do not think that is the case.

First, I will write the exceptions.

• I think it is necessary to handle administrative tasks and other chores in addition to one large mission.
• Also, when a problem occurs in one large mission, there is a technique of launching another mission. That is valid in its own way.
• I also exclude cases where the organization is strictly divided vertically. Whether a strictly vertical organization is good is a separate question.

Engineers cannot multitask because the content of their work is not suited to multitasking. Not only engineers, but in making things, a project does not move forward unless you move your own hands. In sales or producer roles, after you act it becomes the other person’s turn, and you have waiting time during which you can do something else. Engineering does not work that way.

Basically, it is always my turn. Therefore, if you multitask between two things, you can only produce half the performance minus switching costs. In addition, a characteristic of engineering is that efficiency drops as team members increase. For example, “one person with 100 power” is overwhelmingly better than “two people with 50 power,” because communication costs are quite high.

Communication costs arise partly from engineers’ communication ability, but also because conversations must be based on a lot of prerequisite knowledge.

Hiroyuki, the founder of 2channel, wrote something like this.

If you want to understand what it is like to program in a concentrated state, draw an 8 x 8 grid in your head and try playing Othello by yourself.

Around the middle game, when white and black pieces switch dramatically, if someone talks to you and you can ignore them and keep playing Othello in your head, you have the kind of concentration that makes you highly suited to being an engineer.

エンジニアにコミュニケーション能力を求める愚行。 : ひろゆき＠オープンSNS _なんかニュースとかあったらここに書こうかと思ってますよ。とりあえず、 おいらのブログ_hiro.asks.jp