The Toilet Paper Theory Applied To Software Development
There are many configurations for developers to work together, but one of the common things that you will share with your colleagues is the toilet. Visiting the lavatories is also something that you will most likely to do every day. You could think of this as an intimate and mandatory version of the continuous integration paradigm.
The toilet paper is one of the essential and ephemeral resources for this activity. Benjamin Franklin is quoted to have said, “In this world nothing is certain but death and taxes.” I would personally add a third thing: toilet paper rolls reaching the end of their existence. What follows this event could give you an interesting view on the culture of the hosting organization, how its project are managed and software developers are working.
In some companies, the toilet paper dispenser is locked. Only authorized persons can change toilet paper rolls. Sometimes this is because the organization does not trust its employees and fear that they may steal this valuable product. It could also just another sign of an outsourcing mentality that reached also some vital functions. When there is a disruption of the supply chain, you will have the chance to get an express training about backup and contingency planning.
You could expect this situation to happen in a cost-cutting environment, where software development projects will be assigned to the lower budget proposal. You could also more rarely be in a “full service” company, where you are not expected to deal with these tedious things. A maintenance employee will (maybe “should” is a better word in some places) regularly visit the toilet to check that everything is in place. If you are happy, in these companies, you never use a dirty word like “budget” when you discuss a software project. Generally, the locked dispenser is often the sign of a tightly regulated environment. Sometimes you should be already happy that you do not have to ask for approval before going to the lavatories.
There is also the case where the “user” has to change the paper when the rolls end. We touch here the topic of individual responsibility and the question is whether it will be the last or the next user that changes the roll. This reveals interesting insight about how developers care about the impact of their actions on their colleagues’ life. Are they thinking only about what is necessary for them or do they get behind their own needs and are willing to make the small action that will make life easier for their colleagues? Increased individual responsibility is needed when the stock of paper rolls is ending on your location. You are not only thinking about just changing the roll, but finding another roll.
There are many ways to use the Toilet Paper Theory in the organizational behavioral field. If you are applying to a new job, visiting the lavatories will give you some inside information about the culture of your prospective employer. Doing it near your possible workplace will bring facts about how your prospective future colleagues handle this matter. If you are a project manager or a consultant, you could use it as a quick test on personal behavior. Is this possible to create Agile self-organizing teams or to achieve high quality software when you find empty paper rolls in the lavatories? I doubt so.
Small details can reveal a lot about the personality of a developer or an organization. I am sure that this toilet paper story will ring some familiar bells for you. The Paper Toilet Theory does not pretend to be a silver bullet for analyzing organizational and people behavior. Other useful tools like the “Process To Get a New Pencil” and the “Empty Printer Paper Bin Approach” could be also used to achieve a more precise vision of the subject of your analysis. Nevertheless, a good attitude is the basis to the formation of good software development teams. This start in some of the most common places, as techniques are easier to teach and modify than behaviors.
Other interesting Web references on organizational theories or toilet paper
How Toilet Paper Taught Me About UX Design
A first version of this text was published in 2008 on blog.martinig.ch as an editorial for the Methods & Tools Magazine. This was written before the Covid-19 gave another perspective on the toilet paper theory…
Last Comments