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SNAFU. An acronym dating back to early World War II which stands for Situation Normal: All Fucked Up. Its original meaning was that things were going badly, just like they always did. In modern times the term has come to mean any mistake or problem. In this story I use the term's original definition. Things went awry, just like they usually do.
Long, boring backstory:
I'm security for a major computer company at a huge site shared by several different companies. There are a total of three security companies here: us, working solely for the computer company, Site Security, working for the owner of the whole site and watching the perimeter as well as the interior of the entire site, and another security company that works for the Department of Defense watching another company that works at the site that just so happens to design and build missiles, among other things. Someone from Tucson might be able to guess where I work by this description. Please don't say so if you figure it out.
The site is basically closed on the weekend. Access to the site is controlled. Weekdays during working hours the access points to the site are manned by Site Security, and they control who can and cannot come in. After hours and weekends electronic gates block access to the site, and there are only two ways to get in: use a Site Security key card, or use the call box at the gates to contact Site Security and convince them to let you in.
Any time a delivery is made after hours notice must be given to us and/or Site Security days in advance and preparations must be made to receive the delivery. First of all, we have to know which delivery company is making the delivery and when they will be arriving so they can be allowed in. Second, someone actually has to be at the dock where the delivery is being made. Third, we have to be notified when the delivery is made, who received it, and when the delivery truck left.
This has not yet happened in that manner since I started here over six months ago.
End long, boring backstory.
Begin actual stories:
About a month into working this site I get a call on a Saturday from Site Security(which I will refer to as SS after this point). A delivery truck is on site, driver has an order to drop stuff off at one of our buildings. I go through our paperwork relating to deliveries and such, looking for information on the delivery. There is none. I inform SS there is no information and will have to make some calls to find out what's going on. Meanwhile this big rig is blocking access to the site at this gate, because they can't be let in without permission.
So I finally get a hold of the person in charge of the warehouse and ask what's going on. He has no idea what the heck I'm talking about, he's unaware of any deliveries being made that day. He says he'll make some calls and get back to me. An hour later he calls me back. Remember, a freaking semi has been blocking one of the gates this entire time, SS is constantly calling asking whats going on, I'm calling other people trying to find out, people are yelling, threats are starting to fly back and forth, and I am really looking forward to throwing some rounds at paper targets after my shift ends(you have no idea how relaxing target practice is). In the end it turns out one of the people working under him made the order and didn't tell anyone about it. He also never scheduled to have anyone there to actually pick up the delivery.
So finally the head warehouse guy has to come down himself to receive the delivery. All told that truck was idling in front of that gate for almost three hours before it was finally let in to make the delivery.
Second story:
A couple months after that pretty much the same thing happened. This time it was a Sunday, and the truck arrived at 4:30 in the morning. Again I have to go through the process of calling various people to find out who ordered this thing and why we have no notice of it. Again I get in touch with the head warehouse guy, only to find out that it was actually him that made the order and forgot to submit the paperwork. Realizing his error he broke land speed records getting to the site to show the proper documentation to get the truck on site and the delivery made. Fortunately, the truck was stopped at the gate for only an hour this time.
Final story: this just happened yesterday, and was the closest to proper procedure yet. And still they managed to screw it up.
I get in to work Saturday and am informed by a coworker that a delivery will be made in the morning. I am shown the paperwork related to it. I am amazed: not only is there paperwork, but it was apparently sent to us days ago to prepare us for it. SS has also been informed of the delivery so all should be fine. All I have to do is wait for their call when the truck gets here, and again when it leaves. Hooray! This will be easy, right?
No.
8:30 AM the truck arrives and SS calls me to let me know it's here and one of their people will be escorting it to the dock. I thank them, mark it in my log and hang up. Ten minutes later SS calls me back. Apparently there is no one at the dock to accept the delivery. Their documentation regarding the delivery does not note who is supposed to be there, so they ask me if my paperwork does. So I look through it and find that no, no it does not. It only says who is delivering it, when they should get there, where it's going, and how much each unit weighs(six units, each weighing 2,600 pounds. What could they be delivering that weighs 1.3 tons each?)
Again I am forced to make phones calls back and forth trying to find out what's going on. Fortunately SS is the one that calls the warehouse guy. I don't think I could have talked to him without losing it. So I think everything is hunky-dory and go about my business. For about ten minutes until SS calls me back saying that they can't contact the person the head warehouse guy told them to contact. So I have to look him up and find alternative numbers for him. Fortunately this is an easy task and I finish in five minutes and SS is able to contact him and get his stupid ass here.
Thus ends the saga of stupid. According to my coworkers who have been working here since I was 45 days old(literally, one of my coworkers asked me when I was born and after doing a little math determined that he had been working at this site since I was 45 days old), this is how it almost always is. There is almost never a proper weekend delivery. Which means after nearly a quarter of a century of doing this, they still haven't learned how to do it properly. God, I wish I could afford to drink heavily again.
