This Business and Moment...

Project team start losing their mind this afternoon after they see how a rare issue I identified months ago plays out as they start implementing it. Meanwhile I'm like yeah, we know this, we added it in the risks and also copied it as a risk in the implementation document here to further highlight it. And we avoid this issue by doing the next step that we all agreed we needed to take... How do you think this ends? "we need a meeting ASAP to discuss this further". FML.
 
Trifid said:
we need a meeting ASAP to discuss this further
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Argh! So much of this at work these days. I am glad our Tech Operations team are starting to develop processes for stuff and become more routine, but this gets to me.

It's either a risk that was raised before, or an issue we've had before and should be able to go back over the logs/discussions/tickets.
 
Trifid said:
Project team start losing their mind this afternoon after they see how a rare issue I identified months ago plays out as they start implementing it. Meanwhile I'm like yeah, we know this, we added it in the risks and also copied it as a risk in the implementation document here to further highlight it. And we avoid this issue by doing the next step that we all agreed we needed to take... How do you think this ends? "we need a meeting ASAP to discuss this further". FML.
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Hehe. I tend to uncover clangers people have attempted to sweep under the carpet and then have to sort the mess out. For your pleasure:

* Tier 1 mobile operator G-CTO mandates no EOL and software must be supported.. I discover the entire identity and authentication platform is open source EOS/L in about 3 months.. the new version is commercial and the vendor has not even been contacted. Queue convo with the programme 'cio' and I'd sorted this out, including having to sort out a vendor that the third party procurement got so peed off their CEO stopped responding.. eventually I had to arrange a 3rd party to buy the product and support it.. and then get the procurement third party to sign the acceptable commercials with them.. problem solved.

* I've just had a problematical service taken off another department and given to me to sort out. I'm doing due diligence with a A3 piece of paper and a pencilled graph of all the services and their current states of play.. It's just taken me the whole morning and I've uncovered that the service went live and had other services built on it.. but never passed any ITIL service introduction or risk assessment/approval.
A shadowy grim reaper appears and it's a risk analyst.. asks me if I'm accountable for this service.. and I then walk him through the A3 and finding.. he's impressed.. Put together a plan, present to the UK board chief risk officer who stated "I was concerned, but you have it all under control, what do you need?".. and the assigned programme manager takes 9 months to correct the service and the services layered on top for me :D Boss comes screaming over after he returned from hols, gave him a 3 sentence update and "oh, carry on then."

* Justifying an organisational restructuring because the fines to the company would be in the region of £800M if there's a mess up.. (surprising how quick I got a "what do you need?" ... well I'd just been telling you...).

Usually execs are in execute mode .. the problem is obviously to difficult to solve lower down the stack.. but sometimes you find people that don't understand.. and you can explain but you need to explain in a way that expedites priority in their language. If in doubt explain in money and fines.. because nobody like being seen to throw away money in fines on a board :D
 
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I sent an email the other day outlining a more official proposal for a piece of work to be done, as requested by both my boss and other teams.
I almost immediately excuse the length of the email, and outline that it is as concise as possible and that further detail can be provided on request, or discussed at meeting.
It's about 900 words if I pasted into Microsoft Word, and 1-2 sides of A4, with a fair bit of spacing. GCSE students have to cope with more in exams. This discusses a change, why it is needed, the problem it fixes, background information and future changes to make things better long term.

The first response to the email from the team that are meant to be reviewing the request, is someone completely missing the point. Like, I am concerned to be having to deal with someone that dumb.

The second response from my boss to me complains of the email being quite lengthy, so is unsure we will be successful.

What annoys me the most, is a meeting will be called to discuss this. I will literally repeat everything that is there in the email. Again.

If I had taken the approach to keep the email to a paragraph, it would have been laughed off passively aggressively referring to a distinct "lack of info".

Can't win. Why are people incapable of reading today?
 
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People speed read especially busy people.

Vast majority these days don't read long emails. Many don't even any emails at all. Most of my emails I send I don't expect a reply. It's record keeping and creating a paper trail. For future reference.

I would send a short summary preferably in points no more than about 5. Short concise points. Then everything else in an attachment.

Brevity and Clarity.
 
Yeah. I was specifically asked to submit the proposal via email to that team. I mean I could put it into a word doc and attach it saying please read this if that would help but I feel like.....it's still text... presented the same. Just read it.

