Wrong Direction



  • We have this director, we call him chaos. He flits from one task to another every time the telephone rings, he likes to assume he knows what the problem is and assume its something simple so he can suggest a simple solution immediately rather than have we lowly engineering people waste time with all that investigating the true cause and thoroughly testing various solutions nonsense.

    "Why doesn't it work at -10ºC?"

    "Well I think the fuel cell..."

    "I think this cheap disposable plastic part here is the wrong shape, I'll get onto the moulding company and have the tool modified!"

    "Well actually it might..."

    "Okay now what about the tender for <COUNTRY>?"

    ...is a typical conversation.

    His other defining trait is micromanaging when he gets nervous, if he doesn't like the results, he'll step in and walk me through the test himself to make sure I'm doing it right. Fortunately he only does this when pushed, I think he likes to get involved to show the higher ups that he is taking action.

     

    So that's the background covered.

     

    Last night I instructed my army of unstoppable killer robots (its more a bunch of servos and pneumatic valves that do automated testing but as of today I am seriously considering writing a script that attacks any human intruders in my lab) to conduct a series of automated tests. The aim was to see how some new software handled a certain condition.

    The idea is that the robot works the device, the cameras and serial outputs from the kit record the outcome, I come in after a good nights sleep to find 16hrs of testing has been done in my absence and skip through the debug output and the video to determine what happened.

    That is of course, unless the robot 'needs some help' which apparently it did last night. I come in to find the devices under test in various odd states, so I check the video and who do you think I find in here at 6pm last night turning things on and off and re-arranging cables? Chaos.

    So what could have been hours of uninterrupted automated testing is ballsed up within an hour of my leaving the building by the very person who is pressuring to get this software fixed in the first place!

     

    RE: Unstoppable killer robots. I have hypodermic needles, a pack of DS styli, some plastic tubing conveniently the correct inner diameter to wedge a DS stylus into, air supply under computer control and a bottle of sulphuric acid. It might not be a killer but it would certainly sting enough to deter meddling managers. 

     

     



  • [img]http://images.wikia.com/supersmashbrosfanon/images/d/d2/Nintendo_DS_Stylus.png[/img]

    I can't imagine it'd be a very good seal with that notch.



    On the plus side, if you add rifling to the tube you can get a good spin going for better accuracy.


  • Garbage Person

     Your complaints are invalid.

     ROBOTS!



  • @EncoreSpod said:

    So what could have been hours of uninterrupted automated testing is ballsed up within an hour of my leaving the building by the very person who is pressuring to get this software fixed in the first place!
    Hello homicidal rage my old friend.



  • @EncoreSpod said:

    Who do you think I find in here at 6pm last night turning things on and off and re-arranging cables? Chaos.
    "Hi, Chaos' boss? I'm sorry to report that the release schedule is going to slip because someone slipped into my office last night and destroyed my testing rig. If you'd like, I can turn over the video so we can find out who the saboteur is."



  • @TwelveBaud said:

    @EncoreSpod said:
    Who do you think I find in here at 6pm last night turning things on and off and re-arranging cables? Chaos.
    "Hi, Chaos' boss? I'm sorry to report that the release schedule is going to slip because someone slipped into my office last night and destroyed my testing rig. If you'd like, I can turn over the video so we can find out who the saboteur is."
     

    +1.

    I am confident you will confront your boss in due time and make it stick by performing or refusing certain actions.



  • @EncoreSpod said:

    Chaos

    I suggest you get three other warriors to fight at your side, travel 2000 years into the past, and slay him before he ruins your tests.



  • "Hi, Chaos's boss's boss?  I'd like to talk to you about improving our efficiency.  I'm sure you're aware of how many man-hours were wasted because of testing delays on this current project, and of course the plasting moulding debacle; if I can have 20 minutes of your time, I'll lay out a plan that will prevent those issues from ever happening again.  Cc: HR Director."

     




  • Chaos was a great boss what're you talking about



  • @nexekho said:


    Chaos was a great boss what're you talking about

    That who Chaos was? I thougth we were talking about this guy



  • @serguey123 said:

    @nexekho said:


    Chaos was a great boss what're you talking about

    That who Chaos was? I thougth we were talking about this guy

    You kinda made it 1x1.


  • @EncoreSpod said:

    So what could have been hours of uninterrupted automated testing is ballsed up within an hour of my leaving the building by the very person who is pressuring to get this software fixed in the first place!

    This is a Known Error (i.e.: a problem with a known cause that you are not in a position to fix). As per ITIL recommendations you should develop a work-around and improve the resilience of your solution. Given the fact that there was a loss of productivity following your discovery of the situation the next day, you also should deploy a monitoring system to ensure that in the event of an abnormal behavior from one of the key components of your solution there will be either an automated fix or an escalation process initiated quickly.

    Continuous Improvement is also recommended by ITIL so the loss of productivity is not something you or your boss should feel bad about as long as you both acknowledge that the current situation is suboptimal.

    In the event that your boss does not acknowledge his part in the suboptimal situation, then you may have a governance issue which could be solved as defined by the COBIT framework by establishing clear boundaries between key IT domains.



  • @serguey123 said:

    That who Chaos was? I thougth we were talking about this guy

    Waitaminute.. I thought you lived in Venezuela. How the hell do you know about our television shows? Are you spying on us?



  • @morbiuswilters said:

    Venezuela
     

    No no no, It's got to be Romania or Bulgaria.



  • He lives in fucking Toledo.



  • @morbiuswilters said:

    Waitaminute.. I thought you lived in Venezuela. How the hell do you know about our television shows? Are you spying on us?

    Ups!

    @blakeyrat said:

    He lives in fucking Toledo.

    I don't recall ever fucking somebody called Toledo

    @dhromed said:

    No no no, It's got to be Romania or Bulgaria.

    Why?



  • @Speakerphone Dude said:

    This is a Known Error (i.e.: a problem with a known cause that you are not in a position to fix).

    That's not ITIL's definition of a KE (not ITILv3, and certainly not ITILv2).

    @Speakerphone Dude said:

    Continuous Improvement is also recommended by ITIL so the loss of productivity is not something you or your boss should feel bad about as long as you both acknowledge that the current situation is suboptimal.

    I'm pretty sure ITIL also talks about good communication, ownership and accountability, process circumvention - all of which has been flagged up in the OP.

    @Speakerphone Dude said:

    In the event that your boss does not acknowledge his part in the suboptimal situation, then you may have a governance issue which could be solved with a baseball bat and a padded room in under 10 minutes.

    FTFY.



  • @Cassidy said:

    @Speakerphone Dude said:

    This is a Known Error (i.e.: a problem with a known cause that you are not in a position to fix).

    That's not ITIL's definition of a KE (not ITILv3, and certainly not ITILv2).

    If there is a formal solution available to make a Problem go away, it becomes a Change. If there is no solution but the root cause is known and there is a need for a fix, it's a Known Error. Also for your information the purpose of the i.e. short-hand is not to provide a formal definition but to rephrase something and provide context.



  • @Speakerphone Dude said:

    A proposal to make a Problem go away is known as a Request For Change.

    FTFY, but we were probably singing on the same lines on that one.

    @Speakerphone Dude said:

    If there is no solution but the root cause is known and a workaround can be applied[1], it's a Known Error.

    Clarified that for you, but again I don't completely disagree with what you stated. What I have issue with is:

    @Speakerphone Dude said:

    This is a Known Error (i.e.: a problem with a known cause that you are not in a position to fix).

    It suggests that my position may have a bearing upon whether or not a procedure is classified as a KE - it doesn't.

    [1] although I believe they broke something from the v3 (re)definition.


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