[yankeehue]

Yes I've tried both. It seems like a trade-off to me. Everyone now is completely into using electronic, asynchronous communication, following up verbal discussions with a quick email or IM listing highlights/decisions, etc. Imposing that handicap can help, but don't need to work on it so much anymore. Whereas getting everybody in the room for a quick status, a few jokes and good laughs, and some ranting about the customer seems to keep morale high. That non-trivial amount of time includes continuously assessing what is and isn't working.