Long, boring backstory:
I'm security for a major computer company at a huge site shared by several different companies. There are a total of three security companies here: us, working solely for the computer company, Site Security, working for the owner of the whole site and watching the perimeter as well as the interior of the entire site, and another security company that works for the Department of Defense watching another company that works at the site that just so happens to design and build missiles, among other things. Someone from Tucson might be able to guess where I work by this description. Please don't say so if you figure it out.
The site is basically closed on the weekend. Access to the site is controlled. Weekdays during working hours the access points to the site are manned by Site Security, and they control who can and cannot come in. After hours and weekends electronic gates block access to the site, and there are only two ways to get in: use a Site Security key card, or use the call box at the gates to contact Site Security and convince them to let you in.
Any time a delivery is made after hours notice must be given to us and/or Site Security days in advance and preparations must be made to receive the delivery. First of all, we have to know which delivery company is making the delivery and when they will be arriving so they can be allowed in. Second, someone actually has to be at the dock where the delivery is being made. Third, we have to be notified when the delivery is made, who received it, and when the delivery truck left.
This has not yet happened in that manner since I started here over six months ago.
End long, boring backstory.
Begin actual stories:
About a month into working this site I get a call on a Saturday from Site Security(which I will refer to as SS after this point). A delivery truck is on site, driver has an order to drop stuff off at one of our buildings. I go through our paperwork relating to deliveries and such, looking for information on the delivery. There is none. I inform SS there is no information and will have to make some calls to find out what's going on. Meanwhile this big rig is blocking access to the site at this gate, because they can't be let in without permission.
So I finally get a hold of the person in charge of the warehouse and ask what's going on. He has no idea what the heck I'm talking about, he's unaware of any deliveries being made that day. He says he'll make some calls and get back to me. An hour later he calls me back. Remember, a freaking semi has been blocking one of the gates this entire time, SS is constantly calling asking whats going on, I'm calling other people trying to find out, people are yelling, threats are starting to fly back and forth, and I am really looking forward to throwing some rounds at paper targets after my shift ends(you have no idea how relaxing target practice is). In the end it turns out one of the people working under him made the order and didn't tell anyone about it. He also never scheduled to have anyone there to actually pick up the delivery.
So finally the head warehouse guy has to come down himself to receive the delivery. All told that truck was idling in front of that gate for almost three hours before it was finally let in to make the delivery.
Second story:
A couple months after that pretty much the same thing happened. This time it was a Sunday, and the truck arrived at 4:30 in the morning. Again I have to go through the process of calling various people to find out who ordered this thing and why we have no notice of it. Again I get in touch with the head warehouse guy, only to find out that it was actually him that made the order and forgot to submit the paperwork. Realizing his error he broke land speed records getting to the site to show the proper documentation to get the truck on site and the delivery made. Fortunately, the truck was stopped at the gate for only an hour this time.
Final story: this just happened yesterday, and was the closest to proper procedure yet. And still they managed to screw it up.
I get in to work Saturday and am informed by a coworker that a delivery will be made in the morning. I am shown the paperwork related to it. I am amazed: not only is there paperwork, but it was apparently sent to us days ago to prepare us for it. SS has also been informed of the delivery so all should be fine. All I have to do is wait for their call when the truck gets here, and again when it leaves. Hooray! This will be easy, right?
No.
8:30 AM the truck arrives and SS calls me to let me know it's here and one of their people will be escorting it to the dock. I thank them, mark it in my log and hang up. Ten minutes later SS calls me back. Apparently there is no one at the dock to accept the delivery. Their documentation regarding the delivery does not note who is supposed to be there, so they ask me if my paperwork does. So I look through it and find that no, no it does not. It only says who is delivering it, when they should get there, where it's going, and how much each unit weighs(six units, each weighing 2,600 pounds. What could they be delivering that weighs 1.3 tons each?)
Again I am forced to make phones calls back and forth trying to find out what's going on. Fortunately SS is the one that calls the warehouse guy. I don't think I could have talked to him without losing it. So I think everything is hunky-dory and go about my business. For about ten minutes until SS calls me back saying that they can't contact the person the head warehouse guy told them to contact. So I have to look him up and find alternative numbers for him. Fortunately this is an easy task and I finish in five minutes and SS is able to contact him and get his stupid ass here.
Thus ends the saga of stupid. According to my coworkers who have been working here since I was 45 days old(literally, one of my coworkers asked me when I was born and after doing a little math determined that he had been working at this site since I was 45 days old), this is how it almost always is. There is almost never a proper weekend delivery. Which means after nearly a quarter of a century of doing this, they still haven't learned how to do it properly. God, I wish I could afford to drink heavily again.
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