EDIT: The reality is, people just won't read it. They'll open it...see lots of text they need to read. Close it thinking they'll read it in the future. Never will. Nothing gets done.
 
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jaybee said:
Yeah. I was specifically asked to submit the proposal via email to that team. I mean I could put it into a word doc and attach it saying please read this if that would help but I feel like.....it's still text... presented the same. Just read it.

EDIT: The reality is, people just won't read it. They'll open it...see lots of text they need to read. Close it thinking they'll read it in the future. Never will. Nothing gets done.
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Indeed. Also 'proposal' and problem tend to sound very passive and optional. It's not clear who is owning and driving the to resolution.

Email
Contains exec summary, no more than a couple of paragraphs at most.
* Problem Scope Impact
* What good looks like, ie what it will look like when sorted
* Approach/plan including meeting invite. You can use the agenda to then say who/what/by when/who pays which stirs up the discussion...
* Attachment/workspace link for a more detailed document - this can also be used to prep the meeting.

So if you're exec reading then you know the problem, you know someone is driving it to a known resolution and what the next steps are.
 
Macky said:
Had an initial call with a firm a mate works at. The work and industry really interest me and I feel it has a better pipeline in the short-medium term than my current industry.

Call was positive, although I think my salary requirements (15% increase on current) were a stumbling block. I said I won't be moving for less than the top of their range for that grade to which they suggested that due to my lack of experience in that specific industry that might not be possible.

I do have two years experience in that industry and the core skills are transferable with the key domain knowledge being picked up within a matter of month in my view. Industry can't have it both ways where they want outsiders to come in and bring experience from another industry but then aren't prepared to remunerate fairly.

Did I go in too hot? Ultimately I won't move for less than that as the commute is more costly which would eat up most of the increase in salary. So the ball is in their court I suppose.
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Update on this. Got through to interview and got offered the job yesterday! They exceeded my salary requirements which came as a bit of a surprise. So looks like I'm moving! Trading in an easy 10 min train journey commute for a 1 hour each way drive which will be a bit painful - albeit max 3 days per week. But the 20% salary uplift, fewer hours, growing industry and interesting work should make up for it!
 
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Good progress on our Mens health clinic, our trademark came in today, our website will be up within a week and CRM has been designed and produced, all other aspects we need are up and running are done.

I want to be trading within 2 weeks, Its taken about 6 months but I think we are close to having a MVP and be working.

Fingers crossed
 
A few months into the fintech job now, and I remember fully why I left and went into games. It's just so soul-crushingly boring. I couldn't give two ****s about ledgers and book-keeping.

I really hope the games industry settles down because I'm not sure how much of this I can take before my soul actually leaves my body.

Think my plan is going to be to save a warchest for the next year and be in a position where I can put a chunk of money aside to spend a year or two on my own game.
 
mid_gen said:
A few months into the fintech job now, and I remember fully why I left and went into games. It's just so soul-crushingly boring. I couldn't give two ****s about ledgers and book-keeping.

I really hope the games industry settles down because I'm not sure how much of this I can take before my soul actually leaves my body.

Think my plan is going to be to save a warchest for the next year and be in a position where I can put a chunk of money aside to spend a year or two on my own game.
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Where are you based? I’d be interested in collaborating, I’m an animator and designer.
 
bloodiedathame said:
Where are you based? I’d be interested in collaborating, I’m an animator and designer.
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Near Derby mate.

I'm sure there's more than a few games industry refugees on OCUK, maybe we should start a collective and build something :p I don't have loads of time at the moment mind, this job is pretty demanding.
 
Had a session on imposter syndrome on a course I did recently but man, it is hitting me so hard I'm not sure if I should even continue. Then I think, well everyone started somewhere and I have a golden opportunity to switch trades (Was a del mgr) in the same team which not many people do, so that encourages me. Just feel a bit of an idiot when people are talking about stuff I have zero idea about and then someone will go (real example) Oh Noxia, what's your experience with unit testing? And like with a lot of these things I have to say how I understand the value of it etc etc but literally zero practical experience.

Then I also remind myself these people have been doing ot for years, and I've just been a hobbyist who has a broad range of inch deep knowledge on stuff. If I **** this up it will absolutely be because I couldn't silence the inner voices.
 
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