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Rules are meant to be broken
At least that's what the people I have to deal with think.
A bit more background for my situation. I work for an outsourcer. The client I'm assigned to is also my former employer. Now, this outsourcing deal was forced down the client's throat by their top brass. So, in a sort of mini-protest, they have taken to nit-picking every task we complete for proper documentation, and if they find even one thing out of place, they have gone as far as to refuse to pay for it.
Into this political disaster enters my current story:
One of the users requested we make a change to a report that's generated from the manufacturing system. It was a simple change to two lines of code, basically removing two conditions from an If-Then statement. This change was duly done by yours truly, documented, approved for SOX compliance (I can fill several volumes with rants about SOX), and then sent off for promotion to the production system. (As a developer, it's hands off for promotion of my code, per SOX regulations.)
Next morning the new program runs, report is generated as requested, with the new information that was previously filtered now appearing.
So far, so good. Too bad it didn't last.
Before I can finish out the work order, another user of this report notices that other information has 'suddenly' appeared. In other words, they are accusing me of mucking it up. My co-worker and I look at it, and sure enough, that information that has 'suddenly' appeared has been there for the last several reports, long before my change was made. Surprise surprise. Second user is duly informed that it is another work order to change it. This is the rule, if it's not in the original request, it's a new request. (<- Rule that is in dire jeopardy.)
Meanwhile, I go to the other user to complete his work order:
Me: I need to finish out that request, everything looks ok on it.
Him: Well, the other user noticed a problem with it.
Me: No, that's not a problem. It's been there all along.
Him: I'm not signing off on this one until the other problem is resolved. (Note the continued use of 'problem')
Me: Like I said, that is a separate change, it has always been that way. A new request will have to be put in to take care of it, this request as entered is complete.
Him: I'm not signing off on it, bottom line. (Insert rant about the whole outsourcing deal, he's tired of these work orders, etc etc.)
Me: I'll have to talk with my supervisor in regards to how to proceed..
Him: You call whoever you want, I'm not signing off on it.
Etc etc. It gets better...
So I call the delivery manager. He in essence tells me to go ahead and figure out what it would take to make the new change. If it's less than a day's work we'll let it slide, and cover it under the current request.
Nice of them to tell me. Truth be told, I don't blame him. It's the management above him that's basically said to agree to whatever they want to keep them happy. In the end, though, it makes me and my co-worker look like idiots because we are following the rules as they were laid out, and it just reinforces the user's idea that they can do whatever they want, rules or no rules.
This happens more times than you can count. By now, my brain cells have pre-paid express tickets to oblivion. This situation authorized a few to upgrade to first class...
A bit more background for my situation. I work for an outsourcer. The client I'm assigned to is also my former employer. Now, this outsourcing deal was forced down the client's throat by their top brass. So, in a sort of mini-protest, they have taken to nit-picking every task we complete for proper documentation, and if they find even one thing out of place, they have gone as far as to refuse to pay for it.
Into this political disaster enters my current story:
One of the users requested we make a change to a report that's generated from the manufacturing system. It was a simple change to two lines of code, basically removing two conditions from an If-Then statement. This change was duly done by yours truly, documented, approved for SOX compliance (I can fill several volumes with rants about SOX), and then sent off for promotion to the production system. (As a developer, it's hands off for promotion of my code, per SOX regulations.)
Next morning the new program runs, report is generated as requested, with the new information that was previously filtered now appearing.
So far, so good. Too bad it didn't last.
Before I can finish out the work order, another user of this report notices that other information has 'suddenly' appeared. In other words, they are accusing me of mucking it up. My co-worker and I look at it, and sure enough, that information that has 'suddenly' appeared has been there for the last several reports, long before my change was made. Surprise surprise. Second user is duly informed that it is another work order to change it. This is the rule, if it's not in the original request, it's a new request. (<- Rule that is in dire jeopardy.)
Meanwhile, I go to the other user to complete his work order:
Me: I need to finish out that request, everything looks ok on it.
Him: Well, the other user noticed a problem with it.
Me: No, that's not a problem. It's been there all along.
Him: I'm not signing off on this one until the other problem is resolved. (Note the continued use of 'problem')
Me: Like I said, that is a separate change, it has always been that way. A new request will have to be put in to take care of it, this request as entered is complete.
Him: I'm not signing off on it, bottom line. (Insert rant about the whole outsourcing deal, he's tired of these work orders, etc etc.)
Me: I'll have to talk with my supervisor in regards to how to proceed..
Him: You call whoever you want, I'm not signing off on it.
Etc etc. It gets better...
So I call the delivery manager. He in essence tells me to go ahead and figure out what it would take to make the new change. If it's less than a day's work we'll let it slide, and cover it under the current request.
Nice of them to tell me. Truth be told, I don't blame him. It's the management above him that's basically said to agree to whatever they want to keep them happy. In the end, though, it makes me and my co-worker look like idiots because we are following the rules as they were laid out, and it just reinforces the user's idea that they can do whatever they want, rules or no rules.
This happens more times than you can count. By now, my brain cells have pre-paid express tickets to oblivion. This situation authorized a few to upgrade to first class...
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