Overview
Osmotic communication means that information flows into the background hearing of members of the team, so that they pick up relevant information as though by osmosis. Importance
Osmotic communication makes the cost of communications low and the feedback rate high, so that errors are corrected extremely quickly and knowledge is disseminated quickly PMI-ACP Exam Outline Reference
Tools and Techniques > Communication Body
Osmotic communications is normally accomplished by seating team members in the same room. Then, when one person asks a question, others in the room can either tune in or tune out, contributing to the discussion or continuing with their work. Several people have related their experience of it much as this person did:
:We had four people doing pair programming. The boss walked in and asked my partner a question. I started answering it, but gave the wrong name of a module. Nancy, programming with Neil, corrected me, without Neil ever noticing that she had spoken or that a question had been asked.
When osmotic communication is in place, questions and answers flow naturally and with surprisingly little disturbance among the team.
History
Osmotic communications is a term created by Alistair Cockburn and originally described in his 2004 book Crystal Clear: A Human-Powered Methodology for Small Teams (1) and then again in his 2006 book Agile Software Development: The Cooperative Game. Current practice
See also
Co-Located Teams and Team Space Sources & Reference
1Cockburn, A. (2004). Crystal Clear: A Human-Powered Methodology for Small Teams. Addison-Wesley Professional. ISBN-10: 0201699478
Cockburn, A. (2006). Agile Software Development: The Cooperative Game. (Page 111, 112). Addison-Wesley Professional. ISBN-10: 0321482751
External Links
http://alistair.cockburn.us/Osmotic+communication
