When solving a problem, if you do not have full context to the issues, your perspective will be skewed to a point where the chances of establishing a clear, effective solution are low.  You might end up “solving a problem” that doesn’t even exist or, worse, is not a problem at all.  This really comes into play when reviewing business requirements.  It’s the teams responsibility to not just read the requirements, but understand the context they were written.  Most requirement documents are fairly light and 2 dimensional.  They assume you understand the motivation behind the requirement… why each one is being asked for.  Perspective and context changes meaning.

When I was a kid, I loved the Garfield comic strip.  Now, not so much.  But take a look at Garfield Minus Garfield.  As the site says:

Who would have guessed that when you remove Garfield from the Garfield comic strips, the result is an even better comic about schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and the empty desperation of modern life? Friends, meet Jon Arbuckle. Let’s laugh and learn with him on a journey deep into the tortured mind of an isolated young everyman as he fights a losing battle against loneliness in a quiet American suburb.

Now, my kids love Garfield.  But this new missing context Garfield brings a new perspective to this strip that I find amusing.  It really illustrates the point.

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Having survived (and not survived) close to 15 “reorganizations” with a resulting reduction in force, I believe they were initiated with good intentions for the company.  The road to hell and all of that aside, several of these were nothing more than exercises in creative accounting.  This year’s ledger will show a reduction in costs while still seeing the same revenue.  They did not take into consideration next year’s financials or growth.  Many were quickly followed by hiring sprees.  I was once told that it was more expensive to find a position for someone in a different group/role rather than RIF’g them and giving them an “opportunity” to find a position within 60 days.

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Ok, not “Superman” superman.. but those people who just want to be a hero at work.  They are the ones who constantly work around the clock and over most weekends.  They tackle the impossible tasks and deliver the impossible…  They come into work each day looking for how they can save the world.  They are the martyrs of the corporate world and product folks love and reward them.

Sounds great!  Why would I say they are bad?!?  We should have more of them!

Oh… well, most of the time, they are working around the clock because they lack any organizational or planning skills.  They didn’t realize how much it would take to do it, so they are rushing.  Often, they don’t design what they are doing, they just do it, hence their estimates are usually way under.  Ever wonder about those last minute “killer bugs”?  They get the work done fast, but it’s sloppy.  There are holes in the logic, little error handling, no thought of performance.  They made it look cool and it does exactly what it was asked to do.  Any faults are with the user of the system, not superman.  Don’t even ask about maintenance or ease of enhancements.

Give me an office full of Batman’s any day.  They are the backbone of the organization, the work horses.  They plan, investigate, research… they are the detectives who are aware of their own mortality and that of their code.  They don’t come in everyday asking how they can save the world, they plan for building a solid foundation, determine how to get from here to there and setout to do it in a calm, orderly manner.  They are predictable, but have deep insight due to their solid understanding.  The don’t seek the limelight and thanks for saving Gotham, but are satisfied with just doing their job well.

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Back in December, I talked on the eve of the last day of employment.  I didn’t post much after that.  It was hard.  I have that midwestern (since when is North Dakota or Minnesota ‘midwest’ of anything?) work ethic, or, as I like to call it, fear.  Luckily, I had been looking for several months, knowing the end was near.  Right before Christmas, I received an offer with JPMC working in an IT group in one of the lines of business.  It definitely made the holidays happier and being able to use my severance package to pay off a home equity loan was pretty nice.  (more…)

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I’m writing this on the eve of one of the most major milestones in my career. Tomorrow is my last day working for the company I’ve spent 13 years learning my trade.

Over the past year, AOL has transitioned from a subscription revenue model to an advertising driven source. Unfortunately, it hasn’t proceeded as planned. In an effort to reduce cost to compensate, approximately 2000 positions were eliminated. This included me and the majority of my team. We extended ad support into our video applications, built a stable, easily maintainable and extensible system. In a time of cost cutting, it was a logical business decision based on the state of the product and the direction of the company.

That’s my official exit statement and I’m sticking with it. (more…)

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