This, 100%. I agree that complex tasks are generally better solved in an environment driven by intrinsic motivation - heck, probably all tasks and not just complex tasks.
I'm not sure if Jira and other task tracking tools can be used just as well to document work done by intrinsic motivators though. I mean, yes, they _can_ be, but I don't think they're as good as they could be. In fact, I'd say there's a big gap in the market for a solution that gives non-technical managers some reassurance that progress is being made while also not getting in the way of the ad hoc workflows the post describes.
I've found that tracking tools are good to have even at times when I've been able to work in the manner of freedom the article describes. It's just that they are used differently, more in a way to help remember things. Things that either needs to be done or things that have been done. Especially those nightmarish things that took a long time to solve, so documenting the process is good for the future, in case it happens again.
It wasn't always like that for me (document, bah! comments, bah!) but as I grow older I've come to appreciate the possibility to offload information in my brain to a more persistent media. This way I only keep the index in my brain ("Hey, wait a minute, I recognize this..."). Maybe I'm just lazy but I hate doing the same thing twice. I also hate saying the same thing twice so before I explain something to someone I like to write it down and give them a copy. Then when they ask me about it I simply refer them to the document (in a friendly (RTFM) manner).
The same research that shows that complex tasks are better solved with intrinsic motivation also shows that simple tasks are better solved with extrinsic motivation. That is, measuring mechanical/repetitive work does increase its productivity.
What we have today is an almost complete lack of mechanical/repetitive work to measure.
I'm not sure if Jira and other task tracking tools can be used just as well to document work done by intrinsic motivators though. I mean, yes, they _can_ be, but I don't think they're as good as they could be. In fact, I'd say there's a big gap in the market for a solution that gives non-technical managers some reassurance that progress is being made while also not getting in the way of the ad hoc workflows the post describes.