Why did the tower of Babel fall?

Why did the tower of Babel fall? AKA - The Workbook Dilemma By Chris Bradney

Background • The builders of the tower did not go out into the world as God had commanded • The tower was in fact in defiance of God’s plan for them • Even the Lord understands how critical communication is among humans • He disrupts communication in order to make them disperse from the land

Why did the tower fall? • The builders were set • Clear goals • Good plan • Enough workers • Enough time • Communication break down destroyed the tower

Communication Resolutions • Tangible ways in which we can increase our ability to communicate: • Informal conversations (phone calls, e-mail) • Structured meetings • Project workbook

What is a project workbook? • A centralized collection of every single piece of information • Structured in a way that allows everyone on the project to see exactly the information they need • Distributes only relevant information to those involved

Conditions • A workbook is not for every project, only those with an extremely large staff will need this rigorous of a structure for communication between groups • Workbooks must be kept up-to-date at all times

Modernized Workbook • In today’s world, a workbook is more likely going to be a digital copy • No longer a need to print and organize edits of a paper workbook • Workbooks can be sent electronically to every team member along with a list of revisions

Workbook Organization • The organizational methods of the workbook promote a tree like structure for the team • When specialization is divided like that, there is need for less lines of communication

Team Build • Each sub-tree has a producer and a architect • The producer assembles the team, and is the communicator with other teams • The architect is focused completely within the team and is based on solving problems that deal with the project

Hierarchy I • In smaller teams, the producer and architect can be the same person • This person has to have great technical and managerial talents • Rare in larger groups because each role is a full-time job

Hierarchy II • The producer can be the leader of the group • He is to help the architect in whatever ways possible • This included putting him in authority without being in the management line

Hierarchy III • The architect can be the leader of the group • The architect as the manager needs to have a producer who can handle the day-to-day things • The architect can then manage the team and project by focusing more

Conclusion • Communication and organizational skills are crucial for any project to be able to succeed • Without clearly defined methods of communication within the organization of the larger group, the project is doomed to fall like the tower of Babel

Questions?

Why did the tower of Babel fall?