Thursday, February 11, 2010
The Morality Issues of a Clusterfuck
First of call, I'm using "clusterfuck" to denote something gone massively wrong at work; no perversion here.
I'm working on a project now and it's for this custom piece of software that was built for us by a small software company. It's intended to be used by the sales force out in the field as a way to give presentations. The main problem with this software is that, like most pieces of software, it's loathed by the sales force. As a whole, sales people have their set way of doing things; it's one of the benefits of not having to work in an office, of being your own boss (to a certain extent).
This is a technical problem because the software is designed to pull down semi-regular updates, but if people don't use the software, it doesn't update (I'm paraphrasing). So now that they're pushing down a big new update, suddenly all these people who haven't used it for months are coming out of the woodwork saying that the software won't update because it's too old...
OK, I'm getting ahead of myself. I'm getting too bogged down in the detail. The point is that the software isn't that good, and it's making my life difficult. The people who built it are used to working for smaller companies, and their stuff can't take the rigors of being run over a large system by apathetic users.
I just had a call with one of the developers and he made me feel stupid because he pointed out how things weren't all that bad, that these issues we're seeing are impacting just about 30% of the salesforce. But from my perspective, if we're having to uninstall and reinstall the software because it won't update, that's a big fucking problem regardless of whether or not that update problem is caused by someone not using the software.
It makes me angry because I didn't hold my ground and just say, "It's a problem. It won't update." My problem is that I sympathize with these guys because yeah, I know that people don't use the software so that makes it hard to gauge how things will be functioning technically down the line.
OK, this is it - my problem is that I can understand both sides of the equation but that I'm getting fucked over and falling behind in my other work because I've got 100 people who need to have the software uninstalled and reinstalled and that is a logic unto itself. I have to stop feeling so much sympathy and just think, "It's their fault. They built the software and it doesn't work. Period." It's the wrong thing to do, but it's the only way to approach the problem without being overwhelmed by stress. I have so much other work to do, and so many other different pieces of software to support that I just can't handle it. I'm just stretched to the breaking point and the last thing I need is someone making me feel bad about myself because the software they built doesn't work the way it's supposed to, regardless of whose at fault.
I'm working on a project now and it's for this custom piece of software that was built for us by a small software company. It's intended to be used by the sales force out in the field as a way to give presentations. The main problem with this software is that, like most pieces of software, it's loathed by the sales force. As a whole, sales people have their set way of doing things; it's one of the benefits of not having to work in an office, of being your own boss (to a certain extent).
This is a technical problem because the software is designed to pull down semi-regular updates, but if people don't use the software, it doesn't update (I'm paraphrasing). So now that they're pushing down a big new update, suddenly all these people who haven't used it for months are coming out of the woodwork saying that the software won't update because it's too old...
OK, I'm getting ahead of myself. I'm getting too bogged down in the detail. The point is that the software isn't that good, and it's making my life difficult. The people who built it are used to working for smaller companies, and their stuff can't take the rigors of being run over a large system by apathetic users.
I just had a call with one of the developers and he made me feel stupid because he pointed out how things weren't all that bad, that these issues we're seeing are impacting just about 30% of the salesforce. But from my perspective, if we're having to uninstall and reinstall the software because it won't update, that's a big fucking problem regardless of whether or not that update problem is caused by someone not using the software.
It makes me angry because I didn't hold my ground and just say, "It's a problem. It won't update." My problem is that I sympathize with these guys because yeah, I know that people don't use the software so that makes it hard to gauge how things will be functioning technically down the line.
OK, this is it - my problem is that I can understand both sides of the equation but that I'm getting fucked over and falling behind in my other work because I've got 100 people who need to have the software uninstalled and reinstalled and that is a logic unto itself. I have to stop feeling so much sympathy and just think, "It's their fault. They built the software and it doesn't work. Period." It's the wrong thing to do, but it's the only way to approach the problem without being overwhelmed by stress. I have so much other work to do, and so many other different pieces of software to support that I just can't handle it. I'm just stretched to the breaking point and the last thing I need is someone making me feel bad about myself because the software they built doesn't work the way it's supposed to, regardless of whose at fault.
Comments:
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There are plenty of bad movies out there that aren't challenging in any way whatsoever, but people who don't have any taste will tell you they are challenging and that you should watch them. Screw them.
And you do sound ridiculous. You sound like some sort of liberal who wants to try to understand the criminal scum who's raping his wife. I think Carl the Conservative needs to get out here and say something.
And you do sound ridiculous. You sound like some sort of liberal who wants to try to understand the criminal scum who's raping his wife. I think Carl the Conservative needs to get out here and say something.
# posted by 
: 7:19 AM
: 7:19 AM
Previous comment was meant to go on the post below. Damned too many windows open!
# posted by : 7:29 AM
: 7:29 AM
You are right. They made the software, they need to fix it. But you have to do what you have to do in the meantime to take care of your customers, i.e. the sales staff. I recommend you approach it as you actually see it. You are on the side of both these groups. You want to make things work for the sales staff. So you tell them that and you work to get it done. You empathize with the developers so you tell them that and you push them to do what you need them to do. Everyone hears the story they want to hear and you always push your agenda.
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# posted by : 7:34 AM
: 7:34 AMSubscribe to Post Comments [Atom]
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