My silly boss

Nagesh1

has just promised the customer that we would make a first time right, on time delivery in two weeks for a report, where the requirements haven't been captured by our onsite guy.

I think the onsite guy is busy doing timepass in South California. Whenever we have a weekly call, he says customer's not ready with requirements.

I wonder what we are going to deliver.

dhromed

@Nagesh said:

first time right, on time delivery

I wonder why management often promises this, even though it's as unrealistic as me jumping to the moon, or unicorns.

T.W.A.B.I.

There Will Always Be Issues.

Nagesh1

@dhromed said:

@Nagesh said:
first time right, on time delivery

I wonder why management often promises this, even though it's as unrealistic as me jumping to the moon, or unicorns.
T.W.A.B.I.
There Will Always Be Issues.

I like that quote.

I think management wants to make money. I asked question but the boss told me that does not concern me.

I said fine, but if we don't have requirement, there's not going to be a report.

The_Quiet_One

The standard procedure is to make a very tight and probably impossible deadline to a customer. When the inevitable delay occurs, it's not your boss's fault, but your own for not delivering on-time. No amount of arguing that you originally quoted far more time and effort will suffice. You'll get reprimanded for your "incompetence."

It's less to do with money than simply looking at the very short-term reward: management just wants to give the customer what they want now (i.e. a promise that a deliverable will be made in this amazing short time), and will worry about the deadline crisis in two weeks when it happens.

belgariontheking

@Nagesh said:

I wonder what we are going to deliver.

A print copy of every xkcd ever.

If they don't sell one on the site, print them all out and use office supplies to bind them together.

Hey, it's not like you don't have a lot of time on your hands.

Nagesh1

@RHuckster said:

The standard procedure is to make a very tight and probably impossible deadline to a customer. When the inevitable delay occurs, it's not your boss's fault, but your own for not delivering on-time. No amount of arguing that you originally quoted far more time and effort will suffice. You'll get reprimanded for your "incompetence."
It's less to do with money than simply looking at the very short-term reward: management just wants to give the customer what they want now (i.e. a promise that a deliverable will be made in this amazing short time), and will worry about the deadline crisis in two weeks when it happens.

The boss thinks writing a query shouldn't take that long. Then formatting it in Crystal is just a matter of 2 hours. He said so. Man who make prediction without knowing requirement become project manager. Sad state of affair in CMM Level 5 company.

RTapeLoadingError

@dhromed said:

@Nagesh said:
first time right, on time delivery for report

I wonder why management often promises this, even though it's as unrealistic as me jumping to the moon, or unicorns.
T.W.A.B.I.
There Will Always Be Issues.

I agree with dhromed in general on this one but you do have an outside chance of getting it right first time as long as there is a suitably detailed requirements document. This would need to have

the inputs to the report
whether inputs are mandatory or optional
the outputs including data types and sizes
the order of outputs
the layout of the report
information on the logic

Even with a spec detailing the above information there's generally enough ambiguity to make rework necessary. And reports being what they are, they are very much down to individual taste in terms of layout.

juliaestelleo

Well, every company need to make huge profit. So, they will always hunt and trial and error for some promotion. In this world there will be always Trial and Error. Never perfect.